Kesha - Gag Order - Album Review
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 ก.พ. 2025
- For this new album review, Kesha delivers her most harrowing, difficult, and emotionally cleansing album to date.
Best Songs: 'Something To Believe In’, ‘Eat The Acid’, ‘Fine Line’, ‘Only Love Can Save Us Now’, ‘All I Need Is You’, ‘The Drama’, ‘Hate Me Harder’, ‘Happy’
Worst Songs: ‘Living In My Head’
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Kesha - Gag Order - Album Review (experimental pop / electro-pop)
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Spectrum Pulse is a music review / commentary channel, like colleagues Anthony Fantano of TheNeedleDrop, ARTV, Dead End Hip Hop, Rocked, Deep Cuts, Crash Thompson, and plenty others, known for discussions of music, movies, art and culture.
Spectrum Pulse, music, review, 2023, album, album review, react, reaction, Kesha, Kesha review, Kesha reaction, Kesha album review, Kesha Gag Order, Kesha Gag Order review, Kesha Gag Order album review, Kesha Gag Order reaction, Gag Order, Gag Order Kesha, Dr. Luke, Rick Rubin, Something To Believe In, Eat The Acid, Living In My Head, Fine Line, Only Love Can Save Us Now, All I Need Is You, The Drama, Ram Dass, Too Far Gone, Peace & Quiet, Hate Me Harder, Happy, Experimental, Pop
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#SpectrumPulse #Kesha #gagorder
Her VERY LAST Kemosabe release. Thank Gawd!
Yes get her out of that toxic record label.
I hope she knows we all support her. She is brave, her abuser is trash, and this album is genuinely amazing. I’ve had it on repeat spins for days.
Rick Rubin also helped Johnny Cash when the music industry abandoned him. 20 year later, Rick did the same thing to Kesha.
I hope she keeps doing the psychedelic and folk route. I became a fan during her pop phase but I absolutely adore this album
Mark talking about Kesha will always be my favorite combination of artist and critic. Just a perfect combination of someone with a lot to say and a person who will understand all of it.
This album... man. What a ROUGH listen (and I mean that as a compliment), especially when you know the context leading up to it. 'Happy' in particular is one of the most gut-wrenching closers I've ever heard. Also, learning about why it's called Gag Order in this review... GOD.
I've never been a Kesha fan. I was young and snobbish enough when she had her first hits to hate them and write it off. And while I was older and less snobbish when when I checked out Rainbow, I didn't really find anything there besides surprise and noting to myself not to trust judgement calls I made in middle school. High Road came out in 2020: I forgot it even happened. Nevertheless, when I randomly checked out the singles to Gag Order, maybe even on the weirdness of the artwork alone, I was floored. I mean, shocked. I mean, just in awe. The voices of middle school me I had to block out of my head when checking out Rainbow didn't utter a peep. Kesha didn't just have my attention, she finally had my affection. Now that the full album is here, I can confidently say Kesha has blown right past every expectation I ever had for liking her music. I am but dimly aware of the context she's been working through for years now, but even only dimly aware this album is a gut punch, but not a boring one. I look forward to many more listens, and heck, I'm sure this will lead me back to her older stuff eventually as well. This is aoty material for me, right up there with This Is Why.
I'm not even a die-hard Kesha fan, and I found myself enjoying this more and more after each listen. Which is weird because experimental music isn't often my forte. I guess it's those powerful melodies that are a huge factor in my love for 'Gag Order.'
Jessie Ware, Ed Sheeran, Kesha... man, this must be a good year for pop albums!
Whew what a video. As a fan, I am impressed you also know a lot about her and her history and her work. Good job man!!!
