Daveportivo's Cultural Evaluation Facility

If 2009 belongs to any artist it's Lady Gaga, for better or for worse no artist has made a bigger impact than this little lady. Her debut album The Fame was a triumph, it was the ultimate proof that immaculate style and first class posturing can compensate for somewhat dubious substance. However Gaga is no mere pop sensation, right from her explosive debut she never aimed to be the flavour of the month, she aimed for superstardom, she set her sights for Beyonce, for Timberlake but more importantly she had Madonna firmly in her cross-hairs. Gaga upon debut perfectly captured her age like a sonic screen shot, her music was shallow, aggressively sexual, care free and knowingly hilarious. When it comes to the pop world this decade has seen two great pop innovators who have changed the game, re-set the clock and in some cases reinvent the wheel; Lily Allen was the 21st Century pop star a real girl, brutally honesty and refreshing real, Lily Allen was this generations pop hero, Gaga on the other hand was over the top, she was unreal, she was a caricature she wanted to be this generation's Icon. Yet to be a true Icon you have to at some point deliver the substance to match the emaculate style; afterall when Ziggy Stardust descended from the heavens he brought with him one of the greatest albums of all time. This leads us ultimately to the question at hand; does Gaga the substance to back up her style? Will her ambition outstrip her talent? Will she be doomed to rot along with the other colourful pretenders to Madonna's throne?

If the Fame Monster is anything to go by Lady Gaga has absolutely nothing to worry about, infact, she's on her way to becoming an institution. The Fame Monster not only improves on the impressive if mediocre The Fame it blows that record out the water. Within the confines of this brief thirty minute semi-album Gaga leaps past Madonna and begins to look like the modern day Bowie. From the first minute of opening track Bad Romance you are instantly informed that you are no longer listening to a stylish poser indebted to her influences or relying on a producer, your in fact listening to a true artist, your listening to music that could only be written by Lady Gaga. From this opening salvo the album becomes Gaga, it's crazy, it's stupid and it's sexy as all hell. Bad Romance lays the brilliance of Gaga on the table for all to see, it's so psychopathically morose and yet brilliantly crafted at the same time, with her off key ranting and musical theatre pants Gaga music brings a rye smile to your face while the subversive beat and addictive hook becomes implanted in your head. Either by design or by accident The Fame Monster has a tremendous sense of humour, it's fantastically confusing, you don't know whether she really is this shallow and superficial, or if it's all one big joke at your expense or whether infact your supposed to be in on the gag. Of course before you could ever come to a conclusion you'll be so addicted to her tracks you'll forget why you cared in the first place.

Gaga switches personalities a will, starting out as the demented desperate predator stalking her man before going in for the kill, next she slips into a Spanish love song narrative and she's become the victim of love's obession, of course she's nonplussed about the whole affair. Alejandro is perhaps the album's most ridiculous track, Gaga's cadence is almost too unreal to be anything but parody and the track is a hilarious albeit grating listen at first, however it's sweet melodic hooks and clever arrangement are revealed on multiple listens and it soon becomes a favourite. Monster feels like Gaga's answer to Akon's Dangerous and feels like one of the few reactionary tracks on the album yet it still retains and creative and remarkable dense arrangement to back up a series of sugary hooks. The track is produced to perfection it truly feels like the US's answer to Xenomania. The most striking difference between The Fame and The Fame Monster comes in terms of the sheer song quality, before Gaga relied on posturing; limp basslines, key board break downs, it was paper thin. The Fame Monster strips away the cynicism creating beautifully dense arrangements, it's superbly written pop music of the highest order. Speechless clearly highlights this improvement with a timeless epic sweeping strings movement atop a chugging guitar line while Gaga belts out a classic ballad, it's so well pitched, it doesn't relie on any electro gimmickry or production tricks, this is a song that feels more like a Lennon & McCartney composition than a Timbaland electro fart. Telephone is also particularly telling; it shows that in between all the new found powerhouse song writing moments that Gaga can still be ice cool and as ridiculous as ever. Yet when compared to Beyonce's flaccid Videophone the elevation of Gaga is marked, behind the posturing and the one liners are glorious timeless pop hooks to compensate for the live for the day short sighted production.

