hey yall! im a bit late for my regular schedule, but our record for the Weekly review was Lady Gaga’s Mayhem, released earlier this month. let’s check it out!
Mayhem starts off really strong – Disease was one of the lead singles, so i heard it a few days before the full album came out, and it’s both an excellent song and a perfect opener for the record. Abracadabra plays in a similar space, but the metaphor this time is of magic and the occult – this was also a standout track for me.
and like, i like how many of these are dance tracks or influence by genres like EDM or disco. Garden of Eden is just straightforwardly a song about the dance floor being a paradise, with an absolutely phenomenal pre-chorus. Zombieboy has some really phenomenal disco influences that i really vibe with, even if the core bits of the sing are a lil silly, haha.
and like, the more straightforward pop tracks arent anything lacking either – Perfect Celebrity has a damn catchy hook, and i really like the kinda struttin guitar stabs in Vanish Into You’s verses. LoveDrug is an excellent synth-funk song – im a massive fan.
Shadow of a Man is a powerful track as the record moves into the backend.
unfortunately, im not suuuuuuper fond of the way the record closes – Blade of Grass is a fairly good song, but im really not into Gaga’s duet with Bruno Mars on Die With a Smile. and part of my opinions here is that the record closes with this longer pair of ballads after having such a fun run of songs earlier, and i dunno! i probably woulda been happy with just Blade of Grass in this slot as a way to wind the record down. especially since i really liked how Gaga transitioned out of How Bad Do U Want Me with Don’t Call Tonight (which brings those 80s strut guitars and some vocoded lyrics), a shift that i think really works.
but yeah! another really good Gaga record, and with such heavy influences from funk, disco, and EDM, how could i not enjoy it so much.
faves – Disease, Abracadabra, Zombieboy, LoveDrug, Don’t Call Tonight, Shadow of a Man
dislikes –
Mayhem – 8/10
the recommendation queue is still empty, but im gonna try and get back on schedule and review Japanese Breakfast’s new record For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women) this week – in the meantime, please let me know what album you’d like me to review below!