Chromatica For The People.
Pop is in a perfect place right now. Even locked down in quarantine. Where we are at least not keeping socially distant from our dance moves which may ensure that everyone else stays at least 6 feet or more away from us always and not just during this terrible time in 2020's planet pandemic with COVID-19. It's time to share something infectious that we all want to catch. A Gaga reborn. Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta went to Hollywood like Judy Garland and Barbara Streisand with Bradley Cooper for the classic 'A Star Is Born' storied remake, and had an Oscar hangover for the Academy Award for Best Song from a motion picture in the scoring soundtrack depths of 'Shallow' (you "woah, ho, oooh" know the one). Which no cap, capped off the most incredible run for the 'Five Foot Two' Netflix documentary maker. Following going 'Cheek To Cheek' with a crooner in the legend of Sinatra, or Gaga's 'Star Is Born' father, for some old standards with Tony Bennett (covering Nancy Sinatra's 'Bang, Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)' like white boots and killing it like Bill), with her most personal like a tattoo album to date, the family matters of 'Joanne' (hey girl like a Florence and the Machine, we could give you a 'Million Reasons' why that album is an absolute classic, but all we needed was one for it to stay on rotation until even now. How has it been four years since we came to this 'Diamond Heart' mama, John Wayne? I guess time went a little bit faster). But now for her sixth set (or seventh seal if you count the classic 'Born' soundtrack which you should. The pop selling star half of that movie seems to have had some more track by track inspiration here), pops Warhol goes back to the 'Artpop' dance floor early days of her monster 'Fame' like 'Paparazzi', or the fact that she was just 'Born This Way'. Now how's that for a 'Poker Face'?
Just dance. Because if 'Joanne' was Stefani's most personal project to date, 'Chromatica' is Gaga's most cinematic. All the way down to the inspired instrumental interludes, self-titled and straight out of the same moviemaking songbooks as the starlet who already said hello to Hollywood with a scene stealing waitress helping Joseph Gordon-Levitt along the black and white road for a sequel to 'Sin City' like her 'American Horror Story'. But when it comes to the American dream look at what this dame to kill for has found like Jackson Maine. If you didn't think the artist that has done it all like Prince could do it again, or take it back to her out of this world roots then what planet are you on? Because Lady going Gaga for the radio like the Queen she is has just invented a whole new one with fans already boldy going and writing fiction for it like seeking out new lives and civilisations. Even corona can't stop 'Chromatica'...a place we all may wish to live on one day like 'Interstellar' if we can't all just stay the hell at home right now and dance around in our Pj's with a hairbrush to this...what's wrong with this writer doing that, hey? Throwing it back like every day was Thursday to some dystopia and android themes and some competition terminating artwork that feels like it was made in 2049. Blade running to New York's Electric Lady studios, the stellar Gaga hits her whole new stratosphere with her last two albums being just as conceptually good and sound as her rookie and sophomore diamond double. Health, healing and happiness over all our haunting hardship is found in electric MGMT dreams like an Empire Of The Sun in this 'Replay', like a '1000 Doves' and a record you should just play from the opening wonderland found down this rabbit hole from 'Alice', all the way to the "party like B.C." 'Babylon' for this hot pink, candy haired singer. A warrior in metallic neon that blinds like the bright, big city Times Square lights on this towering records "new decade, new standard", new year. In the new sine wave of this mathematical symbol for sound, that plays like the art, pure pop can and has always been. All 'Alien' studs and spikes like 'Mad Max' for the fun of this Furiosa following her atomic blonde era.
60's 'Star Trek' video vibes on the relentless lead single 'Stupid Love' are on an epic, euphoric energetic level of a 'Bad Romance' that had like Haim this writer dancing round his apartment in quarantine, whilst eating yoghurt and wondering why he's still single. As a matter of fact those 'Women In Music' (Part III. Hash-tag, 'WIMPIII') sister act warmed up to the sensational second single off this chrome and pink paint before they taught their latest 'Little Of Your Love' Zoom dance class, a lesson for this lockdown (it's crazy what you find on Instagram live at 4am in the morning, zoning like Katie ('Thinkin' 'Bout You') when you need to get to sleep and looking at your phone always helps with that). "Rain. On. Me." lead singer Danielle lip synced along to Gaga's spoken call and response trademark that is back with avengance with the pride of her own song (and have you heard Haim's latest half albums worth of songs off what is already certified as a California classic? What did we tell you about the place pop is in?) for this monster Gaga and Grande collaboration to a cult music video that Philip K. Dick couldn't write a better treatment for. Just two Italian American girls taking over Times Square with this N.Y. weather report. "Water like misery" coming down in these turbulent times as Arianna Grande tells it like it is. Singing, "living in a world where no one's innocent/Oh but at least we try/Got to love my truth/Not keep it bottled in," which was wrote weeks ago, but could even serve as the most apt response to Lana Del Rey's now infamous Instagram post that mentioned her 'Don't Call Me Angel' (or follow me anymore) 'Charlie's Angels' soundtrack co-star like Miley Cyrus. Oh a year after Cyrus' latest classic and 'Norman F###### Rockwell', Lana has another album coming this Summer like we told you about the place this great genre and gender is in. Now if you didn't think that was pop domination in dominatrix, then how about a "come, come, unwrap me" 'Sour Candy' pop with the only Korean act that could possibly dethrone K-Pop juggernaut BTS' reign in the brilliant BLACKPINK, outstanding in the, "if you wanna fix me, let's break up right now" opening to the long awaited collabo as Gaga sings, "I'm hard on the outside, but if you see inside". And if you thought that was long awaited or pop dominant collabos don't get bigger, or more anticipated than that, then just wait until like a Grammy Eminem you hear the best Elton John feature in Fall Out Boy years with the One World Together game changer from the 'Sine From Above' sign. It all multiplies for this 'Enigma' who is anything but a 'Plastic Doll'...but what a record on one of her most cohesive sounding sets yet. This, "this is my dance floor, that I fought for", 'Free Woman' is about to free the world singing about today's issues of LBTQ rights and gun violence like she always has...because they've always been today's issues. Lord knows we need voices like hers now more than ever. A born to electric run Springsteen who once saxed it up with the late, great Clarence Clemons, born this way. All before they call '911' on the best beat yet for the emergency of this songs personal and profound urgency, as she gets at her most honest and heartfelt, "Turnin' up emotional faders/Keep repeating self-hating phrases/I have heard enough of these voices/Almost like I have no choice/This is biological stasis/My mood's shifting to manic places," dancing through the medicated pain. Have 'Fun Tonight' and don't, "numb the flame", because as Lady Gaga puts it best, "take me home/take me to wonderland". So forget YouTube (unless it's for these cinematic music video accompaniments), this is one rabbit hole you want to tumble down Alice. Welcome to 'Chromatica'. "Now dance mother######s!" TIM DAVID HARVEY.
Playlist Picks: 'Stupid Love', 'Rain On Me (Feat. Ariana Grande)', 'Sour Candy (Feat. BLACKPINK)'.
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