The Fame Monster is a sensation, it's thirty minutes of divine pop, loaded with potential hits, irresistible hooks but most importantly brilliant music. The creativity on display is remarkable, while there may still be obvious nods to Madonna and other 80s pop, they are more subtle now, this unmistakable, unequivocally Gaga. The Fame Monster proves that Gaga is no trend, no gimmick, no false idol, this Lady is genuinely super talented. It's scary to think that this collection of tracks was thrown together basically to flog a few extra copies of her debut LP, God knows just how good her next full LP will be? Gaga has shown that she's an artist who can develop and evolve, that she has the potential to get better and better, and unlike Justin Timberlake, unlike Beyonce and yes unlike Lily Allen she has made an album that from the first track to last is wall to wall brilliance. There are still challenges ahead, Gaga sound is still very now, but The Fame Monster gives us the hints that she has the potential to create music that transcends her era. Gaga is no longer the next big thing, the flavour of the month, she's not a trend, a style, she is simply Gaga and she is a Twenty First Century Icon, who deserves to be mentioned not only alongside Madonna, but Bowie, Michael Jackson, Prince and if she keeps going at this rate there's no reason she can't start eyeing Lennon and McCartney. There is a long way to go of course, but the signs are good, and let us never forget Lennon & McCartney started with Please, Please Me not Abbey Road. So while she may never be able to take Lily Allen's crown as our every-girl pop heroine; make no mistake Lady Gaga is THE 21st Century Pop ICON, she's anything but an ordinary girl, she's something different, something new, something terrifying: she is The Fame Monster.

Tracks To Download: Speechless, Bad Romance & Monster

Like A Prayer - Madonna, Dirty Mind - Prince

2008 wouldn't be kind to Franz Ferdinand, they'd stayed away too long (or perhaps not long enough) and there third album while far from stellar never got it's just deserts. Lucid Dreams was the clear stand out, Alex and co reworked the one of single from a rather generic free minute pop song into a sprawling seven minute thematic epic. The track was oozed it drip it was dirt sexy intelligent dance music made by a rock band who kick started the indie disco revolution in the UK. At seven minutes it was a beast and would have been a risk, but a song of this quality deserved a re-release and a music video. Hear It Here

In 2005 it appeared that Trent Reznor was desperate to regain his mojo and he damn close, The Hand That Feeds felt like the more generic offspring of original breakthrough single Head Like A Hole. It laid it's electronic grooves and simple hook over a rather bland guitar line, it create a wonderful pulsating dance beat but fell short of greatest, it simple aped the past to shameless. Yet despite all the draw backs it easily remains Trent's best pop single of the last ten years. Hear It Here

We're not even half way through the countdown and already the dark lords at Xenomania are already making their presence felt with yet another mind blowingly brilliant single. The Show was just so irresistable, but behind it's divine hooks was a great deal of lyrical punch "Should Have Known, Should Have Cared, Should Have Hung Around The Kitchen In My Underwear Acting Like A Lady...Should Have Fluttered My Mascara Like A Butterfly, You Should Have Made Me". The track was a bold threat built ontop of a slick electro beat and my god how many hooks could one track have, they even included a nod to the sun drenched Ibiza hooks and I refuse to believe that anyone in the UK at one point in their life hasn't put on a falsetto and sung the "That Special Something" line. More pop genius, and trust me there's much more where that came from to look forward to. Hear It Here

After Yoshimi Batlles The Pink Robots it felt as though the Flaming Lips had earned the chance to have a good time and that's exactly what they did on At War With The Mystics. As a result they indulged their influences and interest creating some remarkable tracks that didn't hang together in a single LP. Two joyously fun tracks came out of this period the Prince tribute Free Radicals and the Sabbath sized The W.A.N.D. it still feels as though it's the Lips carefree answer to War Pigs, the track rides the on the back of a tsunami sized riff. Hear It Here

