CD Giveaway details at the end of the review.
Lady GaGa
The Fame Monster
Streamline/Cherrytree/Konlive/Interscope
out November 23rd
83/100
[Rating Scale]
The new Madonna. The female Bowie. We have an annoying fixation with history repeating itself, but why does Lady GaGa have to ‘be’ anyone but herself? Her debut The Fame only offered a small insight into a promising future, but as the bombastic live performances continued and the #1 hits stacked up, things moved into focus. There is something very special about this woman.
The Fame Monster is an affirmation of this fact. Its predecessor was the realization of a dream, a project that took years of work before arriving fully formed. And yet, with this follow up, GaGa has produced an altogether superior album, only a year after her debut.
“Bad Romance” is as good a statement of intent as you’ll ever hear, rising up on a bed of trembling synths, GaGa uttering the modern equivalent of “mama-se”: “Ra-ra-a-a-a, roma roma-ma, Gaga, ooh la la”. Quintessential GaGa- quirky, fun… genius. Sonically this is as close as things get to The Fame, but look no further than the excellent video to see how far she has come. Gaga is on show, dancing, showing her face and emotions, arguably for the first time. For someone in the spotlight, Gaga is extremely mysterious. This album breaks down some of those barriers, the sheen of fame and fortune lost as a focus.
The album features a full complement of pop songs; superficially, “Monster” is a song about a boy, but subverts this to focus on Gaga herself. The chorus is simply massive. Thematically we are in no-mans land, moving on yet still referencing the last album: “I want to just dance/but he took me home instead/…/he tore my clothes right off and then he ate my brain.”.
There is still too much pretense and unknown surrounding her, so songs like “Speechless” lose some of their impetus. Still, it’s a perfect ballad: the classy backing choir and lead vocals from our Lady are well pitched, offering ample space to work in some vocal acrobatics. As well as being a pop star, Gaga is a true musician, recently opting to reinterpret “Poker Face” and create acoustic arrangements for “Paparazzi”. These songs will no doubt see similar treatment.
She’s fully in control of this operation, ensuring this was a release in it’s own right rather than a limp re-release. Gaga also retained her creative input, having some part in the creation of each song on this album, an impressive statistic. Her lasting collaboration with RedOne once again delivers, opting to work with the Morrocan-Swedish producer on half of the album tracks.
The album eschews fame and money, instead opting to tackle the many monsters Gaga has so far encountered in her relationship with stardom. “Dance In The Dark” tackles body issues, with hidden messages galore. “I love fucking girls” is one particular gem, slipped in just before the chorus. It’s the one song where the Madonna reference is pertinent, as Gaga launches into her own “Vogue”-esque speech: “Marilyn, Judy, Silvia/Tell ‘em how you feel girls/…/Hot like Liberace/…/You will never fall apart/Diana you’re still in our hearts/Together we’ll dance in the dark”.
“Telephone” is almost certainly the next single, and finds Beyonce returning a favor — see Gaga’s input on the extended remix of “Video Phone” for context. Jay obviously didn’t have any input on Beyonce’s verse, otherwise he would have called out the awful “I sometimes feel like I live in Grand Central Station” line. It’s one of several wasted opportunities, but the pure energy and outrageous production values make this song memorable. We can only thank Britney for turning the song down after Gaga offered it to her, as her version would surely have lacked the verve that Gaga and Beyonce bring.
“Sorry I Could Die” is an intelligent ode to self-pleasuring, wrapped up as a song about fear of alcohol. It follows the rest of the album in embracing adult themes, from sex trafficking to addiction and alcoholism. The songs have more longevity, and prove that Gaga is equally as interesting and provoking on the inside as on the outside. The outfits, conspiracy and controversies are only small elements of Lady Gaga.
At 32 minutes long, The Fame Monster might be too slim to be considered a full release, but Gaga sends some loud messages nonetheless. With this release she continues to impress herself upon the public conscious, and should have her sights set firmly on becoming a modern pop icon.
Average Reader Rating: 8.6
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Tags: Lady Gaga
i love lady gaga..all her songs are awesome…my fave songs are bad romance ,telephone and alejandro…i’m absolutely addicted to her songs…can’t wait to lay my paws on “:the fame monster”…..
Can’t wait for this to be reexamined in a “blinded by the hype” post.
Barf.
I was actually just thinking that this morning. We’ll see in 2 month’s time.
Shucks. I didn’t realize she sang, “I love fucking girls” in that song and according to last.fm I have must listened to that track at least 50 times.
Awesome album! Love the review, sums up the album well.
I would disagree, saying that the majority of The Fame is better than Monster, though it may just need time to grow on me. However, “Bad Romance” is still probably the best pop song to be released this year.
I really wish this was just called ‘Monster’, it doesn’t need The Fame to prop it up. This > Fame.
Great little pop record. Short and sweet, just how I like them.
The songs on The Fame Monster are so much better than the songs on The Fame. Thank god they released them separately. You can really see growth.
