PureVolume

NEWSPAPER: THE CORNELL DAILY SUN
Review By Jonny Lieberman


How can one classify the type of music found on myspace.com? Unfortunately for the Walmart-frequenting, Abercrombie-loving American public, the sugar-coated emo compilation put out by everyones first friend Tom resembled the soundtrack to the aftermath of the cheesiest breakup ever rather than anything musically stimulating. Luckily though, a speck of hope could be found in the nebula of new friend requests: Lady GaGa. This singer-songwriter from New York already seems to have mastered a recipe for success by combining the spunk of Avril and the legs of Mischa. More important than her image, Gaga captures the essence of retro-hipness, for unlike most singer-songwriters, she incorporates every hipsters favorite fetish into her performances: a MacBook Pro perched above a grand piano that belts out her original beats. The result is a fantastic blend of groovy60s piano playing and adrenalince-infused catchy synth loops, embodied by the title track on her Myspace page, Beautiful Dirty Rich. On Wonderful, Gaga displays her remarkable vocalic ability to switch between Fiona Apple-like crooning and an edgier chorus. For all the haters who think retro-rock is for the boys, Lady GaGa proves that chicks can wear their 80s influences on their sleeves, rock the mic and look sexy at the same time.