2013-11-11, 02:54 AM
Okay, I've mulled over the album this past week. Here's my brief review:
3.5/5
She does indeed have some stunning musical moments, and overall there are more good tracks than I originally felt (underscoring the need for multiple listens), with 'Applause,' 'Gypsy,' and 'Swine' as standouts, and moments in 'G.U.Y.,' 'Sexxx Dreams,' 'Donatella,' and 'MANiCURE' deserving of their spotlight. However, what bothers me the most about the album is that it feels incoherent and unfinished, which is especially troubling given it's been touted these last three months as a revolutionary work heralding the dawn of a new fusion of art and pop. Instead, it feels like she took everything that defines her as an artist and a creator and threw it at the wall, forming one giant, entertaining mess in a proud enunciation of who she is. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as it's a step forward from Born This Way, which was simply a proud declaration of who she is - here she draws it out for us in full. But having all the pieces mashed together does not a completed puzzle make, and to rearrange them into the cohesive story she's trying to tell will require tighter editing and songwriting that dives deeper - all of which we can hope (and I, optimistically, trust) will come in her subsequent projects.
3.5/5
She does indeed have some stunning musical moments, and overall there are more good tracks than I originally felt (underscoring the need for multiple listens), with 'Applause,' 'Gypsy,' and 'Swine' as standouts, and moments in 'G.U.Y.,' 'Sexxx Dreams,' 'Donatella,' and 'MANiCURE' deserving of their spotlight. However, what bothers me the most about the album is that it feels incoherent and unfinished, which is especially troubling given it's been touted these last three months as a revolutionary work heralding the dawn of a new fusion of art and pop. Instead, it feels like she took everything that defines her as an artist and a creator and threw it at the wall, forming one giant, entertaining mess in a proud enunciation of who she is. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as it's a step forward from Born This Way, which was simply a proud declaration of who she is - here she draws it out for us in full. But having all the pieces mashed together does not a completed puzzle make, and to rearrange them into the cohesive story she's trying to tell will require tighter editing and songwriting that dives deeper - all of which we can hope (and I, optimistically, trust) will come in her subsequent projects.