Guitars, Drums, Tones, and Saxophones

Lady Gaga - The Fame Monster

Some of you may or may not know this, but life over here at GDTS World Headquarters is not all punx. Sometimes, we listen to other genres. The Pet Shop Boys, for instance, have visited these hallowed halls. Well, their CD has. Anyway, electronic pop music will always have a place here, and it is with that in mind that Lady Gaga is here today.

It’s only been like a year, I’m not that behind.

It’s hard for me to call this a full-length at only 8 tracks. But those 8 tracks span 34 minutes, which is much, much longer than some of the albums I’ve talked about here with tracks in the double digits (over twice as long as Group Sex, the standard bearer for “is that really an LP?”). But I digress. They’re calling it an album, so it’s an album.

Odds are you’ve heard a song or two from this album. Whether it was the inescapable stomp of opener “Bad Romance” or the ridiculous 9-minute music video for “Telephone (featuring Beyoncé),” it’s been hard to escape Gaga. Not surprising, as she’s being promoted like crazy, and her own quotes, style, and general being make for great water cooler conversation. Her aesthetic is attention getting.

It also helps that the music here is pretty excellent pop. The aforementioned “Bad Romance” features that wonderfully unforgettable “Ra ra ah-ah-ah…” bit that drills itself into your brain and refuses to leave. “Alejandro” sounds like the beautiful lovechild of ABBA and Ace of Base, turning Gaga loose on Swedish pop songcraft to great effect. Beyoncé is a great singer, but she’s nowhere near the big attraction on “Telephone,” and that’s saying something.

At only 8 songs, this album benefits from being concise and streamlined. Where the The Fame felt bloated at 15 tracks, a number of which were forgettable filler, this album feels more focused, and each song is a winner. Also, the varying styles found here show a pretty substantial musical development for Gaga. Most striking is the closer, “Teeth,” which has sort of a Southern gospel procession feel. But, artistic growth is never done at the cost of a killer hook, and every song on this record is single-worthy. I’d be surprised if the majority of them don’t get that treatment before a follow-up is released.

Gaga has always styled herself as an artisté, not just another pop diva. I don’t know that I’m in a position to confirm or deny any such claims. I’m just a guy with a blog. All I know is, Lady Gaga has made a very interesting, engaging, and front-to-back enjoyable pop record, and one that hints strongly at great things to come from this singer.

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