Sins Against Gay Men.

Have you been sinned against by a vicious, homophobic state? Take heart as Dame Effie proposes an election year reparation plan.

[rating=4]
Released November 29, 2013
With a co-writing credit on every track, Britney Jean is not a return to Britney the Pop Princess, but the dawn of Britney the woman.

“Britney Jean feels to me like the first album Britney has had any control over since her highly publicised breakdown and heavy sedation.”

[rating=4]
Released September 29, 2013
Lady Gaga’s mission to bring art into popular culture continues on ARTPOP.

“ARTPOP epitomizes the intent of Lady Gaga’s career and how she frames herself as an artist in the world. Her approach makes one wonder whether she has made a deal with devil in choosing to be a mainstream artist.”

[rating=5]
Released August 19, 2013
Declan Bennett’s superb acoustic rendering of Record:BREAKUP. “Fuck Lady Gaga and her ridiculously painted face, THIS is Art Pop.”

“I was at the recording of this Live and Acoustic album, as the guest of a lovely friend, (I think you can actually hear me “Woo” after ‘The Longer I Leave It’…tragic!) and having loved Record:Breakup I was interested to hear what these beautiful songs would sound like acoustically.”

[rating=4]
44:42 min • Mute • September 9, 2013
A remix album that surpasses the original recording is a rarity, yet Ultraista Remixes is the ideal companion piece, bringing out the necessary colour and bite.

“In many ways a template for the successful remix project, Ultraista have proved that there is still life in what is a really a marketing tool if quality control is paramount and the DNA of the original material remains.”

[rating=4]
44:42 min • Domino • August 19, 2013
Julia Holter keeps moving forward at a tireless, restless place and on Loud City Song she had made something that is intimate, warm and more than ever before, relatable.

“Loud City Song is certainly Julia Holter’s most musical album to date and is structured in a way that, more than anything, is typical of a musical play, much like its references. It is simultaneously very old fashioned in its use of instruments and arrangements and modern in the way it stops short of any clear categorisation”

Cumming of Age: Erotica.

Little bastard in conversation with DJ, David Robson discuss Madonna’s commercial flop Erotica and the event taking place on Sunday August 18 which celebrates this forgotten album whilst raising money and awareness for HIV charity St. Stephens…

“From a young age I used to listen to Like A Virgin and I remember turning round to my Gran and saying, “What’s a virgin?” and my Gran would shit herself…”

[rating=4]
Released August 12, 2013
Lady Gaga is over. And Lady Gaga is reborn writes Andrew Darley.

“It’s no secret that Andy Warhol has been one of Gaga’s key muses and this album sets to be her most thorough reference and interpretation of his work yet.”

There’s More to Queer Than Pop Divas.

There is more to queer music than the officially sanctioned slick-pop, says Walter Beck. There is an alternative.

“We stayed up most of the night making picket signs and getting ready. You think we were blasting Lady Gaga? Fuck no! We were getting ready to face the craziest bastards on the religious fringe to 100db of MC5’s Kick Out the Jams.”

Madonna, by Nick Smith.

To celebrate LGBT History Month, 2013, Polari is publishing a daily series of LGBT Heroes, selected by the magazine’s team of writers and special contributors.

“Madonna is a trailblazer, and made it possible for artists such as Lady Gaga to follow in her path. She has always been an advocate for our views, our society and our right to be ourselves.”