A bit late but I just finished listening to ARTPOP in its entirety from beginning to end for the first time.
Aura 4/10 - Great hook, terrible verses and abrasive instrumental. The album version is essentially a neutered version of the demo -- which should have been scrapped and have had its hook repurposed. I would be more forgiving with this song if it weren't for the fact that it opens album. It wouldn't surprise me if people listening to the album on iTunes Radio dismissed the entire album after hearing this song. It's truly
that off putting.
Venus 8/10 - Great hook, great melodies, and fun verses. The bridge is lazy but I don't mind it as much as I used to. The melodies could have really soared had the production been better but I can't fault her for trying. She's a much better producer than she is a direction that's for sure.
G.U.Y 6/10 - This one seems to be a fan favorite but it hasn't clicked with me. I dig the intro and chorus but everything is that is noise to me. Sorry!
Sex Dreams 9/10 - Love the new mastered sexy/ breathy vocals. The bridge is taking some getting used to but overall this is an improvement over the Swinefest version.
Jewels & Drugs 0/10 - Everything about this track is a tragedy.
MANiCURE 9.5/10- My favorite track off Swinefest and the re-arrangement is growing on me. That said, I still prefer the Swinefest version over the album version. mostly because of the great "Heal me" post-chorus. Both versions are good.
Do What U Want 9/10 - Great display of her versatility. My only complaint would be that R. Kelly steals this song from her rather effortlessly, but it's not his fault he's a legend. The best 2nd single choice and I'm ready for this to smash so she better start promoting it.
ARTPOP10/10 - Ethereal, transcendent, euphoric, otherworldly. Quite simply the best song of her career.
Swine - 7/10 The Swinefest version was promising but the album version is missing the best parts: acoustic introduction, the electric guitar transition, and the squeals / raw emotion. It's pretty much a glorified instrumental now but I'll still use.
Donatella 10/10 - I'm practically fashion illiterate and I still can't help but love this one. Some of her best hooks coupled with tongue in cheek humored verses. It's campy, it's satire, its FUN.
Fashion 4/10 - Not Donatella
Mary Jane Holland 7/10 - A cute trip back to BTW. Stuffed overproduction, barely audible vocals, with an ARTPOP quality hook for good measure.
Dope N/A - One second Dope is an album standout, then suddenly the albums skid mark is Dope. It's too personal of a song for me to rate. Somedays I like it and other days I'm tempted to delete it.
Gypsy - 9/10 TEOG on speed and obvious 3rd single choice. The I'mi'mI'm bits work better on acoustic renditions but they're not bad here.
Applause - 9.5/10 Works well in the context of the album and while it's easy to make "
This other single would have performed better than applause!" suggestions retrospectively, I'm still team #Applause. Any lead single employed with the task to repair the BTW era's damage and smash would have performed similarly.
