Album Review: Lady Gaga - ARTPOP

Lady Gaga’s ARTPOP was always going to be an important album for the eccentric 27 year old. From the initial twitter photo of the tattoo revealing the album’s ambitious title, to the recent iTunes Festival performance of exclusively new material, the build-up has been long and closely observed, all the more so following the divisive (and arguably isolating) Born This Way. As pop’s premier performance artist Gaga has always been fond of grand statements, but has she risen to the challenge of putting the ART in POP or is the reverse-Warhol concept lost in the beats?

For a start, no time is wasted on introductions in the form of the manic ‘Aura’. Yet the Infected Mushroom-sampling opener sees Gaga at her experimental best, spurting (quasi-)mystical musings over the erratic verses, before reining it in for one of her greatest choruses yet. ‘Venus’ is similarly off-kilter: Gaga’s debut as sole producer sees her reel out a smorgasbord of hooks and melodies in this cosmic ode to feminine sexuality (“When you touch me I die” – Gaga is clearly well-versed in ‘la petite mort’). For all the accusations of unoriginality and plagiarism she has faced it is undeniable that no one pulls off zany pop quite like Mother Monster.

Sex continues to be the theme of the day in the subsequent tracks. ‘G.U.Y.’ is a future hit waiting to happen where the “girl under you” delivers vocals which sound straight out of The Fame era – appropriate given the gender-bending concept previously explored in ‘Poker Face’ - and so it continues with the 80s R’n’B standout ‘Sexx Dreams’. Here Gaga coos a la Janet Jackson about a sexually ambiguous dream lover over an exquisite pulsating beat and harmonies which makes this her sexiest moment since ‘Heavy Metal Lover’. "MANiCURE" substitutes EDM for rock guitars and hand claps in a female empowerment anthem advising a makeover as the best antidote for man trouble – predictable counsel from reinvention’s biggest fan. ‘Do What U Want’ is the R-Kelly assisted second single (rightfully snatching the privilege from 'Venus') where Gaga defiantly offers her body to both the media and her lover. Her vocals make a perfect match for the King of R’n’B, who has similarly been at the receiving end of media criticism. Lyrics like “if you ever let me go I would fall apart” are teasingly vague as to whether Gaga’s devotion lies with love or fame, a dilemma explored ever since her debut.

At this point arrives the album’s centrepiece in the form of the title track. Ironically, here Gaga takes the less-is-more approach and is at the most mellow we find her on the album. In spite of the title there are no grandiose proclamations to be found here as apparently “artpop could mean anything”. Gaga has long come under scrutiny for the muddled fruition of her boldest ideas (Telephone music video, anyone?) and producing music which lacks the profundity that occasionally comes to light in Gaga’s most successful performances and fashion choices. This is why such an all-encompassing lyric can feel like a hedge and a contradiction, but at the same time we have all come to realise that we can never know what to expect from this icon, and as her music continues to evolve, and when the production is this lush, it seems only fair to allow her some definitive freedom.

Gaga has always been a proud David Bowie fan and never has this influence been more evident than in ‘Fashion!’. Borrowing heavily from ‘Let’s Dance’ and Bowie’s own ‘Fashion’, an earworm chorus and a catchy guitar riff make this disco track a welcome addition to album number 3. Kudos to will.i.am who scores the main production credit. As the album rounds off the topic shifts to wanderlust in the arena-ready ‘Gypsy’, which would not have been out of place on Born This Way in all its Bruce Springsteen gleam and piano heavy melody. By the time ‘Applause’ arrives to bid us farewell as a fitting album closer, it would only be fair to appease the superstar who continues to put the passion into pop music, art or no art.

However, for all of ARTPOP’s picture-perfect veneer there is no ignoring the cracks along the way. The album’s kaleidoscopic genre-hopping reaps poor results in the ill-advised ‘Jewels N' Drugs’. While the three featured rappers miraculously manage not to overcrowd the trap collaboration, its inclusion in ARTPOP is questionable, as where former forays into urban sounds such as ‘Starstruck’ and ‘Paper Gangster’ managed to find success, the lacklustre lyrics and weak chorus of ‘Jewels’ fail to convince. The other two drug anthems further disappoint. ‘Mary Jane Holland’ for all its opulent lyricism will not find love from fans of the ganj’ due to its thudding production which feels monotonous by this stage in the high bpm album sequence. It is immediately followed by ‘Dope’ which acknowledges the dark side of debauchery as Gaga clarifies that her love for her fans trounces her need to get high. It offers a relieving change of pace but the excessively theatrical vocal on this Rick Rubin-produced number dampens the overall emotional impact.

‘Swine’ and ‘Donatella’ are further missteps. The former showed promise in its debut performance at the iTunes festival, in part due to an emotional introduction which saw Gaga in a vulnerable moment with the crowd, alluding to former abuse. Unfortunately the end result is messy and lacks a melody strong enough to justify the screechy vocals (perhaps too much time spent studying Munch?). ‘Donatella’ on the other hand calls to mind Gaga’s previous 2008 creation ‘Fashion’ and seems decidedly made for the catwalk. However, great post-chorus aside, there’s no excusing what is essentially kitsch filler.

As with all of Gaga’s albums thus far, ARTPOP boasts a bold concept and she makes a commendable, if at times flimsy, attempt at expressing how art could fit into the modern pop landscape whether through fashion, sex or drugs. It is a valid assumption to expect that the music is only ever half of the story with a Lady Gaga release and with the much-hyped devoted app as an accompaniment we can only hope that her full vision gains clarity as the album campaign runs its course. On the other hand, even if the abstraction leaves us wanting for meaning, when the music is this fun and bodacious it’s hard not to applaud the artist, flaws and all.