Gaga Vs. Good Luck

I haven't actually listened to much Lady Gaga before this. I probably won't listen to a whole hell of a lot of Lady Gaga after this. The Fame Monster struck me as largely derivative; at one point or another on this album, Ms. Gaga sounds surprisingly like Madonna, Rihanna, Christina Aguilera, ABBA, Ace of Base, etc. And that's not saying that this music is awful (with the exception of the hideous "Speechless",which really does sound like Gaga is doing a bad karaoke version of some lost Queen B-side); it's just saying that it's not terribly exciting (with the exception of the gritty final track "Teeth", which actually got me grooving in my chair). If you're looking for an exciting new popular "dance" sound for the 2000's, I think artists like M.I.A. and Santogold have started something far more unique and booty-rousing. Rating: 2.5

I really wanted to like Good Luck. I wanted to like them for Joe LaGrand because he is a good guy. I wanted to like them because it would be so easy to knock Lady Gaga out early in the Death Match. I wanted to like them because in this match-up they are the little indie Davids taking on the big corporate music industry Goliath, or some crap like that.

Anyways, I had a really hard time liking this band. And not just because they seriously need to get a new name. My main problem: the lead vocals. I just couldn't get past that nasally voice. The musicianship here is strong, but I found the album's consistently rigorous tempo and intensity alternately monotonous and annoying. The lyrics didn't do much for me. Nothing was awful here, though. I rated every song on this album a "3" (i.e., "Decent.") or a "2" (i.e., "Meh."), giving it a final rating of 2.46 which rounded up to a Rating of 2.5

Crap. Math has failed me. Does this mean I actually have to make a judgment call? Crap.

For assistance, I consulted my wife Rebecca who had been listening to both albums in the background as they blared from our computer speakers. "If we had to listen to one of these albums one more time, which one would we pick?", I asked. "Whew", she said. "Tough call. I guess I'd go with the shorter one because it would be done and over with quicker." I liked her logic, and so...

Lady Gaga advances.