Hello Spectrum Pulse thank you for this wondeful and insightful review. I'll be honest I was not familiair with Kesha only knowing her as the girl that sang Tik Tok and only being vaguely aware of the Dr Luke situation. I randomly listened to this album on a whim and I found it to be a harrowing, emotionally challenging and ultimately beatiful listen. I understand that I missed a lot of nuance because I was not familiair with Kesha's career and life. This is something I hope to rectify on future listens with knowing more context. But no matter this is album is amazing it completely changed my view on Kesha as an artist. I used to consider her a relic of 2010's pop music but now I see her as an exceptional artist who I truly want to root for and succeed wheter that be in music or life itself. Gag Order is my current AOTY
I’ve been loving this album since it’s release! Kesha’s best work 💗
A solo review for Kesha is fitting at the same time coming from Mark. He basically has a personal Mt. Rushmore of his 4 favorite pop stars. Kesha, P!nk, Shakira, and Usher.
This was my first time listening to a full Kesha album since rainbow which I don’t remember very well and I absolutely loved it. I think it stands on its own very well.
this was a great review mark, one of your best. this album was a LOT to digest, but it’s absolutely worth every second, because once you dig into it, i think this is kesha’s most personal album to date, and you find the true beauty of it. it’s definitely not something i’m going to return to as much as high road or my favorites from rainbow and warrior, but damn it’s amazing.
No matter what happens, I just want Kesha to be in a better place. I genuinely hope she's doing better than she was ten years ago. For how deeply unsatisfying the situation with Dr. Luke turned out to be, I hope that being able to honest about the pain he put her through has helped in whatever possible way. Far, far, far too many people still don't seem to realize just how unfair this entire situation has been to her. I hope she's able to find the peace and happiness she deserves. 😊
You're so articulate, I love it! Thanks for such a great review!
Great album!
It reminded me of Lingua Ignota, too! Like you said near the end.
Gag Order is beautiful from start to finish, one of the few albums that when I put on I'm unable to skip one song. I can't put into words how much I love this album. Very likely that Gag Order will be my favorite album of the year.
This album reduced me to tears on first listen, POWERFUL stuff. Great review Mark, you really did it justice 👏❤️
I think the best way I could describe this is if Lingua Ignota made Midnights.
i both love and hate how much sense this makes ngl
I'm more with Mark, i think it's more of Lingua Ignota made 808s and Heartbreak
All I want to say right now is that Eat The Acid has become one of those songs that becomes more revealing every time I listen. Not only for this album, but for myself. I have broken into tears many times listening to this song.
This album just gets better with every listen too. But holy shit.
This album! So good!
I'm not a diehard Kesha fan and have only followed her story superficially, but Gag Order is just so deep and meaninful. A serious album of the year contender for me.
It really pains me that it will definitely not get the attention and appreciation that it deserves.
The review I was waiting for. Thank you for always supporting her!
Love, love, love your review.
I enjoyed this album and I am happy for Kesha.I think we all are.Congratulations and best of luck for the future to Kesha.
Amazing review!
actually i didn't know kesha's prior to this album
she has opened a new target of audience for her. i fell in love with this music
Amazing review!❤
You just got a new subscriber. Great video! LONG LIVE QUEEN KESHA
i don’t think we’re going to be getting a new album for a while after this one, i wouldn’t be surprised if it would be four years at least before there’s a follow up. after an album like this, there’s going to be a lot of healing to be done, and that’s going to take a while.
Great review I think u captured the album as a whole thank you :)
Keshas love was unable to find someone worthy... until now. Expect many awards of recognition 👏 ❤
Yeah... This was fantastic.
I had to look up Mr Peeps and… yeah. Yeah, that’s a cat worth writing a song about. That’s a hell of a cat right there. Good cat. Goooood cat.
I’m so looking forward to this my backlog is insane and it’s honestly kinda my own fault lmao
until this album was released, I had absolutely no interest in Kesha as an artist! Personally, i'm not a pop person, and her poppier hits didn't do much to me... until this album, I only knew a tiny bit about the dr. luke story, and i gotta say that even without context, these songs are thought provoking, creative art. I really love Eat the Acid, It's such a journey and i can feel the artistry put into these songs.
So... really surprised that she took this route, not knowing about her discography much. Kesha might find a crowd among fans of alt pop, maybe even alt rock :) definitely has those raw vibes
I love this album
I've been loving this album since it dropped
She’s free!
