Perry and her longtime collaborators Dr. Luke and Max Martin often go for a darker, moodier intimacy à la high-end Swedish divas Robyn and Lykke Li. Songs like “Legendary Lovers” and “Unconditionally” set stark revelations to torrential Euro splendor. Perry has always done a great job of letting us know she’s in on the joke of pop stardom. Sadly, she doesn’t always bring that same sense of humor and self-awareness to the joke of pop-star introspection. The album’s raft of ripe-lotus ballads is larded with Alanis-ian poesy she can’t pull off: “I thank my sister for keeping my head above the water/When the truth was like swallowing sand,” she sings on “By the Grace of God.” A California girl should know that there are better things to do at the beach.