Dig Sophomore

This little lady's unavoidable first single, "I Kissed a Girl (And I Liked It)" was relatively gag-inducing, an ode to the oft-maligned culture of "Spring Break" lesbian-ish antics (for the boys). Perry's album, from which the single was culled, is titled One of the Boys, and its narrative is addled by consternating, pandering ideas about gender (pandering to 12-year-olds, of course--who respond to her days-expired Misshapes meets Fall Out Boy/Jonas Lovers twang and her Lana Turner cum Belinda Carlisle "look"). Now, I have a lot of questions about the MySpace-y world of sexual foolery that Ms. Perry inhabits, but this is not supposed to be such a critical look at her avatar/body of work.

Fact is, I'm mad about her second single, "Hot N' Cold," an utter anthem, manufactured for beachside clubs, gay bars, and gymnasiums worldwide. Though unenlightened ideas of masculine/feminine haunt some of the lyrics, the ecstatic pace simulates the giddy, sick preciousness of emotional instability, the delicious tension of opposites, the dumb rush of bad decisions, the time-honored pop musical trope of teenage love (for all ages). How can you help but be charmed by an unabashed, jittery celebration of unhealthy relationships? This must be MONSTROUS en Europa: