The late 2000s and early 2010s were an interesting time for mainstream pop, and one that went under-appreciated for its duration by music critics and hobbyists. I was quite young during this time and most definitely did not appreciate how influential it was for some of the best pop music today. Britney’s Blackout, Gaga’s The Fame Monster and Timberlake’s The 20/20 Experience are just a few of the wonderful projects of that era that have received critical acclaim today, as well as being ones that I personally enjoy. These are releases that have gotten the ‘critical reevaluation treatment’ with time. It seems like the whole brand of mechanical, synth heavy, sexual electropop that was popularized then has not only made a mild return, heavily influencing hyperpop and PC music, but has also been quite a major part of queer culture as well. I was never really a part of that since, again, I was young and had no idea I was queer back then, but now that I am older I realize how it all ties together. With all of that said it shocks me that Christina Agueleria’s 2010 electropop album Bionic still has not received critical reevaluation or been that appreciated in the culture, considering its impressive production, vocal high points, and genuinely fun energy that oozes from it.
Bionic completely lives up to its name with the opener, the title track. Glitchy, repeated vocals, mechanical and bouncy synths, as well as an echoey and industrial drum all make the track feel like it was made by a robot and for a robot. I must be a robot because I love the intro here. It transitions naturally into the verses when similar vocals to the ones used before are utilized to do so. “This is the moment that I take over your mind frame” is apt because this song likely altered my brain chemistry as a kid. It is easy to see why given how the production continues in a hypotonic manner as Christina lets the listener know that it’s the future over airy woodwind-like synths, heavy mechanical synths, and rhythmic electronic drums. There are plenty of other interesting sounding bleeps and bloops on the track that hit all the right spots in my brain, leading up to the more reserved airy pre chorus. Xtina in a glitchy manner asks if the listener is “ready to go”, making them feel like they are on a roller coaster incline up before the plunge. That plunge being the incredible chorus, which absorbs you in a smooth ride of grindy synths and a very dynamic, electronic drum rhythm. I love how the chorus manages to hit you over the head while also being smooth to dance to, having a light R&B flavor to the electronics in a manner similar to Blackout. The difference here is that instead of melding her voice with the music like Brintey, she delivers a soaring vocal performance, claiming that she is “bionic” and will “hit ya like a rocket” with these satisfying “ay”s at the end of each line. It is a welcome change despite my love for Blackout’s style. After a second verse with similar themes (although a bit more verbose this time) and another chorus, there’s a cool bridge that repeats the “ay”s from before, gives us laser like synths, more mechanical synths, and has Xtina claim once more in glitchy slow motion that she’s “Bionic”. This leads into a final chorus, and an outro of more “ay”s. Honestly if you do not mind the mild repetition on the track, which I do not at all, it is an extremely satisfying opener. I loved this song as a kid and I still do today, except now I understand why.
I did not really explore Bionic outside of the title track when I was younger, as I was not as much of an album person as I am now. Thankfully the opener was not a fluke, as the next few tracks prove that and then some. Not Myself Tonight is mostly led by bouncy, slightly laser-y synths. It shows Xtina being wild “taking shots” , “kissing all the boys and the girls”, and other things she “normally wouldn’t do”. I love the vocals throughout this track. Whether it be on the chorus where she belts it out even harder than the previous chorus, or the bridge where she whispers in diva fashion “I needed that”, it’s cathartic to hear every time. Honestly I would play this on a bar jukebox if I was trying to get in the zone. The confidence on the track is that high. The following track, Woohoo, somewhat under delivers on the production end compared to the previous two, but is still entertaining and fits the idea here. It is mostly dominated by Xtina saying “woohoo” over and over again. I actually do not mind it at all, since it is pretty fun. I would however argue the almost thirty second intro is a tad unwarranted. I end up skipping it half the time. The track is also definitely not as raunchy as it could have been, but I appreciate the attempt. Being blunt, the word “woohoo” in place of vagina should indicate that notion. One more notable thing about Woohoo that I enjoyed was that it has an earlier Nicki Minaj verse. This album was released before Kanye West’s song Monster, which was in my opinion her most notable early feature. It is safe to say not only was Xtina ahead of the curve, but also helped bring the best out of her. The synthwork is upped in a very confident and smooth Nicki verse, where she gets rightfully introductory but also braggadocious. She talks about producers and proves why she is where she is. In the theme of being ahead of its time, Elastic Love has heavy, bassy synths that would not sound too far fetched on a hyperpop or bubblegum bass record. Every so often these slide whistle sounding synths are also added into the mix that almost sound like a futuristic alarm. Xtina’s voice is even a tad distorted on this one. It sounds a bit industrial and it works. Almost as if you’re having a dance party in a futuristic junkyard. Lyrically, the song is not too much to write home about. It’s just a relationship being compared to elastic in the way that it’s so hard to leave despite wanting to. It’s an interesting metaphor but it’s not capitalized on as much as it could have been. Still a great track nonetheless.
