The Last Drop

Lady Gaga, The Fame – Yeah. You are seeing this correctly. Even I have to give it up for Yonkers. Gaga is taking over the world little by little. And you know what? I don’t actually mind. I mean, she’s not artist-of-the-decade material. But I cherish her showmanship. Plus I can’t wear unitards and admire anyone who chooses to solely wear them.

Is it bad that I thought she was Swedish for the longest? I’ve been known to enjoy Swedish pop and well, who else would spawn a Lady Gaga? And the lyrics ( “Let’s have some fun/This beat is sick/I wanna take a ride on your disco stick”)? Did I mention she only wears unitards? If that doesn’t scream Norse, what does? Even if she is American (and from New Jersey), she definitely has her own aesthetic as an electro/dance siren. Now, this aesthetic gets a bit tired for an entire album. But for those first 5 or 6 songs, it’s entirely listenable. And if you happen to be at the gym or say running 26.2 miles for the fun of it, sometimes you can use a helpful 14 song dose of club reality.

Go ahead, give “Womanizer” a run for its money. But feel free to skip “Just Dance” as we’ve all heard quite enough.

Teddybears, Soft Machine – Long live Swedish pop! They are taking over the world! Or at least my world of music. And how wonderful it is. Just to tick off a few of my Swedish favorites: Robyn, Peter, Bjorn and John, Lykkie Li, Max Martin (true, he did sell out by producing early Britney, but come on, you know you liked it) and Jens Lekman. They really do just know pop up there. And being fit. And having excellent socialized services. But high taxes! Where is this going….

Ah yes, back to the mainstream pop. Which this album exhibits an unending collection. Soft touches of genre bending make it instantly appealing without seeming too “poppy” (the Black Eyed Peas fell off the deep end a long time ago and should take note). Alas, it is still a little too commercial for me. The radio presence of collaborations is a bit nauseating at times (Elephant Man goes to Sweden? I don’t think so…) and you can tell this is easily a cell phone and iTunes selling CD. In fact, I’m sure most of the tracks have been sampled in one way or another to sell some type of product. Not to say that all advertising music is bad (Jamie Lidell DID sell out to Target and I still love him), but a whole album of catchy with no substance leaves me lacking. Much like eating Fun Dip, the sugar is too sweet after a while. I would have liked a little more of the quirkiness that their brethren all exhibit (a hook that is whistled, a dance song about breaking up, a misinterpretation of a conversation sung in troubadour style, etc.) Still, I have to give respect to a culture that respects great pop music and continues to progress its bounds.