Hesitant to even bother listening to Lady Gaga’s newest album, ARTPOP, I’ve decided to bite the bullet, keeping my hopes high, even though my actual interest was low. Although Lady Gaga has had smash hits in all her albums, the painful truth is that after The Fame, each Gaga album has been weaker than its predecessor, and this theory is not discredited with her newest ARTPOP addition.
Fundamentally, ARTPOP is a hot mess. From the melody to the lyrics to the rhythms, this album is all over the place. Rather than feeling like a thematic collection of singles, ARTPOP is best described as an awkward drug trip, leaving the listener confused as to whether they love or hate what they are experiencing. That being said, the melodic, lyrical, and even rhythmical pieces are all individually excellent. Because of this, some of the tracks 
on ARTPOP are insanely catchy, while others are obnoxiously annoying. ARTPOP is a clear reflection of Lady Gaga in her present state, alongside the entirety of what circumferences our current pop culture: sleaze, chaos, disorder, and eccentricity—and although that sounds like a dangerous combination, it isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Personally, I don’t think this album is bad… however; it is not even close to her greatest. There are tracks that I know I’ll have on repeat for weeks at a time, some that will be played a couple of times through, and some completely removed from both my iPod and iTunes music folders. Regardless of my personal opinions, it is safe to say that Lady Gaga is still a contender within the pop music world.
If you’re interested, here is my personal ranking (best to worst) of the ARTPOP tracks:
1- Donatella
2- Do What U Want
3- Mary Jane Holland
4- G.U.Y
5- Fashion!
6- Swine
7-Applause
8- Venus
9- Gypsy
The rest are removed from my iTunes library, and thus, did not count in my list.
Enjoy ARTPOP, as it is a good album with some great hits.
madcritic 