ALBUM REVIEW: Lady Gaga - MAYHEM
Turns out New Gaga does Old Gaga well.
It struck me in the middle of listening to Lady Gaga’s latest album (LG7? LG6? LG10???) how we really are nostalgic for 2009. That was only 16 years ago and we’re already reaching back for it? Time waits for no one, but Gaga has never felt stuck in any particular moment. She’s pulled from artists from Madonna to Barbra Streisand to BLACKPINK to everyone in between, making each of her records unique unto themselves. That winding path of influence has led her back to her beginnings on MAYHEM, but those years of experimentation ensure this amount chaos is never dull.
The singles for MAYHEM promised one thing: Gaga was back on her bullshit. “Disease” and “Abracadabra” recaptured the dark energy of early Gaga, both filled with industrial dance instrumentals ready to bring the house down. The latter song is her best in years, with its gibberish chorus, commanding vocals and striking music video clearly emulating “Bad Romance”. I can definitely give Gaga a pass for ripping off her own music when she knows it this well. But most of all, these songs are fun. The new wave of pop superstars are much more reserved in their vocals, so to hear Gaga go full Gaga in screaming and blabbering like a madwoman is refreshing.
Though the rest of the record doesn’t fulfill my dreams of an industrial party for the ages, it does continue the fun in a variety of ways. Those two singles give way to “Garden Of Eden”, a dance pop track that overcomes its Katy Perry-tier verses with a stellar chorus and some chunky, addicting production. Stellar choruses are the hallmark of MAYHEM, like on the disco pop bop of “Zombieboy”. Sounding like the unhinged Gaga of old, she tributes a late friend with her signature flair. “Killah” has her sounding equally wild, overcoming an obnoxious Gesaffelstein beat with plenty of gusto. Later songs like “Don’t Call Tonight” and “Shadow Of A Man” remind me of Born This Way Gaga, keeping the party going long into this album’s runtime.
In both the lyrics and the visuals for this album, Lady Gaga is at war with herself. She battles alter egos in the videos for “Disease” and “Abracadabra”. More interestingly, she battles with her history and relationship with the industry on “Perfect Celebrity”. It’s more akin sonically to those singles, but in a more reflective way, finding a nice electro grunge sound to tie everything together. This inner turmoil leads her to writing some damn good ballads too. “Vanish Into You” balances soaring pianos and some funky grooves for a memorable melody, one that backs her desire to use her lover as an escape from her celebrity. “LoveDrug” is what Miley Cyrus would sound like if she wrote good music. They take me back to “Speechless” from The Fame Monster, and both could really bring the house down at future shows when she plays them.
But for as good of a ballad as “Vanish Into You” is, why did she think the album was fit to end with lesser ballads? “The Beast” and “Blade Of Grass” pale in comparison production wise to the early album highlight, just not offering any sort of impact after a long stretch of entertaining songs. The Bruno Mars-duet “Die With A Smile” also feels misplaced as the album’s closer, included just because it’s a hit song and not because it fits the album’s vibe. It’s like a roller coaster that ends with a minute long ride back to the start on a flat path. And while we’re complaining, let’s leave songs like “How Bad Do U Want Me” to Taylor Swift, please. Gaga has enough fun with imitating her own music to be imitating other stars.
Despite those shortcomings, it’s hard to be disappointed with MAYHEM. That desire for late aughts Gaga we’ve all been craving has been more than satiated, and thankfully it understands the power of those old songs and uses it well. To me it’s her most fun record since Born This Way, and that’s coming from someone who enjoyed Chromatica! At times the record is more lowercase mayhem than all out MAYHEM, but Gaga attains the pandemonium she’s going for here.
Verdict: 7.7/10
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