Yeah, I know. The last artist you would ever expect me to ever talk about. Okay, maybe not the last, but certainly among the bottom of the list. But before getting into this, let me be clear about something: I respect Lady Gaga. She is truly a tremendous talent. I find it a shame that she wastes her talents on pop music, rather than directing her time toward a more metal outlet, but it is what it is, and it certainly has worked out for her so far.
Today's post is a special one for me, as it allows me to discuss an artist I normally never would, and it allows me to also bring in another guest writer, one of the biggest Gaga fans (or monsters, if you're down to clown) that I know: my sister. She'll make her grand Synic Spins debut in just a moment, after I give my 2 cents.
Chromatica opens with an electronic interlude, which some of my long-time readers may recall from my earlier post about In This Moment's newest album, I'm not a huge fan of interludes. They're wasted on me. Sorry. However, after that intro comes the first real track of the disc, "Alice." This track showcases the surprisingly deep and meaningful lyrics that I respect Lady Gaga so heavily for. From what I have heard about this record, many of the tracks are focused on Gaga's own battle with abuse and mental illness. "Alice" is the first track on the disc, and the first to make Gaga's message clear. Strong start, Germanotta.
"Stupid Love" was the big radio single, and my first exposure to the new record. Right off the bat, I was disappointed, and was turned off to the idea of sitting through the whole album. It was exactly what I expected from a radio hit today; mindless, dumb, repetitive, and danceable. Listening to it a second time with the rest of the songs around it, my feelings have not changed. Interludes aside, to me "Stupid Love" is the most bland and forgettable track on the LP.
Skipping ahead, listeners will find "911" and "Plastic Doll," two songs which act as a double-header, a one-two-punch if you will, that further illustrates the tone of the record. When I heard "Stupid Love," I was disappointed. I wanted the strength of writing that came from early Gaga, where was "Bad Romance?" Well, here it is. This is the shit I was looking for.
After the peak of "911" and "Plastic Doll," we plummet into a hard valley of "Sour Candy," featuring a sonically confusing collaboration between Gaga and South Korean girl group BLACKPINK. This is certainly not a collaboration I ever would have wanted. Leaving aside the fact that I've never even HEARD of BLACKPINK, the sporadic changes in vocal tone and style which may have been designed to keep listeners interested, leaves me confused and desperate for the track to end.
Scratch what I said before. "911" and "Plastic Doll," while very strong tracks in their own right, are not the "Bad Romance" of Chromatica. That title, hands down, belongs to "Replay." Look up the lyrics, and consider Gaga's past of an abusive relationship and you will absolutely see what I mean. Holy hell.
Coming later is "Sine from Above," a beautifully immersive collaboration between Gaga and Sir Elton John. Here is a moving metaphor relating to the healing power of music. Without going too deep into it, just look at the spelling: SINE. like the curve. Like a sound wave. BRILLIANT. The track is deep and completely tragically relatable, and it has me reeled in right until the odd and seemingly out of place percussive breakdown at the end.
"1000 Doves," is a nice track to help wind down the album, sonically it is somewhat forgettable compared to the others, however Lady Gaga does not hold back on her lyrics. Seriously guys, I cannot stress enough how much I love her songwriting ability. The ending track of the disc is "Babylon," a song which, admittedly, I want to like, but I'm not sure its within me to actually enjoy it. The chorus sounds very reminiscent to 80's new wave, or brit-pop/punk. Wanna hear it for yourself? Listen to "Babylon," then follow it with Pet Shop Boys' "West End Girls," and Madonna's "Vogue."
And now, we hear from one of my favorite people in the world, for now let's call her Sister Synic.
---
During the height of quarantine-induced hysteria, Lady Gaga released her 6th Album, Chromatica. And for this long-time “little Monster”, it simply could not have come a better time.
Throughout her career, Gaga has been very candid about her own experience with her mental and physical health; these experiences are always so deeply evident in the art she creates both musically and onscreen, as well as in her advocacy work. It is the way that Gaga continues to pour these experiences into her works that makes Chromatica a particularly important album, especially in the times that we currently find ourselves in globally.
Each of Lady Gaga’s albums are vastly different in style and content, however each are laden with clear meaning and significance to the writer, each song so uniquely her. Gaga’s unparalleled tenaciousness, passion and ability to pour herself into every track married with her undeniable versatility, allows us all to enter her world and go through life’s trials and tribulations with her; and Chromatica is no exception to that rule.
