25. Lady Gaga - Artpop
Gaga is renowned for her outlandish behaviour and ARTPOP embodies this same eclectic nature - the songs include forays into disco, RnB and electro-pop. The opening tracks all focus on sex and although the lyrics are cringe-worthy more often than they are sensuous, they are saved by energetic beats and melodies that invite you to sing or scream along. Dope exposes Gaga emotionally, with her singing over a piano track, with vicious, angry vocals. She admits to her fans that "I need you more than dope" and while the line isn't the most poetic, the message is clear and echoes lead single Applause. Over her months of recovery, Gaga was left out of the media's headlines and in that space of time, other artists such as Miley Cyrus took her place. ARTPOP seems to partly be an attempt to reclaim her title as the queen of pop and despite an extensive marketing campaign describing it as an "experience" and an ingenious combination of (quite obviously) art and pop culture, the album lives up to the hype, though there's a noticeable emphasis on pop rather than art. Ultimately ARTPOP is a solid album of catchy melodies, stick-in-your-head lyrics, and entrancing hooks.
Words by Ethan Lunn
24. The Strokes - Comedown Machine
The fifth full-length studio release from the NYC indie messiahs was a fun, playful and imaginative record that will infuriate anyone expecting another "Is This It"... The opener "Tap Out" is a big "f*ck you" to anyone who was expecting a repeat of their first record's lo-fi garage rock anthemic numbers: it's a deliciously understated slice of eletro-pop that owes as much to Michael Jackson's Thriller as Is This It? owed to The Velvet Underground and Television. JC's famously opaque lyrics are often maligned as meaningless but you only have to dig a little deeper to see commentary from the band on their current situation: contagiously catchy opening track Tap Out's "gotta get my hands on something new" and "decide my past, define my life" are all telling in terms of the band wanting to shake off their "garage rock post-punk revival" tag, be creative and do something different. Album highlight "Welcome To Japan" recalls classic Duran Duran and builds on the electro-funk of the opening track, and might just have the greatest lyric of the year in Casablancas' hushed "scuba dancing touchdown!"- whoever said Julian doesn't have a sense of humour? "Happy Ending" rides along on a wave of candy-coated but filthy grooves; it fuses the album's greatest moments into a disco call-to-arms built for dancefloor scream-alongs ("Baby! Show me where to go!") showcasing exemplary production duties from Gus Oberg (who also produced Angles). Comedown Machine is diverse, lively, and unashamedly inventive- and thankfully nothing like their debut. But The Strokes' debut is over a decade old. Get over it they certainly have!