Review Summary: After becoming more and more of a prominent figure in the pop scene, Lady Gaga returns with a strong EP to follow up on her hugely successfully debut album.
I’ll be the first to admit that I didn’t really care for Lady Gaga when she first burst onto the scene last year with
The Fame. When her hit singles were dominating the radio, I found that she had some pretty strange hooks that were semi-catchy and unique, but it got really bland really quickly for me and I completely wrote her off. It wasn’t until I heard the songs over and over again that a strange infectious quality unlocked for me and I suddenly couldn’t stop listening. Skip ahead one year to the end of 2009, where I am actually a little excited for Lady Gaga’s new eight-track EP,
The Fame Monster. With Lady Gaga being one of the most strange, unique and creative pop artists going today, how does her first ever EP fair with her previous debut?
The Fame Monster starts off ridiculously strong with the opening track, “Bad Romance”, as it is one of the most brutish, catchy and stylish mainstream pop song that I’ve ever heard. The songs starts with densely soaked synth effects and pounding drums, while Gaga goes from some nonsense chanting in the intro, to various throaty demands in the verse, before bursting into her floating voice in the catchy chorus. The razor sharp strings and pulsating bass give the song incredible weight while the evolving structures keep the song interesting over its five minutes. As with her other hit singles, “Bad Romance” is daringly unique and strangely infectious, and will absolutely be stuck in your head for days and days after you hear it.
Along with “Bad Romance”, there are some other catchy songs to be found on
The Fame Monster. “Alejandro” has a slick, engrossing beat with saturated strings and features a catchy, salsa-tinged chorus. “Telephone” is another very strong effort which is only amplified further by Beyonce and her powerful, dynamic vocal delivery. “Speechless” is an odd addition, as it is more of a straight-forward pop song with replaces Gaga’s electronic approach with more of a lounge feel, but it’s very enjoyable and proves to be a nice break from the crushing synth and booming drums found elsewhere.
Despite having plenty of strong songs, however, not every song on this EP is an exceptional effort, although the supporting tracks still prove to be enjoyable. “Dance in the Dark” has a great chorus and atmosphere, while “So Happy I Could Die” has a very bitter-sweet feeling. “Monster” is still very stylistic, but the beat isn’t as engrossing and the hooks aren't as developed. Finally, “Teeth” is a little strange due to Gaga’s straight-forward talking through most of the song, but the bouncy rhythm compliments the song quite nicely.
So what exactly is so charming about
The Fame Monster? Through a sea of typical pop drivel, it’s really refreshing to see an artist like Lady Gaga who really tries to push the envelope by having a unique and strong sense of style. If you didn’t really care for
The Fame, then there’s really no reason to pick up
The Fame Monster, but it proves to be another great effort from one of the best mainstream pop artists going today. If you’re on the fence about it, however, I recommend that you give it a try, because if you’re anything like me, you’ll eventually crack and fall victim to Lady Gaga’s catchy hooks and her unique perspective on pop music.
