Lana Del Rey

I like this song but I'm getting a promotional street team vibe off of this thread...

I'm as unnerved as anyone by the seemingly unanimous consensus (+ as lex aptly put it, "residual suspicions about what i suspect is a shtick")... but at the same time, it really *does* feel like this totally unique, amazing, timely song that just... appeared from nowhere.

I've only ('only') played it like a half-dozen times today tho, and am trying to balance my desire for further listening against my desire to adopt a more critical and self-aware position in said listening (I get suspicious when something seems "too good to be true"). not that I'm rushing to be the first one to burst the internet echo chamber's bubble of irrational exuberance; just that I'd like to deconstruct my own and other people's reactions to this (very very good) piece of music in order to understand *why* it's hitting us all so hard.

off the top of my head, start with
—the ever-present mystique of the total blank-slate unknown artist, who is doing
—a well-done pastiche(?) of a much-loved style that is not especially popular or prominent at the moment, coupled with
—a strikingly original video that supports the aesthetic of the song (i.e. doesn't just feel like a gimmick), while also giving it
—an unmistakably contemporary 'twist'; all topped off with
—a hot girl, who is
—singing about video games, but also
—love,
—love,
—glorious bittersweet terrible love

I really hope this gets released as a one-sided 12" single that plays on 45rpm, because I'd buy the shit out of that.

Don't really wanna be friends with anyone who could hear this song and not melt.

This is great and I did melt. But I composed myself enough to play it again. Four times in a row.

http://radioexile.com/2008/10/27/spotlight-on-lizzy-grant/#more-75976

Kill, Kill: http://www.spinner.com/2008/12/18/lizzy-grant-kill-kill-video-of-the-day/

nice find! song's not bad either

http://coxy.co/post/8443458829/i-recently-posted-a-music-video-for-video-games-by

Will be released in October on vinyl and mp3

or you can get the instrumental karaoke version right now

fucking awful video

Just wanna put it out there that I posted this video to WS back in early June to no fanfare.

Also I heard a joke:
Q: how'd the hipster burn his mouth?
A: he ate pizza before it was cool.

^^knew i'd seen it before

It’s hardly a shock that her music so far is so diverse given all the people she’s been in the studio with over the past year, some of whom include Eg White (Adele, Duffy), Chris Braide (Cheryl Cole, Paloma Faith), Guy Chambers (Robbie Williams, Katie Melua), and newcomers Robopop (Neon Hitch, Gym Class Heroes).

I’m not sure if Miss Del Rey has landed a major label record deal yet (I’m sure she probably has and is just waiting to announce it), but she’s under the same PR company in the UK as Adele and Bjork, so the wheels are certainly in motion.

none of those names she's been in the studio with are remotely promising :/

Digging through other songs - none as mesmerising as Videogames, and a lot more obvious schtick, though all good so far. I see her triggering the same kind of responses as Nellie McKay and Janelle Monae but I'm not sure how deep this goes and whether it will lead to a great album (feel free to step in here and say McKay and Monae didn't make great debuts either, and I will disagree). Working with Guy Chambers or Eg White is a bad sign.

That's a weird selection of producers considering the styles of music that I've heard on the youtubes.

Purple PR iirc? Where's that quote from Lex?

I am still pondering on a reply to the wonderful and interesting comments left by Bernard Snowy. I don't think I'm ready yet to go into speculation or unravelling the whole marketing thing, if any. I do deeply dread the h*pster word has already shown up on this thread...

Yeah Bernard's being v smart. I'm still taking that song in - I haven't had time to develop any critical thoughts.

Whatever's going on with the marketing, and may go wrong en route to the album, doesn't take an atom of marvellousness away from Video Games.

bateau - it's from some blog that i'm not gonna link cuz the last time i encountered them they were calling me a bitter bitch, lol. first page of google results if you google lana del rey, though.

i've heard two other songs and i think i enjoy "diet mtn dew" almost as much as "video games", but the latter has that extra something about it that just stops you in your tracks...

i don't think del rey is as invested in being funny or weird as mckay or monáe. i did really enjoy that first nellie mckay album though.

Ok understood Lex ;) Thanks.

I found the album she recorded a couple of years ago under her real name, Lizzy Grant. I'll make it available here tonight when back from work, if people are interested. I've not heard everything from it, but I agree with Lex that while Video Games takes the cake, the other songs aren't particularly filler, they all wave something about them. On the whole there a lot of interesting things about her music and I think she's definitely got a great album in her, too. Especially the song 'Yayo' is very, very good.

I need to check out the Nellie McKay album now, too, don't I?

wave=have

Just wanna put it out there that I posted this video to WS back in early June to no fanfare.

Also I heard a joke:
Q: how'd the hipster burn his mouth?
A: he ate pizza before it was cool.

― jaxon, Monday, August 8, 2011 3:17 AM (7 hours ago) Bookmark

that's interesting, tho—do you remember where/how you found the video?

also, one more thing to add (and only because somebody called me "smart" <3) — for me, thinking about this kind of industry/marketing/PR stuff in no way takes away from the music. especially because, as y'all so quickly discovered, this is very much a 'relaunch' of a talented artist who failed to make a splash 3 years ago, given higher production values and a new name and a makeover.

I mean, the most widely-voiced complaint at this point seems to be "ewww ridiculous ducklips, what possessed you to do this to yourself???"; which is true, but does nothing to take away from the heartbreaking emotion of a song that goes "it's you it's you it's all for you / everything I do / [...] / go play your video games".

also, lol@her (self?)description as "hollywood sadcore" and "gangster nancy sinatra"

also also also I need a bigger vocab

aw Bernard <3

"ewww ridiculous ducklips, what possessed you to do this to yourself???"

i was going to post this exact complaint.

I think her lips are cute.

aye i love disfigurement.

But anyway, we don't have to rehash the youtube comments section here.

The thing that struck me about the three Lizzie Grant songs I heard was how much they sorta harkened back to the early 2000s for me, sonically. I mean, Video Games, the way I'm hearing it now when it's fresh, sort of shimmers out of a timeless ethereal pool. Gramma, Yayo, and Kill Kill just really hit me the way they would have blended in well with what I was listening to back then (a lot of Dan the Automator-type, downtempo/pop shit, basically).

(that opinion being formed from just one listen though - I don't know exactly what I'm getting at with it)

The string arrangement is the secret weapon of Video Games, love it so much.

Does anybody know what the videogame clips in the video are?

Gramma, Yayo, and Kill Kill just really hit me the way they would have blended in well with what I was listening to back then (a lot of Dan the Automator-type, downtempo/pop shit, basically).

― kkvgz, Monday, August 8, 2011 7:54 AM (4 hours ago) Bookmark

otm

I'm pretty sure Nancy Sinatra is the gangster Nancy Sinatra.

lol, i thought that when i first read the 'gangster nancy sinatra' thing

I found the album she recorded a couple of years ago under her real name, Lizzy Grant. I'll make it available here tonight when back from work, if people are interested.

Le Bateau Ivre - was this more than just the three songs I mentioned above?

Also want to note that I'm beginning to get a troubling feeling that beyond all the songwriting and vocal tricks and cool collage videos, that I actually like this because I'm some kind of flippin' creepo perv or something.

Yes, nearly 20 songs! No-one responded though and therefore I forgot about... If you're interested I'll hook you up tonight.

far out. I definitely want to hear more of this. thanks!

IDGI. It just sounds like slowed down Mazzy Star with harp samples on it. It's just so... nothingy.

I dunno, maybe I'm not in the right place emotionally to be listening to music like this, but tired, sleep deprived, emotionally completely strung out... no. It's not hitting anything for me right now.

But I don't know that anything could.

kkvgz, and others interested: http://www.mediafire.com/?tx7lgwnd84874z4

thanks lbi! It downloaded fine. I'll have to listen to it tomorrow morning.

grabbed it -- can't wait to listen

no worries, welcome!

I haven't had the chance to listen to all of these, but I think that I can broadly say that I prefer her "Hollywood slowcore"/torch songs to her more upbeat numbers. Those are reminding me at the moment of the Fun Loving Criminals, although I haven't heard that group in 15 years, so...Anyway, every Tarantino soundtrack she has ever listened to shining through. Actually, as I'm writing this, "raise me up" has come on, which seems to temper those influences a little better.

also, feel like the "lolita" song was not a good loook.

see also "little girls". ugh woman, why did you think we needed pedo-rock?

oof this stuff is no good

Perhaps that's why it was pulled? Maybe her material is undergoing a dramatic retooling for modern times.

TIL about Lana Del Rey's hot redneck husband

They say he's hotter than a

It really is a talent on ao many levels. Just being here for the Ride:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Py_-3di1yx0

I think she’s never bettered this song, though she’s come close.

I believe in the country America used to be
I believe in the person I want to become

I know we don't really do artist polls anymore but I promise this to ILM. I will do a Lana Del Rey poll after the next album as it has to be done. "Ride" will my ballot but probably not as high as most.

This is her most iconic and characteristic song. My favorite is “if you lie down with me.”

I want to run for president just to appoint lana poet laureate.

I’m not even sure the president picks that tho

treeship / del rey 28

Finger crossed “Blue Bannisters” tops the albums poll

going to the hospital now

I know we don't really do artist polls anymore but I promise this to ILM. I will do a Lana Del Rey poll after the next album as it has to be done. "Ride" will my ballot but probably not as high as most.

Regardless, I agree with this statement. Let us will it into existence.

She’s done a Bond theme! Well, kinda

https://variety.com/2026/film/news/lana-del-rey-james-bond-007-first-light-theme-song-1236723504/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fA82c4YkAZ4

just heard this track on BBC 6 Music, 21st century goldfinger vibes, John Barry alike production

This is great, now the second Bond song, and they wouldn't say no a second time.