A Victim Of Conformity? A Causality of Your Society? Was this Muse, Trent Reznor....Pennywise? No in 2001 Sum 41 (don't laugh please) were the trying to be the arch anti-conformity pop punks, of course this whole notion seems absurd when your making one of the catchiest bounciest pop tracks of the decade. Pop punk never really got this big again, well not under that name at least, and Fat Lip remains a high point even with it's cringeworthy raps it had a playful free spirit that can only be admired. Hear It Here

There have been few more triumphant tracks this decade than Radio Nowhere when that first clanging riff boomed out of speakers world wide it felt like an awakening, the Boss was back, he was pissed off and he was about to give you his state of the union as he desperately cried "Is There Anybody Alive Out There". This track would complete Springsteen's comeback to stadium superstar, cultural icon and the unlikely spokesperson for a generation of American's sick and tired of the Bush Administration. This was Springsteen's desperate and pounding call to arms. Hear it Here

There hardly seems much to say about this track or about Electric Six, it truly is a case of if you've heard this track you know why it's here. The only note I need to make is that while it was a comedy track it equally works as a conventional rock track, boy do I regret putting the Lonely Island so low down :( Hear It Here

The Kaiser Chiefs burst onto the scene in 2005 with a serious of singles too catchy anthemic to be resisted. The Kaiser's made tracks to get huge festival fields singing in unison. Yet more than just being catchy pop the Kaiser's first album had some neat lyrical flourishes and a strong sense of humour, Everday I Love You Less And Less title alone was a triumph, let alone Ricky's attempt at justifying breaking up from his girl friend (his parent's love is enough for him, who needs a girl friend). Hear It Here

Prior to release I rather unfairly gave this track a lukewarm review, I stressed it's structural exellence, it's sublime lyrical content but criticised it for not being the next Umbrella but in hindsight those remarks seemed shallow. Russian Roulette remains a remarkable piece, Rihanna's vocals are divinely pitched building to a power house chorus, this track is more than just a single, it marks Rihanna's transition from a pop star to a full fledge diva. So this is my official apology for criminally underrating one of this decades finest tracks. Hear It Here

The Killer's b-side collection Sawdust served to highlight the Killer's weakness rather than showing off their song writing prowess. Tranquilize was the one exception, how it failed to make the cut for Sam's Town is beyond me. The track is brilliant, Lou Reed adds some stature to the track allowing Tranquilize to feel like a great American epic. There'd been alot of talk of the Killer's being influenced by Springsteen but this was the track that carried the great wide screen sense of American song writing. It's a string that sadly seems to have been lost from The Killer's bow. Hear It Here

While Coldplay have never shirked from the ambition to be as big as U2 they've desperately tried to be something more and do what U2 could never do; creatively evolve. Viva La Vida cannot be classed as a success but it wasn't a failure either, Coldplay stretched their creative wings, played around with varied instrumentation and song structure but still managed to retain their irresistible hooks a feat U2 never managed. Violet Hill was the first single, it felt familiar and yet different, it was both thrilling and cosy, it was the type of statement we want are modern Stadium MOR specialists to make. Hear It Here

In 2004 the Scissor Sisters created the definitive camp anthem. Filthy Gorgeous was a mission statement, and with this track they painted the pop charts rainbow coloured with a bass line of Noel's House Party proportions. Jake Sears sang the entire track in a ludicrously high Prince like falsetto this was the ultimate nasty sticky sweat club jam, there was nothing subtly about it, they were throwing their sexuality in your faces and you just had to react, and it seemed the vast majority decided to put on their dancing shoes. Hear It Here

We talked earlier about the great history of American storytellers and the 21st Century saw a great popular revival of this long and storied tradition with the Gaslight Anthem and The Hold Steady. The Swish burst onto the seen with it's gritty rock and roll riffage and Craig Finn's urban poetry. Craig Finn would end this decade as one of America's great storytellers and he painted images of dark streets laid with drunkards, drug addicts and damn good times, while in the back ground The Hold Steady turned themselves in the worlds greatest bar room band. It was a tremendous song writing journey and The Swish was the first sign of their genius. Hear It Here