I thought this album was raw and very indie sounding.. I found the lyrics to be deep and very relatable and I'm not going to lie at times the album brought me to tears and although when I listen to music I like to listen to music that uplifts me.. This album is perfect for somebody that just went through something and needs to come out of the other side of it realizing that they've won and still validated.. I'd say this is Grammy worthy but as far as popularity goes I think she'll only be able to reach a certain audience along with her loyal fan base..
I’m showing my age, but I immediately sensed several, self-aware references to music a bit older than what I’m hearing compared in reviews.
I graduated HS in 2000. The mid to late 90’s were a jackpot of musical innovation. So, I’m probably a little biased.
My first full album comparison is thematically, not musically based. When I think about “Gag Order’s” aversion to commercial appeal, private diary lyrics, chaos woven into cohesion, and the weight of raw truth - it sends me back to ‘94. The first time I heard Tori Amos’ “Little Earthquakes.” And I’m willing to say “Gag Order,” is a modern day parallel.
Both albums were (and are) groundbreaking by unapologetically putting the most intimate, uncomfortable, and transcendent experiences of an “unapproved woman” front and center. “Gag Order” peals back the facade of social media perfection and FOMO to reveal trauma, rage, spiritual ecstasy, acceptance, and even hope.
I rarely compare other musicians with the brilliance of Tori Amos. Which means Kesha’s truly leveled up. I hope folks unfamiliar with Tori Amos’ early albums check her out. Especially younger women. The inter-generational connections are simultaneously tragic, sublime, and important.
When it comes to the music itself, I feel like it’s an homage and reinvention of the same era. I’ve heard Fiona Apple’s “Fetch the bolt cutters” come up several times. But that album wouldn’t have been possible without the foundation she laid in the mid 90’s. Many folks have brought up Bjork, which is another excellent reference. I can easily hear the footprints of “Army of me” and the genre f*ckery of “It’s oh So Quiet.”
But there are other sounds and references I’m surprised aren’t more common. I feel like the bridge of “Eat the Acid” where Kesha sings, “There is no hate in the divine” instantly recalls the same soundscape of Madonna’s “Just like a Prayer.”
I also can’t hear to “Peace and Quiet” without being thrown back to Daft Punk’s “Discovery” era. I don’t think I’ve heard anyone make that connection, but I can’t NOT hear the song without an age imprinted memory of synths and vocoders.
But the last and most amazing surprise (if you’re here for the ride) was the unexpected difference between listening to the album on my computer and with a good set of sound blocking headphones. (Not air pods.)
Even indie artists these days have succumbed to the consumer preference of streaming. While musicians still record in stereo, it’s released with an understanding that their songs will be played through a single speaker, and not audiophile headphones or left right sound systems.
I don’t know when it happened, but most musicians and producers decided to toss the rich textures and possibilities of stereophonic sound. The vast majority of music played on your computer, tablet, or phone will sound nearly the same with a high end set of headphones. You’ll get a little more “surround sound,” but it’s basically the same thing. Everything ELSE released by Kesha has followed this industry trend.
Not “Gag Order.” This album rolls back the clock and re-introduces us to an electro left-right party reminiscent of NIN’s “Pretty Hate Machine” and other industrial, boundary pushing EDM that exploded in the mid 90’s. So, if you haven’t dived in with “the big headphones,” it’s hella worth it.
Anyhow, that was a REALLY long TH-cam comment, but all of this has been flying around in my mind since the album came out. I guess this seemed like the right place to share it.
Not a die hard but I loved this
Same here!
Brilliant album
i agree that living in my head is, though it is a very good song, probably the worst song on the album, if you can even call it that, the least good is probably better; it just runs a bit too long and doesn’t really fit between eat the acid and fine line, it would be better before only love can save us now.
What? Living In My Head is one of the best songs on the album, like if you've ever experienced anxiety, panic, loneliness, moments when you want to leave your body forever, when you can't stop thinking, etc., it's a song that you can relate to
Living in My Head is haunting, raw, and beautiful
I’m a huge fan of Kesha but for me this album is not it. I don’t like the notes or the rhythm. (Not trying to sound like a hater I’ve been to 4 of her concerts since 20172018)
Kim petraa