At only eight songs long, The Fame Monster is unconventional for this time period. A bit long to be called an EP, but has only about half the songs that Lady Gaga's first album did. But if all the songs are good, who cares that's it's not stuffed with useless filler tracks. Packaged with the first album or on it's lonesome, The Fame Monster deserves to be looked at as it's own entity.
The album opens with the massive hit "Bad Romance" - a song so inescapably hooky you only need to hear it twice to have at least part of it stuck in your head for months. Sheer pop perfection, "Bad Romance" is what techno music has needed, inventive hooks and a beat that doesn't quit. "Alejandro" is a Argentinian tango influenced Ace Of Base-style mid tempo break up song. The brilliant title song, "Monster" turns the dance floor into a hunting ground with Gaga as the prey. It's an interesting turn from the man-eating lyrics of "Love Game" and "Poker Face" and the beat is on fire. "So Happy I Could Die" and "Dance In The Dark" are less of an "event" than the other tracks, but both are solid dance pop tracks with very cool moments. Beyonce pops up on "Telephone" but she's really unnecessary to make the song an appealing club single. The two tracks that don't fit into the techno-influenced sound are "Speechless," a somewhat indulgent classic-rock style ballad, and "Teeth," a crazy campground gospel jam that is amazing.
Over all, The Fame Monster picks up where The Fame left off. Lady Gaga is a true pop visionary and several of these songs are perfect pop singles.
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