When it comes to my favourite protest track of the decade the can only be one. None was more direct, more powerful and bang on than Jarvis Cocker's Cunts Are Still Running The World. Originally debuted at Reading festival on the big screens in between acts this track was beyond hilarious. Yet behind the huge sloganeering laid a surprisingly accurate, witty and well written rant, this wasn't a whiny college student this was an intellectual statement wrapped in a glorious blunt sentiment. The track was loaded with unforgettable lines but my favourite line will always be the opening gambit: "Well Did You Hear, There's A Naturally Order? Those Most Deserving Will End Up With The Most, That The Cream Cannot Help But Rise Up To The Top. Well I say "Shit Floats"". Hear It Here

T.I's ambition always radically outstripped his talent, don't get me wrong T.I is a fine rapper and one of the better stars to emerge in this decade but he's not one of the elite, no matter how hard he tries to position himself as such. Luckily one man whose sky high ambition has never outstripped his bottomless pools of talent is Mr. Timberlake, and Justin promptly carries this track on his back transforming it into a powerful epic, full of emotional hooks and sweeping arrangements. T.I. just about manages to keep pace as Justin Timberlake steals the show. Hear It Here

So even though Kate wasn't too thrilled at being constantly reminded of the fact but in 2007 we saw a sleugh of artist break through the shattered remainder of the door kicked open by Lily Allen. We had a new generation of deeply emotion highly personal singer songwriters and Kate was one of the first true success she followed up smash hit Foundations with the bold cold light of day honesty of Mouthwash. This tracks honesty struck a chord with many and it cemented Kate Nash as more than a one hit wonder. The tracks lyrically highlight came at the end of the first verse with the excellent line "And, This Is My Brain, It's Torturous Analytical Thoughts, Make Me Go Insane", I've certainly been there. Hear It Here

Ah Jay Z's simultaneous love sound to all the girls of the world and his love rat anthem. Of course it was largely an excuse to roll through as many ridiculous scenarios and punch lines as humanly possible. Ultimately this track was just alot of fun, built on a slow jam beat and super serious vocal whining before over the top they lay some sleezy sing along vocals. This track also hold the record for the most stereotypes in single track, just sit back and enjoy if you can get passed the comedy sexism. Hear It Here

Some tracks grab you within the first five seconds and that's certainly the case with Radiohead's tremendous Go To Sleep. At times it feels like the forgotten track in Radiohead's back catalogue but the minute that riff kicks in all the memories come flooding back just before Thom Yorke maniacally croons "Something For The Rag And Bone Man, Over My Dead Body". This was Radiohead at their most terrifying, they've always been bleak and emotionally wrought but this track was dark, ominous and it felt like it encroached upon with it's bleakness. It remains one of Radiohead's most bold and brilliant singles even if it was unfortunately sandwiched between some big hitters. Hear It Here

So on occasion a remix comes around that's so superb it surpasses the original, and while I'm not quite bold enough to say that of Shameless grindie remix of When The Sun Goes Down he certainly created something different. He made this track authentic, Shameless sheer urgency and his dark and visceral perfectly suited the track as he fired his vocals at a super sonic pace. He brought the violence and anger of the streets to the tragic nightmare that Alex Turner had created. Shameless transformed this track into something real and terrifyingly brilliant. Hear It Here

So anyway here's the next edition of Fantasy Festival Booker, the rules are in the previous entry if your interested in having ago (just use the sidebar to find it), this editions is brought to you by my friend Benny Grinsted. He's into indie *yawn* as you can probably tell. I'll try to get him to write an explanation of what he was going for and why, before I offer the blog's professional critique.

So I will likely update this poster later in the week.

Hip-hop or in this case Hip Pop has introduced so many words into the English language since its inception but their can be no finer feat that Missy Elliot's miraculous effort to bring the term "Badonk-a-donk-donk" in to common usage. And to be fair to Missy it was in fairly regular rotation. On a more serious note Missy Elliott was one of pops few interesting artists in the early 2000s. Timbaland was yet to become pop's create puppet master he was kept on the fringes but he was quietly gaining recognition crafting the sickest beats imaginable for Aaliyah's Try Again and later Missy's superb dance floor anthem Work It. Hear It Here

