Review Summary: Crap concept, very good music.
"ARTPOP"; has there ever been an album title that made people expect a calamity as much as this one has? I mean honestly, it's as if Gaga called it that just so that the critics could take their scalpels out and declare it DOA. All her talk of "Reverse-Warhol" didn't help much either, as this vague (non-existent?) concept pretty much just confused people, and even on the title track she admits her ARTPOP "could mean anything", making most think the concept was just a desperate attempt are artistic relevancy and originality.
Which, it pretty much is, to be fair, and it's not successful in that sense. Gaga's idea was to put the art back into to pop; the reverse of pop art, but that as a concept is flawed, taking into account her medium and her execution. Pop art is a successful concept as it takes what isn't art and makes it so; Campbell's Soup isn't art, but it becomes art by, well, painting it's image. Her music is already art; popular art, and as such all pop music can be interpreted this way, and in that sense, all music is already her "ARTPOP"; I don't see just how she planned on putting art back into pop, especially considering her songs on this album are about as pop as you get in nearly every detail. The productions are, admittedly, very ahead of the curve and sound more like what I expect pop will be 2 years from now, but if that's the case then Madonna has been at this for years. As a concept it's either a brave attempt at something new, or a cynical attempt at relevancy, but either way, as a concept the way she herself defines it, it's a failure in my eyes.
So, where does that leave the actual album? It's hard to say when taken with the ARTPOP label, however, without it, it's her best attempt at an album yet, which makes the album title even more frustrating. Imagine her first album, "The Fame", put 20 years in the future, destroyed by a nuclear explosion and possessed by an even more Attention-Deficit EDM style than what is currently in the charts. If that sounds ghastly, it's because it is, but in the best possible way; Ms. Germanotta always makes ghastly, garish sounds work. Opener and album highlight "Aura" is stuffed to the brim with over-processed (but still distinctive) vocals, huge, ungainly synth lines, and a chorus Katy Perry would kill for. "Venus", with it's Bowie-esque vocals and melody is another standout, complete with a massive production and a phenomenal melody kicking in after the chorus, and bridge.
Elsewhere, "Mary Jane Holland" sounds like a radioactive Broadway number, and Do What You Want thrills with a super smooth R&B beat, and an extra verse by R. Kelly. Vocally Gaga has never been better than on this album, with her signature belting as powerful as ever, and allowing a few more vocals ticks to shine through than on previous albums, and lyrically, it straddles than smart/dumb line she has always walked along. As a full, hour long album though, it's probably the most exhausting Pop album this year, with only the sedate "Dope" providing relief from the electronic onslaught and jackhammer beats. There are also a few duds in here; the title track is probably the dullest song she's ever released, and the regrettable "Fashion!" just sounds trite. Oddly, the one track everyone seems to hate here is one of the ones I've enjoyed the most, trap-experiment "Jewels n Drugs". It's out of character for her, yet the severe style is a perfect fit for her.
Overall? It's a hard album to judge. It's bloated, overlong, and it's generally extremely tiring, and yet it's good almost for the same reasons. It's like that kid that just won't settle down for a minute, while they have all their toys making noises at once. And yet, her talent and knack for songwriting has never been more evident. And yet the concept is constantly present, it makes it hard to take the disc itself at face value. There's a fantastic album in here somewhere; had she trimmed four or five tracks and not spoken about it like it was the second coming of Warhol, I'd have given it 5 stars without a doubt. For once, her artiness has capsized her art. Here's hoping she tones it down next time.