As impressive as this run of tracks was, it ends with one that blows them all out of the water. I’m not going to beat around the bush, Desnudate (get naked in Spanish) is my favorite track by a decent margin. It keeps the energy for almost the entirety of its runtime and has the best production on the entire album. It starts with these heavy, sinister electro synths, loud claps and a light, almost TR-808 sounding drum on it. If Elastic Love feels like a junkyard party, this feels like the fun, underground after party in a secret club in the same universe. The same synth progression from the opening goes into the background while an almost overpowering electro bass drum takes the lead, as Xtina attempts to seduce a man, while also flexing her Spanish muscles a little. Not only does this add to the sensuality and dynamism of the song, but also gives her a chance to get away with being a little more explicit in her writing. She asks the man in English if he likes it “naughty” or likes it “nice”, but then will explicitly ask for his fantasies in Spanish. I know she is far from the first person to do this sort of thing but it genuinely works in my opinion. The cadences at the end of each line are well sung and the whispered ad libs are extremely confident. The production perks up more in the chorus, with the synth getting not only further up in the mix, but crunchier as well. Xtina asks the man to “get naked”, both in Spanish and in English, with some well timed “woah oh oh”s thrown in there. Then the production explodes in the post-chorus, with every part of the track getting louder and flying into the front of the mix as well. It is grade A ear candy and only furthers the lovely futuristic after party feel of the song.The post chorus is also sung entirely in Spanish, basically saying take your clothes off and free yourself. It definitely fits how much the production frees itself in that part of the song. The song gets even raunchier in the second verse, with the ad libs translating to “I like it that way daddy”, “love me” and “don’t stop”. The production amps up as well, with the drums getting quicker, punchier and overall dancier towards the end of the verse. After another chorus and post-chorus the bridge of this track has a loud, high pitched horn progression that leads into the raunchiest lines on the album translated to “you’ve got me so wet”. Then we get a round of the chorus without the synth, which makes it all the more cathartic and brilliant when the post chorus crashes in and seems to have added another subtle buzzy synth that makes a world of difference. Producer Tricky Stewart absolutely destroyed it here and the song could have ended after the last post-chorus. There is an outro but it is not too exciting and drags on slightly. Despite being a minute of the song though it really does not tamper my enjoyment of it at all. Desnudate is a firecracker of a track that I regret having missed when I was younger.
There is a minor rough patch in the middle of the album. Nothing too bad, just some more lowkey tracks that just do not work as well as the bangers. It starts with Sex For Breakfast which is a more R&B tinged track. It is relatively smooth given Xtina’s sensual delivery and the harmonies she deploys with it. However, the production is weak here compared to the rest of the album thus far. The vast majority of it is this light, admittedly cool sounding synth that wears thin pretty quickly, as well as some loud claps. I can see what it’s trying to do but it just ended up being underwhelming with how little else goes on. I would argue the following track, Lift Me Up, is even worse for many of the same reasons. The difference is that there’s far less use of electronics on here than the rest of the album. This is the one track on the album that I would consider truly boring. It’s a piano ballad that only gets somewhat interesting in the bridge. I suppose this one is also slightly better lyrically, but is still easy to forget given the electropop tracks from before. The same goes for All I Need, which is another ballad but is better written than the tracks before it, this time by a mile. This song is about her son Max and it is admittedly sweet. “You bring me hope when I can’t breathe” is a powerful line that is delivered well. The problem again lies in the production which is bland until the bridge, which adds a cool, yet borderline ominous piano melody. Said melody also leads the outro. It’s a decent track, but I just wish there was more to it. I Am is yet another piano ballad, but this time the piano is more sparse and the beat is mostly drums. It is another minimalist moment in an album that was thriving with maximalism. I do like the warm, almost lavish melody of the chorus and I appreciate that the song is about loving yourself. All uplifting but again, not enough for me to sink my teeth into. The verses really just feel like waiting for the cool chorus to happen.
The album gets back on track with You Lost me, which continues the trend of ballads. Thankfully, unlike the ones before it, there is more going on here, like lush strings and a somewhat heftier drum beat. After a couple of more dancey songs, not only does the album stay on track, it ends with a bang in the form of the closing track, Vanity. “I’m not cocky, I just love myself, bitch” is a line I will think to myself whenever I need it now. It starts with heavy, industrial synths that would fit in on Nine Inch Nails’ Pretty Hate Machine if they were just a tad heavier. The drums also sync incredibly well with them throughout the track. Xtina proudly preaches her confidence, asking the mirror on the wall who the flyest of them all is, and before the mirror has a chance to respond she proclaims “nevermind I am”. The production builds on the pre chorus, adding in more drums and more subtle synths. Xtina claims “ain’t nobody got shit on me”, and this song provides a solid argument for that claim. Once the chorus rolls around, it is easy to see what this song does right, and that is everything. It takes the energy of Destundate and combines it with the heavy mechanical nature of the title track. It takes the confidence of I Am but is far more produced. The chorus is such an earworm too. I was singing “V is for Vanity, every time you look at me” along with Xtina throughout the song. It genuinely is a great song for a confidence boost in that regard as well. There is so much else I love about this track as well, such as the interpolation of “Here Comes The Bride” in the third verse, except Xtina is marrying herself. It is as humorous as it is uplifting. I also love how the track, and by extension the album, ends with Xtina asking “who owns the throne?” and then her son Max says “you do mommy”. The track has so much character and I love it. An absolutely perfect way to end the album.
In a Billboard cover story promoting her 2012 album Lotus, Xtina did have some words to say about Bionic when asked about it. She mentioned how she believed the album was “ahead of its time” and that she wanted to “experiment”. I love this mindset and it absolutely shows on the album in my eyes. With Bionic, Christina manages to build on her influences, while also not forgetting the things that make her special, like her incredible vocal range. The production may not have been great on every song, but even the weaker moments have something to enjoy. Bionic is an achievement. An admittedly inconsistent achievement, but an achievement nonetheless, both for electropop, and for much of the culture it encompasses. I truly hope Bionic continues its journey through critical evaluation in the future. It deserves it. Chrstina deserves it.
8/10