I've never really understood why Kylie is considered a sex symbol, her sexuality has always seemed forced, false and unnatural. Her personality and music have always fallen flat, they try so hard to be sexy that they end up having the opposite affect. Especially compared to the nonplussed eye rolling sexuality of Lily Allen, or the free spirit chaos of Shakira, Kylie never really worked at either end of the spectrum as an artist. That was of course until Slow, unlike her other efforts Slow was down beat, it was understated, it was drawn out pulsating sensuality, it was a creative breakthrough, and remains a truly remarkable track. Hear It Here

In 2006/7 Fedde Le Grand leapt onto the scene and took over the world on commercial club dance in second and in Let Me Think About It they created the soundtrack to dance offs world wide. This was just the perfect dance track, it's easy to dismiss Fedde Le Grand as the lastest in the long line of lame euro dance, but rarely has David Guetta or Basshunter produced a track as fine or as addictive as this. Hear It Here

I'm 2005 emo was blowing up in a big way, and while Fall Out Boy's association with the scene was limited at best; they wore guy liner, were vaguely poppy and sung about how horrid girls are and how miserable they can make you (Don't worry. I don't understand the difference between this and regular punk either). Regardless they were riding atop a wave of momentum and Dance, Dance continued their continued cross over appeal, the hooks and two part melodies were beyond irresistible and the bouncy bass lines would keep the mosh pits in steady flow while Pete Wentz did his best to dodge bottles on stage. Hear It Here

In 2001 we were given the first suspicion that Gwen Stefani's eventually solo release would flirt with hip hop beats when she collaborate with Eve on the the glorious sexy laid back anthem Let Me Blow Your Mind. In 2001 Dr. Dre was still in his prime and Let Me Blow Your Mind showcased one of his finest West Coast Gangsta beats, while at the time the style was tragically overstretch but now in 2009 the track sounds like a refreshing revelation remarkably distinct from the Timbaland dominated culture. Hear It Here

So what was 2002 biggest surprise comeback? The Sugababes of course, returning not only to pop music but going straight to number one with new member and resident sexy scouser Heidi Range. Of course their revival had little or nothing to do with the laides, they called in the genius that was Richard X for some trademark over production, they pinched Adina Howard's 1995 hit Freak Like Me, and if that wasn't enough they reached out to the king of cool himself Gary Numan and borrowed Are Friends Electrics unforgettable beat. Originally a mix-tape it was so succesful they soon found themselves back on a label and back in the charts. And while the girls may have contributed a little that new member Heidi sure was hot. Hear It Here

Questions?!? Who's the most overrated girl group over time? If you answered Destiny's Child your 100% correct. While Destiny's Child were far from a poor, infact they were anything but they received disproportionate critical returns from minimal creative output. While they may have benefited from a down time in pop music history Destiny's Child managed to put out a string of impressive singles. While Independent Women did grate at times it was undoubtably an early defining anthem for a decade of dominant pop divas. Hear It Here

In 2003 the notion of a sexy Southern rock group in 2003 seemed like an improbability, and to be fair in 2003 the King's were hardly the sex symbols they are today, but the smooth sexiness exuded from their laid back festival slayer California Waiting. It was the first hint of a the kind of power ballads that would see Kings Of Leon conquer the charts later in the decade. Caleb's voice carried a deep longing sense of sorrow and the group brought subtle guitar flourishes and a driving rhythm section. The road to world domination started here. Hear It Here

I've used the word sexy quite alot already in this minisection, not nobody and no act exuded more raw sexiness than Allison Goldfrapp. Strict Machine was absolutely ridiculous, while it didn't contain one swear word or one indecent image it was 100% X rated, this track was the sound of some serious fucking. It was one giant stream of perverted energy, many had tried but nobody had crammed in as much raw sexuality as Goldfrapp many had tried but they were the undisputed kings of sleaze. Hear It Here

Anyone who has been lucky enough to see Slipknot live since this track release would never question this tracks inclusion. While it maybe a great rage filled single in it's own right, it's in it's live realm where this track becomes a ritual. For the uninitiated Corey gets entire crowds to sit down before the final chorus when on his command they explode to life causing mosh pits to explode from seemingly every direction. For that reason alone this track has become a true classic. Enjoy this clip of the entire download festival joining in the act. Hear It Here