Didymus 32,785 Posted February 2, 2014 Share Posted February 2, 2014 ARTPOP is an ADVENTURE I have never in my life experienced a pop album that works so horribly on paper and so perfectly when you're willing to actually take the journey. The tracklist looks like a ****ing mess, the artwork makes you doubt whether the album even deserves a chance (not because it's ugly, but just because it's like whut) and the first thing you hear is a Middle Eastern sounding intro that makes you wonder if a printing error occurred and you're listening to a new Tarantino soundtrack. But then, when the first beats have shattered your preconceptions and effectively silenced your doubts and possible fear of actually really enjoying a Lady Gaga album, and the musical train that is ARTPOP has made you fear for your safety, rushing through musical landscapes, thrills, emotions, lows and highs and suddenly comes to an end when you hear the closing "A-R-T-P-O-P", you just know that you listened to a ****ing badass, rock 'n roll, iconic pop album that deserves to be in your collection and deserves to be remembered for everything I just said. ARTPOP is a MUSICAL FREAK What the hell are you even listening to? Even more schizo than Born This Way, ARTPOP blends her trademark catchy pop with thundering EDM beats. The album sounds more modern than any of Gaga's previous efforts for sure. Is this her best album to date? Yes. One could make a list of freakish elements that one encounters during the album, but this list is already given on the back of the cd. That's right. Every song is a musical hybrid, every song is a surprise, every song is deliriously catchy and every song has enough interesting musical elements to make a million listening sessions perfectly possible. The most shocking thing about the album is its incredible lightness. While the songs are almost equally intense to listen to (with the notable exception of Swine, which is undoubtedly the "loudest" song Gaga ever made), and you live and breathe every song, when the album ends you feel like you could listen to the whole thing all over again, immediately. You just don't even notice that you pass 15 tracks, all tracks with their complete own atmosphere (and sometimes genre) and yet afterwards it feels like you just had a lovely walk in the park and you're ready for more. ARTPOP is a DISAPPOINTMENT I'm sorry, this part just has to come in every ARTPOP review. While the ambition of the album is possibly unrivalled in the world of pop music for the last few years, it does not reach the state of perfection. While this doesn't trouble the journey we're taken on in the slightest, when you have time to reflect on it, the imperfections unevitably appear on the surface. The biggest problem on the album is its almost violent willingness to cage the musical ideas in a tight, catchy pop structure. While this works brilliantly on some songs (Do What U Want, Swine, Gypsy and Applause), other songs do not benefit from this treatment. The most recurring disappointment on the songs is their anticlimactic nature. Often the song reaches its ultimate height during the second chorus or the bridge, and then it falls into a repetition. I wish she would have been a little bit more adventurous with her music structures and allowed the music to breathe more freely, because sometimes it does feel a little bit forced, like "oh yeah, we have to get back to the chorus or it won't be a pop song" or something The "biggest" disappointment is Fashion!. While it does serve as a moment of breath after the thundering Swine and Donatella, it sort of feels out of place in the album experience and I wish Gaga released it through the app and had replaced it with a song that had more interesting musical elements and added something more unique to the musical journey. I will say, though, that Fashion! is probably my favorite song from a lyrical point of view and it definitely adds to the journey that way. ARTPOP is a SURPRISE The surprises largely outweigh the disappointments. Who could have possibly foretold that we would get so many great songs and even a few songs that are perfect. For me, these songs are Do What U Want, Swine, Gypsy and Applause. The thing that these songs have in common is their attacking nature. They just keep coming at you, they don't give you a moment of rest. Every time you think you figured out the song, it hits you in the face with yet another vocal detail or a different musical touch or whatever. These songs do not lose steam until they reach their last possible second and I am beyond thrilled that there are four songs for me who embody this principle because, trust me, I usually find a lot less. But there are still other songs who deserve special recognition, even though they juuuuuuust missed that final mark. I'm talking about most of the other songs: Aura, Venus, Jewels N' Drugs, ARTPOP, Mary Jane Holland and Dope. These songs offer an amazing and interesting musical atmosphere that just takes over the room when you play them. While all of these songs suffer from losing steam because of an unnecessary repetition and the missing of that final musical part that would blow these songs out of the water, I will remember these songs the most, together with my perfect songs, of course. ARTPOP is a POETIC JOURNEY The lyrical content of the album is one of its most important and striking elements. It was clear to most of us early on that this album was about freedom and the celebration of this freedom. Another important theme is identity. The theme of the album is represented the best in Aura and Applause, album opener and closer. While the former invokes the image of Lady Gaga playing with her veils (not as accessories, but as tools of expressive passion) while being naked and true underneath, Applause complements it. Agree with it or not, the album is about love. The fundamental love for her fans. She asks the question, "Who am I?" in the first track and answers it in the last one: "I am you." She lives to please her fans and if she stops to do that, her life as Lady Gaga will end as well. Of course you could argue that that still doesn't answer the question about who Gaga really is, but the journey through the tracks offer more interesting insight than Aura and Applause. There are four songs of conflict on the album: G.U.Y., Do What U Want, Swine and Dope. I look at the ARTPOP journey with those four moments as essential for the story. While the image of love invoked in Venus is one of purity, a love that can bear no definition and is literally out of this world, that image quickly turns into s-xuality and the confusing mingling of male and female imagery in G.U.Y. and the fact that Himeros is a child of the violently passionate love between Aphrodite and Ares (the god of war) implies that the balance of love has been broken at that exact point, a balance that only comes back at the end of the album. It's not yet clear to me if she's referring to a very specific experience that she had, or she wrote about several experiences that are not linked to each other. What I can see in the album is the story of a relationship gone bad (Venus --> G.U.Y. --> Sexxx Dreams), a story of an abusive relationship (DWUW --> Swine) and the consequences both of these (or is it just one?) possibly had on her, most notably an escape into different "substances" (Donatella --> Fashion! --> Mary Jane Holland) and at the end the shattering of the aura's we've passed through (Dope) and a lifting of the veil (Gypsy --> Applause). The essential tension in the album is that between G.U.Y. and Gypsy. While Gaga wants to be in control of her lover in the former, she embraces him in the end. As Gaga said about Gypsy in one of her interviews, true love is not trying to change a person, it's allowing someone to be on their own journey. And, dear Venus, I got ****ing chills writing that. Thank you for reading. I enjoyed writing it. --------------------------------------------- Grades out of 10 for each song: 01. Aura = 8 02. Venus = 9 03. G.U.Y. = 8 04. Sexxx Dreams = 8 05. Jewels N' Drugs = 9 06. MANiCURE = 8 07. Do What U Want = 10 08. ARTPOP = 9 09. Swine = 10 10. Donatella = 8 11. Fashion! = 7 12. Mary Jane Holland = 9 13. Dope = 9 14. Gypsy = 10 15. Applause = 10 Final album score: 8.5/10 --------------------------------------------- I know that I only discussed the "poetic journey" that I found on the album very shortly, because it would take too much time to try to unravel every step of it on each song, but if there are interested peeps, I might give it a try, lemme know :ARTPOP: Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Queen 99 Posted February 2, 2014 Share Posted February 2, 2014 "yah 2 theatah" Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowie 4 Posted February 2, 2014 Share Posted February 2, 2014 I agree with a lot of the stuff you've said, but disagree with other points. Overall a very good read! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MonsterMum 2,532 Posted February 2, 2014 Share Posted February 2, 2014 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giorgiii 0 Posted February 2, 2014 Share Posted February 2, 2014 too tired to read that !! sorry Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diamond Heart 4,400 Posted February 2, 2014 Share Posted February 2, 2014 Great Honest Review. You have a great way with words, and i enjoyed reading it :) I love your end paragraph, it sums the album up so well tbh. But i disagree with your most disappointing song choice. For me i didnt expect much from Fashion! but its ended being one of my favs :) Where as i was so excited to hear Dope but it fell a little flat for me. "GGD IS NOT FOR YOU" - Admin Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
La Primavera 13 Posted February 2, 2014 Share Posted February 2, 2014 Nice read. I agree with a lot stuff you said Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 2, 2014 Share Posted February 2, 2014 You forget G.U.Y. in bests songs... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neight Shayde 7,925 Posted February 2, 2014 Share Posted February 2, 2014 the first thing you hear is a Middle Eastern sounding intro that makes you wonder if a printing error occurred and you're listening to a new Tarantino soundtrack. i laughed so hard Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Celina 118 Posted February 2, 2014 Share Posted February 2, 2014 Interesting, I enjoyed reading this. :) My favorite part is how you described it as an "adventure." I think that's one of the best things about the album, and I'm glad it's being acknowledged. You have a way with words. and I guess I can forgive you for what you said about Mary Jane Holland Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Addy Ezzie 2 Posted February 2, 2014 Share Posted February 2, 2014 That's an amazing review ! The poetic journey part is the best imo. You nailed it with what you wrote about Aura and Applause. Oh, and I'm really interested in a poetic reading of the album Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Didymus 32,785 Posted February 2, 2014 Author Share Posted February 2, 2014 Please do It's one of my favorite songs on the album I'd give it a 9 if I used grades. Maybe I should write my grades in there Interesting, I enjoyed reading this :) and I guess I can forgive you for what you said about Mary Jane Holland Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Design 860 Posted February 2, 2014 Share Posted February 2, 2014 Well, with some points I agree, with some I don't, but it really was an interesting review, as it actually isn't the way how I see the album, and that's why it fascinates me. And damn, little did I know how the songs really describe all of her talks that ARTPOP is about her fans. It really is interesting indeed Apple for me, apple for you. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
djBuffoon 11,705 Posted February 2, 2014 Share Posted February 2, 2014 I obviously disagree with several key points, but great review and I'm glad you love the album! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Design 860 Posted February 2, 2014 Share Posted February 2, 2014 You forget G.U.Y. in bests songs... It is one of the " --> --> --> " songs. Apple for me, apple for you. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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