Ugh: 'ARTPOP: Volume 2' Is Coming Soon

Lady Gaga may be releasing new music much sooner than expected. Though rumors have been swirling around online for weeks that the pop star is planning to release a sequel to her latest album, ARTPOP , we didn’t have any sort of official confirmation until now. During her appearance on Ryan Seacrest’s American Top 40 radio show this weekend, Gaga revealed, “I wrote a lot of songs when I was creating ARTPOP. When I was done working on them, I had a very specific idea of the concept for the first release of ARTPOP, but I do have a lot more records. So, there is a strong possibility I will release another volume of ARTPOP and I’m really hoping that it’s soon.”

Okay, so ARTPOP: Volume Deux is probably coming soon. Cool. But is the world ready for more ARTPOP? ("Say ARTPOP again." "ARTPOP.")

Last week, I discussed the perplexing state of Gaga’s career — her sales are down and she’s lost her stranglehold on the charts, but her live shows are still a major draw. Gaga’s current ARTPOP single, “G.U.Y.,” is off to a fairly slow start on radio, even after the release of its high-budget music video. Is it possible that the general public is looking for a little more POP with their art?

I’ll admit, there are a few standout tracks on ARTPOP, but it is largely a mess. Gaga’s lyrics on the album are so convoluted, so abstract, I’m not even sure she knows what she’s talking about anymore. The album’s best song, “Gypsy,” is successful because it has a memorable hook and it tells a simple love story in an engaging, completely understandable way. The song has a message that listeners can easily relate to. That’s kind of what pop music is all about, after all. Somewhere along the way, Gaga lost sight of that goal.

When she first burst onto the scene in 2008 with “Just Dance,” Gaga had a lot of things going for her. She had a unique style, she was mysterious, and she was talking about pop clichés like partying, sex, and love in totally new, totally unexpected ways. Who could possibly forget, “Let’s have some fun, this beat is sick, I wanna take a ride on your disco stick”? Or my personal favorite: “Wish I could shut my Playboy mouth, how’d I turn my shirt inside out?” Compare these catchy, clever lines with, “I’m not a wandering slave I am a woman of choice. My veil is protection for the gorgeousness of my face.” Huh? And don’t even get me started on “Venus.”

Slick production isn’t enough. Listeners want to be able to see themselves in pop music. That’s how Gaga was able to amass millions of fans worldwide — she was a weirdo, but a weirdo we could relate to on some level. If she wants to keep her career from stalling, I think she needs to revisit the touchstone of what made her so successful in the first place: her unique, but still accessible, songwriting.

Check out Gaga’s ARTPOP: Volume 2 confirmation below.