Alol @ me waiting to buy the album before listening to it in full. Might as well give my ~first play feelz~.
I bought the deluxe edition because I have close to no iTunes credit left to buy the bonus tracks digitally, and I was surprised to find a little paper triangle with the inscription "Plant This Prism - Spread The Light". I immediately googled that thing because uh... Who on Earth gives people freaking seeds along with their album? What is a gay dude from the city like myself going to do with seeds? I can't take care of a Nintendog, does she expect me to take care of a plant that I even didn't ask for?
And then I remembered that it was the same singer who spread candy cotton perfume on the cover of her previous album and was slightly less confused.
Before the album release, I did listen to all the Countdown tracks, and what left me the longest lasting impression was Walking On Air's drag queen anthem vibe. Therefore... I decided to do a track by track review, and conclude the paragraph of each track with a "What a drag queen would do while playing that song" section.
Roar • Still love it. Roar was a great introduction to this era and it's the perfect track to open the album.
What a drag queen would do while playing that song • Stomp a gay pride runway of some sort, carrying a banner with a cheesy slogan.
Legendary Lovers • What the damn hell? I didn't expect anything oriental/hippie sounding on this album, and I feel like a fool because that prism plant thing was a hell of a hint. While the influences are unexpected, the melody isn't, but it's okay because it's still somewhat catchy.
What a drag queen would do while playing this song: Smoke a damn blunt.
Birthday • Well I was enthused while it lasted, and I'll probably like it more as I replay the album, but it didn't leave me a lasting strong impression.
What a drag-queen would while playing this song: Her makeup.
Walking on Air • Drag queen anthem, disco diva dance party track, etc. etc.
What a drag-queen would while playing this song: Perform the hell out of it.
Unconditionally • The first time I heard that song, I wasn't sure if the "Unconditioooonaaaal" hook on the chorus was really efficient. I'm used to repeated monosyllabic **** like "Ga" or "Rah" or "Ma" etc., so this was rather difficult to take in, but after a few plays I'm positively impressed.
What a drag-queen would while playing this song: Crying her makeup out and making herself look like a damn emotional tranny mess.
Dark Horse • Hearing Katy roar is pretty cool, but hearing her experiment other genres is even cooler. I like that she didn't try to adapt her lyric style to the genre, it's a really clever way to make this urban sound believable for her.
What a drag-queen would while playing this song: Slow twerking.
This Is How We Do • This sounded like a lively background track until that ratchet "bring the beat back" thingy. Honey if you're going to say that, you'd better, you know... not end the song~
What a drag-queen would while playing this song: Ride in a convertible with big ass glasses on her face and a huge scarf on her head, flowing in the wind, and smoke a cigarette.
International Smile • A cute upbeat track with cheesy effects
What a drag-queen would while playing this song: Shop for make-up. Or go to her dentist. Depends on how international her smile is.
Ghost • I was nervous about entering filler-land when the song started, but the chorus is catchy enough to make the song enjoyable, but I'm not sure it'll be that memorable.
What a drag-queen would while playing this song: Nothing, that track is just uninspiring.
Love Me • As much as I find the lyrics empowering and beautiful, I'm not impressed with the melody at all. It feels too familiar, too expected.
What a drag-queen would while playing this song: Prepare motivational speaking presentations... if anything at all.
This Moment • I didn't pay attention to that song at all. At that point I was focused on updating the album info on my laptop.
Double Rainbow • Can this officially mark the last time people overhype Sia? It's a decent song but come on, I didn't need Katy Perry to teach me that double rainbows are a rare phenomenon.
What a drag-queen would while playing this song: Yawn while waving a fan.
By The Grace of God • There's something epic to the chorus, it would be perfect for the soundtrack of any big movie, but it's not necessarily a good thing; it's exactly what one expects an epic movie song to sound like. Its saving grace is the fact that it's really personal and touching. It feels genuine. And that makes up for the fact that the song itself is nothing new. It serves its purpose.
What a drag-queen would while playing this song: Call Katy and offer her a hug.
Spiritual • Well it's a decent bonus track with an aerial feeling to it. I hope to god Katy will never sing this live because she'd probably butcher her audience's ears though.
What a drag-queen would while playing this song: Ain't no drag queen got time for bonus tracks.
It Takes Two • I kinda like how the chorus is written, but I'm indifferent to the song for the most part.
Choose Your Battles • When the song started, I was like: "Another ballad? Come on... Way to drag the album. Is it meant to last enough time for the damn plant to grow?", and then the chorus hit and I was like "o nvm it's kinda powerful, I'm digging". Not a fan of the fadeout ending. I wish CYB ended the album with a bang, but I guess that's too much to ask~
Overall I was satisfied with my purchase! Prism strikes me as slightly more solid than Teenage Dream as a whole, cohesive album, but TD had higher peaks in its non-singles back when it was released, although it also had much worse tracks to drag it down (****ing Pearl...).
He was good all along!
I liked those lines from the review. Can someone explain the second one? I'm kinda getting it and kinda not. It also appears like shade or what. lol
Hope the Holiday season boosts sales so she can get a few 100K weeks.