Lana Del Rey - Norman Fucking Rockwell (2019)

and here's why

Ok, that didn't take long. If the rest of the album is as good as the first two songs are I'm on board.

Sounds like I'm a few traxx ahead of you... If you can make it through all of track 3 without skipping ahead (never mind bailing on the Sublime cover), I commend you!

And album needs more drums.

...and when the drums do come in, they're so wimpy and almost apologetic-sounding. The instrumentation is v nice overall, but the songs feel almost unfinished with regard to percussion (at least for me).

I never said reviews should be neutral descriptions I said I’ve already read a bunch of meaningless reviews about like paul’s Boutique that argue the tools the artists use are the point and it was tiresome then

I actually really like the subtlety/invisibility of the drums. It allows me to pay attention to other stuff, like the lyrics. Something about her minimally dynamic vocals do the same thing for me.

I didn't realize track 3 was still going until it ended, but I liked it when it was on. I also like the Sublime cover! But I like "Summertime." Though speaking of drums, weird that "Doin Time" features Sublime's drummer and Josh Freese and still sounds like a generic pre-programmed beat.

the end of venice bitch should be 20 minutes long

I'm going to give this the teenager test when my daughter comes home from school.

Didn't really like "Love Song", and because of that "Cinnamon Girl" sounded like more of the same, but if it is, it's more of the same but better.

the end of venice bitch should be 20 minutes long

― Blues Guitar Solo Heatmap (Free Download) (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Tuesday, September 3, 2019 3:13 PM (four minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

otm

The songs are so uniformly slow & sleepy. She's a good singer, and it's a well-made album, but I wouldn't listen to it again (it's just not my thing).

odd thing about this album is that it all bleeds together but also there are definite highlights

I think that's one reason I'm enjoying it. It's just kind of floating along, but stuff still keeps grabbing my attention. I don't know, I think I prefer music that doesn't demand you pay attention to it, and the same often holds true for singers.

the end of venice bitch should be 20 minutes long

― Blues Guitar Solo Heatmap (Free Download) (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Tuesday, September 3, 2019 4:13 PM (eleven minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

odd thing about this album is that it all bleeds together but also there are definite highlights

― na (NA), Tuesday, September 3, 2019 4:20 PM (four minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

I think that's one reason I'm enjoying it. It's just kind of floating along, but stuff still keeps grabbing my attention. I don't know, I think I prefer music that doesn't demand you pay attention to it, and the same often holds true for singers.

― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, September 3, 2019 4:23 PM (one minute ago) bookmarkflaglink

Sounds like you guys should listen to a little band called Tool

I actually really like the subtlety/invisibility of the drums. It allows me to pay attention to other stuff, like the lyrics.

This would be a great thing except for the fact that drums are better than other stuff, esp lyrics. That's just science.

this is one of the remarkable strengths of the record - it has a consistent sound and can burble along in the background while reading (presumably loads of dinner parties and after-first-date sofa chats are gonna be soundtracked by it this month)

but you can tune in for a second and catch a hilarious couplet, or subtle weirdness in the arrangement, and appreciate that before going back to background

or pay attention all the way through and follow the developing story of a melody, or the thesis of each song being built out from the crafted gems and jokes in individual lines of lyrics

xpost Usually! I'm very pro drum. But mostly in Tool. Speaking of which (xpost again), Tool day was last week, and the album evinced a similar A+ background reaction.

back in my day you'd have 1 or 2 songs that were sans drums, maybe also fully acoustic, so the band could show their tender side, the rest of the album would have aggressive breakbeats throughout, you'd all smile at each other while clinking Zimas together and ahhhh now that's an album.

I kind of want to hear a Tool album that is only drums.

Speaking of comparisons, I hear a lot of solo John Lennon in this album, is that popping up in reviews?

subtle weirdness in the arrangement

maybe i should listen again, because besides the burbling synths on the singles, i don't really hear weird touches in the arrangement

playing again now and the hidden-ness of the drums is great, but would also listen to a remix where they were booming and upfront

xpost I dunno, I'm up to "Bartender," and can imagine it sung by, say, Joanna Newsom, and she=weird.

I think the relative lack of drums kind of *is* a weird arrangement touch!

right, but that's a very upfront decision, not a subtle touch.

not weird-weird, but for something that can just wash over you, there are LOADS of layers and different players and filigrees mixing in and out. the tail of Venice Bitch changes lead instrument every 6-10 bars, sometimes with (what sounds like) a completely different take from the same player crossing over and playing against the previous one.

she's certainly a Lennon fan anyway (there's a John and Yoko-referencing, Sean-featuring song called "Tomorrow Never Came" on her last album)

xp fair enough--venice bitch and mariners stand head-and-shoulders above the rest imo

bartender is certainly a highlight too. gonna check out the zoladz review soon, maybe that'll help me unlock that morass in the middle of the record.

I liked Bartender a lot. The little stammering vocal tick ... I don't know why she made that choice, but it's a good one.

The final track is strong (its melody seems really familiar, but I can’t place it)

Sounds like you guys should listen to a little band called Tool

― Whiney G. Weingarten, Tuesday, September 3, 2019 3:28 PM (thirty minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink]

i like tool and have seem them in concert!

The final track is strong (its melody seems really familiar, but I can’t place it)

― One more cup of yogurt for the road (morrisp), Tuesday, September 3, 2019 3:59 PM (two minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

"hope is a dangerous thing..." is one of the peaks

Great line from Zoladz (that she seems to be citing but google suggests is original?): "Sometimes you wanna go where everybody on the jukebox is dead."

also word up to tool for #honouringthefire and bringing killing joke through arenas in the u.s. this year s/o to the big homie alex in nyc wish the tour was coming to minneapolis

xpost Wasn't that just a doofy Cheers reference?

"hope is a dangerous thing..." is one of the peaks

― na (NA), Tuesday, September 3, 2019 4:02 PM (eight minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

yeah agreed. the alb is really strong in the beginning and end.

Josh - Probably, but it's a great NFR!-like line to describe NFR.

The final track is strong (its melody seems really familiar, but I can’t place it)

― One more cup of yogurt for the road (morrisp), Tuesday, September 3, 2019 3:59 PM (two minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

Not her first song to remind me of this but it reminds me of “wicked game”

I can't quite call it her best because the middle faffs around a bit; the first and last couple tracks are new peaks, though.

I really tried but the middle of this album just ain’t grabbing me. I think I’ll get rid of Lovesong, Cinnamon Girl and How to Disappear from now on.

Love Song is the one that stunted my enthusiasm, but I think the album recovers.

Not her first song to remind me of this but it reminds me of “wicked game”

That's it! Thank u

I think there's also a touch of this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBwHlKQot0I

this really lost steam for me starting around “california”

she's def in that lineage of samey, Moody cinematic vibes, Isaak, Mazzy Star, Cowboy Junkies, but she has unique spin on it

she's a better songwriter than all of them

I'm not denying the lineage, though (add: Bryan Ferry). I mentioned Chris Isaak last week on a friend's FB thread.

I didn't really notice, is there much (?) any guitar on most of this?

The songs are so uniformly slow & sleepy. She's a good singer, and it's a well-made album, but I wouldn't listen to it again (it's just not my thing).

― One more cup of yogurt for the road (morrisp), Tuesday, September 3, 2019 4:20 PM (four hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

this is my stance -- it's an improvement that she's not trolling us anymore, but for the past several albums everything is just so dreary, beige and undramatic, for an artist who supposedly embodies drama. people keep comparing her to cat power but it's a very boring version of cat power who never wrote songs like "cross bones style" or "nude as the news" or "speak for me"

The secret is to not have heard anything else she's ever done.

not really sure where you're going with that but I've listened to cat power since high school including songs that aren't tose