Katy Perry "Teenage Dream"

The Discographies Twitter page, which is in their words “A definitive guide to an artist’s body of work (studio albums only) in 140 characters” ran their rather endearing and possibly accurate take on Britney Spears’ career not too long ago. The crux: “How we filled the sad, lonely years between the release of “Ray of Light” and the invention of Lady Gaga.” There may be humour in that statement but right now the same could be said of Katy Perry, an artist who is more than familiar with worldwide success yet contasts oddly to Gaga’s new take on 21st century pop. But like every pop-star, Katy Perry has a novelty to her. It’s just that in her case it’s a sweet candy-scented (literally: the album cover smells like candy) gimmick that we’re all in on. The faux lesbianism, latex dresses, multi-coloured wigs, her fiancee. It’s not exactly timeless but she just wants to have fun. Maybe she’s this decade’s Cyndi Lauper.

On Teenage Dream, things go awry pretty quickly; For starters there’s Peacock, a track destined to get skipped over by even her most loyal fans (“let me see your peacock, cock, cock” goes the chorus). Then we’ve got her awfully questionable collaboration with Tricky Stewart — he who along with songwriting partner The-Dream wrote Umbrella, Single Ladies, Justin Bieber’s Baby — which has Stewart steeping outside of his comfort zone and descending into predictable pop-punk with Circle The Drain and Hummingbird Heartbreak. Maybe Stewart was trying to be a crowd-pleaser, but it doesn’t work. Fortunately, they manage to get it back together for Who Am I Living For, clearly one of the darker moments on the album and one which outlasts the throwaway moments of songs like Not Like The Movies and Pearl.

Teenage Dream is a mixed bag. Just like some tracks are easy to dislike, there’s also the moments that remind you of what attracted you to her in the first place. “I don’t ever really want to come off as trashy…but I want people to know I’m definitely having fun,” she said recently. The fun part is definitely true; there’s E.T. which takes on a supernatural theme to describe her new love, while Firework similarly uses a child-like theme to create a metaphor around her subject. Luckily, she’s got some important friends to help her out. Greg Wells and Stargate all lend a hand in production but it’s Dr. Luke and Max Martin that makes all the difference here. There’s money in every snap of the snare drum in California Gurls and the albums title track jacks Kelly Clarkson’s Since U Been Gone for a foray into adult reminiscence that sums up exactly why she can be so great.

Teenage Dream might end up being the most coherent song on the album; there’s honesty and tenderness to it that is often lacking throughout the rest of the album. Still, it’s not the most fun track, and really, that’s all Perry is concerned about here. On Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F) she breaks the law, skinny dips, takes part in a threesome, has a warrant out for her arrest and maxes out her credit card. “It’s a blacked out blur but I’m pretty sure it ruled,” she sings. Whether the same thing can be said for Teenage Dream is still up for debate.