Awesome Underground ★ Music Review: MELANIE MARTINEZ: LOLLAPALOOZA 2016 ○ MUSIC REVIEW

With Lollapalooza coming up soon, here's my review of artist Melanie Martinez, and her album, "Cry Baby"
Melanie Adele Martinez is an American singer and songwriter. Melanie Martinez auditioned for the American television vocal talent show The Voice and became a member of Team Adam. Within the fifth week, she was eliminated which subsequently led to her beginning independent work on original material. In 2014, she released Dollhouse, her debut EP featuring the singles "Dollhouse" and "Carousel", which appeared on the trailer for the television series American Horror Story: Freak Show. In 2015, Martinez released her conceptual debut album titled Cry Baby, featuring the critically acclaimed lead single "Pity Party", along with other singles "Soap" and "Sippy Cup"

Melanie Martinez capitalizes on creepy. There's nothing wrong with having a gimmick, and boy does she have one. I've loved her voice since she was on "The Voice." However, it's just within the past year that I heard any of her original music. There are things about it that I love, and there are things about it that I don't like so much. So, to explain my love/dislike relationship with Melanie's music... I'd like to go through track by track and tell you what I enjoy and what I don't care for on each song of Cry Baby. Yes, I realize that Pity Party is more recent, however, it's just remixes from Cry Baby, so I have chosen to use the original body of work that the songs came from and in their original form. I'm also going to be dissecting the music videos (where that's applicable) because I feel like it's a package deal.

Cry Baby:
In the music video, a woman is giving birth and the hospital staff (including the doctor) are rabbits. The intro to this video is an excruciating 2 minutes and 8 seconds long... that's before the song ever starts. And there's a whole bag of crazy and disgust within that intro (Such as another rabbit coming along in a completely different setting and whacking the pregnant woman in the stomach with a bat and candy coming out of her vagina (as if she were a pinata). What is this supposed to symbolize? Is candy equal to a miscarriage? And if she's having a metaphorical miscarriage, then how is she giving birth with the assistance of the rabbit doctor in the hospital? While Miss Martinez's voice is wonderful and some of the lines even sound good phonetically, there doesn't seem to be anything magical about these lyrics. And in fact, the deepest part of the song reads as follows:

"I look at you and I see myself
I know you better than anyone else
I have the same faucet in my eyes
So your tears are mine"

Which just shows that she relates to the person she's singing to... it's showing apathy. However, there isn't anything fantastic about the way it is worded. And what a thing to relate to, huh? Being a cry baby. I don't really understand what the point in this song is. I'd like to say that she's attempting to relate to her pre-teen, super hormonal female audience. Perhaps she is. Maybe she's saying "I know what it feels like to get so frustrated that all you can do is cry." Which is what happens when you're 12-14 and your hormones are going nuts as a female. But couldn't it be conveyed in a better way? I just don't find anything about this song appealing. And why rabbits? Is this a nod to Alice in Wonderland? Creepy white rabbits. I suppose it is, because Melanie mentions other aspects of Wonderland further on in her album.

Dollhouse:
Is obviously about a dysfunctional family (aren't they all). And this song breaks my heart every single time I hear it. Not only is it well presented, but it also hangs in my memory as the first sign that a little girl I had grown very close to was having problems at home.

The music video for this song is actually very fitting of the song. It portrays a great image of what the song is about.

Sippy Cup:
This song boggles my mind because it seems to me that she's speaking on several different topics in this one song and that they don't all relate to one another. But maybe they do.
A few lines that she repeats I've pretty much interpreted as "People are fake. Even if you make something look like something else, you can't change what it actually is." She also covers people going to great lengths to afford expensive things. It seems to me like most of this album is about upper middle class struggling to stay upper middle class and keep their squeaky clean image while being horrendous behind closed doors.

Carousel:
This song is pretty obviously about being led on using carnival metaphors and similes. But one thing I really don't get is the line "Chasing after you is like a fairytale" um what? How is chasing after anyone ever like a fairytale? Why would you ever want to chase after someone? I don't know what anyone else's take is on this, but if someone doesn't want me, I'm not interested. I guess this song just isn't something I can relate to. However, it has a good sound and I like her choice of lyrics (for the most part). Altogether, she really does have an appealing sound. I definitely could have done without the pink vomit in the music video, but other than that, it was pretty good, too.

Alphabet Boy: (watch video)
Wait a minute. Wait just a minute. "You can crush my candy cane but you'll never catch me cry."
What a contradiction. Didn't she previously name herself a cry baby? And in the cry baby video, did that not portray an uncontrollable flood coming from her eyes? Contradiction.
Moving on.
Obviously, at the core of this song, is a common issue: someone feeling (and acting) like they're better than you in more ways than one. I like the message she's attempting to get across with this song. However, I don't care for the way she went about it. I guess it's her metaphors are too child related for me to enjoy personally. But I understand that that's just her sticking to her theme on this album, which is fine.