I love lady gaga! This CD is great, but so is Fame. Like someone said, you can’t go wrong with gaga! ..cav06@fsu.edu
I almost wish she would ditch the “look at me” outfits. I know it’s an important part of her image right now but she doesn’t have the wit of Cher or the cohesive style of Bjork to be able to pull them off. They are starting to overpower the music. Case in point, after SNL people didn’t talk about her, they talked about how she tried to play the piano in that ring thing. She was all class and attitude on “Video Phone” in white. Her delivery and moves sold the music, not her Kermitt the Frog dress.
I think this is a brilliant pop album, and Lady Gaga is a phenomenal songwriter. (Of course, unlike Simon A above, I fucking love Eurovision-ish cheese.)
She’s saying “Tell em how you feel girls”–a reference from the brigde, not “I love fucking girls.”
Sorry pal.
I gotta admit, I haven’t been much of a fan of Gaga’s. BUT…then I saw the video for Bad Romance (my first exposure to both the song and the vid) and about a minute and a half into I had one of those “holy sh*t she is good” moments.
BR and Allejandro are full on legit. Dance in the Dark hasn’t really grabbed me, but I’m anxious to hear the rest of the album.
I’m a late GaGa adopter, but I am really loving the production on this album…I love having my ears full! My fav track on first album was “The Fame” so I’m happy to see a lot of that direction on this album.
Well considered review!
Only heard Bad Romance and Dance in the Dark so far, but what I’ve heard has def. made me excited. Been trying to convince my friends that Lady Gaga isn’t stupid, and it seems like this album might do the trick. <3
Lady GaGa has outdone herself yet again. With The Fame, she showed us that she could make a catchy tune with some wicked hooks. With The Fame Monster, she elevated her style and created a concept album that still has ridiculously catchy hooks and choruses, but also reveals herself more and more through songs like Speechless, Dance in the Dark, and Teeth, which I think is one of the standouts on the album along with Bad Romance, Telephone and Monster. This album by FAR surpasses The Fame in every aspect: Voice control, production, and lyrics are all amazing. Perfect album.
“The songs have more longevity, and prove that Gaga is equally as interesting and provoking on the inside as on the outside.” indeed…one need only look at the way she plays out sexual politics in her lyrics and video to know she is not just pop glamour eye candy.
From this taste I am anxiously awaiting the complete work. She’s always an interesting listen.
Love the album, I can’t wait to get it!!!!
yeah, the official booklet from itunes says it’s “tellem’, girls”
best pop album since the fame.
ps: i always thought it was her saying “tellem girls” in a distorted way. rather than “i love fucking girls”
lady gaga is awesome! Just saw her performance of bad romance and speechless on the amas…amazing!!
This stuff is so much better than The Fame it’s ridiculous.
I am looking forward to the new cd..Addicted to the bad romance song like everyone else..Just will have o see when it comes out.. rapataste@gmail.com
After having heard the rest of the album – Wow! Has any mainstream pop album in recent years been *this good*? Miles ahead of The Fame, it’s got way more depth, more emotion.
My faves are Alejandro, Telephone and So Happy I Could Die.
Interesting review of the album.
I’ve only given the Lady a brief bit of listening.
But after reading this I might have to dive in a bit more. Normally it’s not my typical listening style, but honestly your review has intrigued me…
Thanks for potentially turning me on to something great!
Can’t go wrong with Lady Gaga.
For me the album’s melodies consist a bit too much of Eurovision-ish cheese. Songs like Teeth, Speechless and Telephone are nice, but the rest could have been a lot better both lyrically, melodically and production-wise. The Fame > The Fame Monster.
This album is going to be amazing based on the snipets. I haven’t allowed myself to listen to the full album so that i can experience the entire collection when i purchase it. However, Gaga has never disappointed me. Great review…can’t wait
I can’t hear her say “I love Fucking Girls” in Dance in The Dark! when does she say that?!
one of the best pop albums of the year
totally love “Monster” and hope it gets its dues as a single. Altogether these 8 songs are exponentially better than the sum of “The Fame.”
Another new album in 2010? or do we have to wait until 2011? or maybe longer…
This album is incredible!
Lady GaGa strikes again. You see so much more variety to her this time around. From the testy ballad “Speechless” to the 80’s funk pop “Monster”!
If it wasn’t for Speechless, I wouldn’t have given Lady Gaga a chance. After having listened to “The Fame Monster” I have to say it’s a pretty good album. I think that as a whole, it’s definitely better than “The Fame” but I was also surprised they released it as a studio album and not an EP given that the first album had like 16 tracks and this one had half of that.
I’m still not sold on her being a modern-day Madonna or anything like that but I am curious as to which direction she will go in.
Really impressive review. It sums up the 8 songs in a perfect nutshell. I agree, I’m glad Britney didn’t record “Telephone.” “Monster” should be the next single after “Telephone” and “Speechless”/”Teeth” display a new side to GaGa, sonically.
I really like all 8 songs and I would love to win a copy of The Fame Monster.
Definitely can’t wait for this to come out!! I’ve only heard ‘Bad Romance’ & ‘Telephone’ so far and i’d think my expectations are pretty high… I haven’t heard a bad Lady Gaga song yet, so outlook looks good!