Stylistically, Chromatica can best be described as a melding of the heart and passion of “Born This Way” with the dance hall style of “Art Pop”. This melding provides a “return to her roots” feeling of clubby chart toppers, while still nourishing us listeners with tracks that hold clear meaning not only to Gaga, but can easily be related to by the listener. What makes this album particularly exciting for me as a listener is that throughout the work, there is a clear juxtaposition of fun, catchy beats with lyrics that are emotional, and impactful and raw. This duality is something that I feel is not often enough explored in music, especially in the realm of Pop.
While in my opinion there is no “flop” on the album and every track can shine on its own, Chromatica was crafted in such a way where it is best appreciated when listened to in order seamlessly. The album contains three short instrumental pieces (Chromatica I,II and III) that serve as transitions into different portions of the track list, acting as a sort of musical “palate cleanser” if you will. As a listener, I feel a very distinct shift in tone and intent as we move through the album’s different sections. The first section following the introduction provided by Chromatica I provides us with the tracks Alice, Stupid Love, Rain on Me, Free Woman and Fun Tonight. Now while I cannot speak for Gaga or any other listener, this section of the album to me speaks very much about ending of relationships, and the search for meaningful connections. “Alice” starts the album off strong, an upbeat tempo paired with lyrics highlighting the on-going search for connection, and the desperation that comes along with it. Alice also introduces the ongoing line of mental health and its impact, effectively setting the stage for the rest of the album. Following Alice, we are provided with the first two radio singles, Stupid Love and Rain On Me (feat. Ariana Grande). These tracks are, to put it simply, fun. Both are high tempo with a simple hook and catchy lyrics, essentially fitting the mold for a radio hit. While not the most “meaningful lyrically” per se, these two tracks are certainly not to be discounted. Closing out this first third of the album are Free Woman and Fun tonight. Free Woman is an anthem of strength and self-confidence, whereas Fun Tonight is more somber in intent, but not execution. Fun tonight is one of my favorite tracks for this reason, and is my favorite track in this portion of the album. It has been rumored that Fun Tonight is about the ending of her most recent engagement, but for me the lyrics speak more to an overall loss of sense of self within the context of a relationship, and the moment you begin to realize that the situation you are in is not the one for you.
The second portion of the album consists of Chromatica II, 911, Plastic Doll, Sour Candy (with BLACKPINK), Enigma and Replay. In my opinion this is the portion of the album where the theme of mental health takes center stage and is overall my favorite portion of the album as a whole. 911 and Replay are two of the of the more personally impactful tracks for me. Both of these tracks have clear and significant mentions of where Gaga was mentally ill while working on this album, speaking about her own demons, while maintaining fast, house beats that can easily be found on any dance floor again speaking to the overall duality of the album. The push and pull of raw emotion versus party “bops”. While not as personally impactful to me, Plastic Doll continues to be a clear look into self-confidence and self image, while remaining just an overall catchy and just plain “singable” experience. Sour Candy and Enigma provide some respite from more tender subject matter, and re-invoke the sexy confidence that Lady Gaga is known for.
The final leg of Chromatica closes with tracks that inspire a sense of hope and better times to come. Sine from Above (featuring Elton John), 1000 Doves and Babylon round the album out from the earlier, heavier tracks found in the first sections of the album. Sine from Above has some of the most impressive musical prowess on the album. Often tracks with high profile features can cause the artist to be out-shown, that simply does not happen here. Gaga and Elton John work on this piece as one, creating harmonies that are so natural and moving it as if they sing with one passion, one voice. 1000 Doves, while a beautiful song in its own right, is not my favorite. Vocally I don’t feel that it’s Gaga’s best work, but is not “bad” by any stretch of the imagination. Babylon, the closing track is in my opinion, an odd fit. While the song itself is enjoyable and can easily be imagined blaring in any bar, it overall does not seem to fit the album of Chromatica as a whole. Babylon could easily have found a home on almost any of Gaga’s earlier albums, and would have made equal sense contextually.
Overall, Chromatica is a triumphant return for Mother Monster, and is an album that I am thankful for on a personal level. Gaga has the ability to share her story through her music in such a way that makes the listener feel that their story is also being sung back to them. A gift that has been missing from popular music for far too long, in my opinion.
---
Chromatica - Lady Gaga
5 - 29 - 2020
1. Chromatica I
2. Alice
3. Stupid Love
4. Rain On Me
5. Free Woman
6. Fun Tonight
7. Chromatica II
8. 911
9. Plastic Doll
10. Sour Candy
11. Enigma
12. Replay
13. Chromatica III
14. Sine From Above
15. 1000 Doves
16. Babylon
Favorite Track: Replay
Least Favorite Track: Sour Candy
Rating: 7.8/10
Sister Synic's Favorite Track: Replay
Sister Synic's Least Favorite Track: 1000 Doves
Sister Synic's Rating: 9.5/10
No comments:
Post a Comment