Soap:
She really likes to talk about faucets. This is pretty much about word vomit. Everyone has been there. I hate the repetition in this song. And I don't like the bubble popping sounds at all. I like the point she makes about playing games and going a certain way about things and watching what you say when you're in a relationship. I really have always thought that this was a senseless standard that people have created. How are you supposed to know if you're on the same page if you can't freely express yourself? And what's the big deal if you end up not being on the same page? It's actually better to know, in my opinion. The video is just her in a bathtub making funny faces, nothing special.

Training wheels:
So, I understand that riding her bike naked with him isn't supposed to be a literal thing, but it still gives me a dangerous visual. Good thing she brought band-aids. I have to say that I do enjoy the sound of this song and the meaning behind it.

Pity Party:
Oh the all too familiar stolen line from Madonna, "It's my party and I'll cry if I want to," that has been the anthem of spoiled rotten brats for decades. I have to go on to say that I don't think this song was intended for spoiled rotten brats, but more for those who tend to get looked over, and are handed less than they probably deserve. And while I will say that crying is a perfectly acceptable reaction to being let down by other human beings, the attitude behind the statement isn't favorable.

This song touches on a somewhat painful experience that, unfortunately, most people go through in life: rejection. But more specifically, I think this song reaches those still in school, who just so happen to not be the "cool kids" (which would make sense, those are exactly the type of kids who I would assume listen to Melanie in the first place: the ones who aren't sheep).

"Just means there's way more cake for me..."
I like this part of the song, because it seems like she's pointing to the the positive side of the situation she finds herself in. It's very clear by now that Ms. Martinez uses quite the long list of metaphors and similes, which is good in an artistic sense. I assume she's not really talking about a party... or cake, but actually about rejection... and whatever silver lining the situation has to offer. But then she goes on to say, "...forever." which, to be honest kind of bums me out. While we should be okay with making the best of a situation and realizing that people aren't always reliable (or what we thought they were), it's a devastating thought that anyone would settle with a lifetime of loneliness for more cake (or whatever).
"I'm laughing, I'm crying, it feels like I'm dying." < that is loneliness.

Tag, you're it:
The distorted vocals in this song are very unflattering... but it's probably supposed to be, since this song is obviously about some type of random abuse, pointing more towards rape. Actually, it reminds me a lot of the stories about girls being abducted and held captive to be sex slaves or fillers for warped fantasies by very sick individuals.

Milk and Cookies:
Um? No, thank you. That is all. I mean, seriously, just WTF?

Pacify Her:
To be honest, I approached this album with having heard a few songs and I did have my critic hat on, because that's what I'm doing here in the first place, but seriously, is this album just getting worse as it goes on?? I mean, I was alright with the first five songs or so, but it's just dropping off a cliff quickly. So, this song is about stealing someone's boyfriend. First of all, that's horrible. Second, I really don't like the way she strings out her words in this song. But the thing I enjoy least about this song is how much she repeats herself. Do you really need to say, "Pacify her, She's getting on my nerves. You don't love her. Stop lying with those words."seven times? No. You don't need to say anything that many times. Just stop.

Mrs. Potato Head:
Plastic surgery. I'm getting bored. I understand the point she's trying to make. Honestly, I think this album is just too long and she has exhausted me with all of her causes... which is saying a lot considering the fact that I'm pretty passionate about songs with messages behind them. She's making the point that plastic surgery isn't the answer to a happy life, and she's right. And it that isn't the answer that young girls should grow up learning to solve their problems (specifically, marital problems) with.... and she is right. I'm just not all that into it.

Mad Hatter:
Don't get me wrong, I'm all for Alice references... but this song is a super twisted version of that. And I get that that's her thing, but "I'm peeling the skin off my face"?? which may not even be the most disturbing part of this song, since they're apparently painting the roses red with human blood. Charles Manson says, "hello."

Play Date:
The sound of this track is really cute. But quickly, it's obviously not a cutesy song. I still really love the sound she chose for this song. The cursing sounds out of place. Not that I have any objection to using obscenities, it's just that when they sound like they're there just to be there to sound cool or whatever, it just sounds silly to me.

Teddy Bear:
Why is this song so upbeat? I'm going to be honest here, by this point, I'm over it. How many levels of Hell on Earth do you have to go through to put together an album like this?

Cake:
Her voice is at its best in this track. It sounds so smooth and wonderful. I'm glad I took the time to finish out this album, because this is probably one of the better tracks on this album vocally.

While I do think that Melanie Martinez's weirdness is exaggerated as a marketing gimmick, I also believe that in the center is something very real about it and that Ms. Martinez may just be that thing, that person, that example to help young ladies get through the awkward phases in their lives and to be okay with being their selves; To be okay with their quirks, the things that make them unique, and perhaps, even be proud of {who they are as a person} and the things that set them apart from everyone else (which, let's be honest, is no easy feat, even on into adulthood).

VIDEO REVIEW: