Well, THIS is an unexpected little treat. I quite like that Wild Beasts album and have not yet paid money for it, so in the wake of the UK warehouse fire, now’s the time to do so for sure.
Lady Gaga - “The Edge Of Glory”
One of the best-ever Gaga songs gets one of the worst-ever Gaga videos.
Also, turns out that Scissor Sisters / Fraggle Rock thing might be bullshit.
The world is so very cruel sometimes.
(Source: youtube.com)
Gaga is releasing the lyrics one snippet at a time to a ton of different online news outlets — Perez, Gaga Daily, Billboard, Popjustice, Rolling Stone. As stunts go, this is totally hilarious and kind of inspired in a make-something-out-of-nothing way.
Lady Gaga has revealed that she is considering releasing two albums in 2011, after her creative impulse was sparked by the overturning of California’s Proposition 8 last week.
“I felt like it was a revolution, like a gunshot went off, like it set us all into rotation,” Gaga said. “It was so exciting when it happened…I was so happy and I went into the studio and kept writing. I know I told everybody my album was done, but I can’t stop writing music. I don’t know what I’m going to do. I might have to put out two records.”
Title to be revealed at midnight on New Year’s Eve. That’s a long time to sit on a finished album; this is bound to be… interesting.
New Poptimist column about the Pet Shop Boys and their idea of “imperial phases” - short, intense periods in a pop career in which everything an act tries seems to work.
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Loved this piece.
Gaga’s devotion to, and promotion of, every aspect of gay culture is legendary. Bisexual herself, while her musical education might have been classical, her cultural education was homosexual, and comes to a head in the video for her forthcoming single, “Alejandro.”
Sprawled across the banquette, in a mood of eager excitement, Gaga shows me stills from the video shoot on her BlackBerry.
She’s dressed as Joan of Arc, with a ferocious Purdey haircut. To be honest, I can’t see much more than that, because she’s a bit pissed and her thumbs keep getting in the way.
The video is about the “purity of my friendships with my gay friends”, Gaga had explained, earlier. “And how I’ve been unable to find that with a straight man in my life. It’s a celebration and an admiration of gay love – it confesses my envy of the courage and bravery they require to be together. In the video I’m pining for the love of my gay friends – but they just don’t want me.”
What is it about Lady Gaga that makes artists who are nothing like her so goddamn desperate to assert their superiority over her? Shit is UNSEEMLY. You do not see this kind of conversation about anybody else. Joanna Newsom wasn’t out there talking smack about Rihanna a couple years ago, y’know?
I’d like serious answers to this, for real. What are other musicians talking about when they talk about Gaga? Why is it so hard for them to be OK with the fact that her music is dancepop?
Don’t sit here and pretend like nobody in this world doesn’t think Gaga makes statements videos. Wheteher you agree or not, it’s pretty common that there is analysis ad nauseum about her videos that go beyond what labels shes wearing or what her makeup looks like. Not to mention, there’s a little thing called haus of gaga that exists. cmon son.
I’m not turning this into a bey vs. gaga debate. I am wondering why f*ck after saying she was going to GO AWAY for a spell, did beyonce come out with some hyperstylized video from an extra track on her rereleased album that’s not even recently re-released? If this were the first track off a new album, I’d have not made this (and most of these) point(s) at all. But the fact of the matter is this song is weak, she said she was going away for a bit and SURPRISE!! now she’s back being way extra. It just seems suspicious, post-Telephone, is all. It’s particularly suspicious given the one pony trick of the leotard triplet dance aesthetic that plagued most of the videos from this album.
and yes, you were supposed to take my points as a collective, not just one, singular point (rather, half of one point) to get butthurt about.
Actually I combined two of your “points” into one? But whatever. I did not by any means say that Gaga wasn’t trying really hard to make “statement” videos — just that her “statements” were on balance sort of hollow, despite their superficially provocative nature. Not to mention that once you start talking about “ripping off” and things like that you start sliding down a pretty slippery slope when it comes to pop music as a whole. (Anyone want to get Roísín Murphy on the line to chat further about this?)
Haus Of Gaga, House Of Dereon… why do these sorts of things have to turn into fights, is what I’m asking? Which is what your post — and yes, I read the whole thing — came off as. Sorry if that wasn’t your intention.
Could it be that Beyoncé just wanted to do something fun with a song on the most recent issue of her album (and mind you I hate the “multiple deluxe edition” racket, but it’s worth noting that the most recent version of I Am… Sasha Fierce actually came out after The Fame Monster)? Can’t we just be happy that people are motivated to do interesting things with pop music in a time that the whole model, top to bottom, is pretty much fucked?
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OK, I’m as much of a Gaga fan and partisan as anyone, but yeah, come on, people, back the hell off of Beyoncé. Take another look at the videos for “Get Me Bodied” or “Ring The Alarm” and tell me that the high-concept of the “Why Don’t You Love Me” video couldn’t have happened without the influence of Gaga. Try and do it with a straight face! In fact, the concept for this one is very Beyoncé, in that it’s a straight-up homage to a powerful style seen elsewhere in the media — whereas Gaga historically mixes her influences (which are no less obvious) in different ways.
Gaga’s great at what she does — make great pop music and great pop moments — but it’s not like it’s something completely different from what’s come before. The only thing she’s done is encourage people to be a little weirder. But high concepts, fancy clothes, and over-the-top acting / characters have always been Beyoncé trademarks, just as they have been for every interesting pop star.
To me it’s like a form of Marilyn Manson. It’s hard for me to talk about it; I’ve seen a couple of videos of hers, and not for very long. I stop watching them each time because I don’t think there’s melodies. I’m sorry to be negative. Like I’m not a big fan of Madonna. I respect her very much, but unfortunately the videos didn’t help the music in the long run. Well, I guess it helped it to survive to the point where the video was irrelevant. So music has to find its own way, which is good for the music. It becomes smaller and more alive and it’s not as crazy, except for some R&B. To me, it’s just talking about the surface. I compare it to Marilyn Manson. The music to me is very expected. I don’t think there’s anything in the tone or the melody that makes me say, ‘Oh, there’s something going on.’Was thinking about this yesterday. Totally agree with him. Sorry monsters.
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Since Marilyn Manson in his prime was, in a lot of ways, kind of completely awesome, I’m not sure how this is a burn, exactly.
I’m gonna have to write another really long Gaga post soon, aren’t I.
EDITED TO ADD the cunty riposte I just can’t bear to not make: It’s rich for anyone who’s made three, count ‘em, three videos for The Vines to talk about “the music being very expected.” I mean, OOF.
