watching all our friends fallin and out of blackwallthis is my idea of funplaying driver in the front carriage
― irina-camelia begu (lex pretend), Monday, 16 January 2012 17:17 (twelve years ago) link
this i more amusing now because all i think of with DLR is "david lee roth"
― the 500 gats of bartholomew thuggins (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Monday, 16 January 2012 17:19 (twelve years ago) link
This thread got interesting again.
think for me it's just her presence, which yeah would trump any sub-par vocal skills in the performance.
― What We Did on Our POLLidays (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 16 January 2012 17:20 (twelve years ago) link
It's weird because Video Games is by no means a technically demanding song. It's repetitive, has a small range, short phrases, no held notes, etc. It's more about atmosphere and personality than technique, and the arrangement and recorded performance already set us up to expect that sort of approach, so it would seem to be the sort of song that an unrefined singer could work with, but she still manages to mangle it.
Aside from the messy timing and pitch -- and she's not badly out of tune, she's just sloppy, sliding all around on every note as a sort of defense against having to commit to any pitch, similar to her mush-mouthed diction, and maybe this is supposed to be in service of her kind of detached, pill-popping-Hollywood-glamour affect, which I think she pulls off on the recording but misses badly onstage -- I found her breathing to be the most amateurish and distracting aspect. Some people upthread were talking about poor breath control, but to be more explicit about it, the problem is the way she keeps breathing in the middle of phrases, where she really shouldn't be. It breaks up the meaning of the lyrics, ruins any smoothness of line that she achieves with all that slurring, contributes to her loose timing, and just makes her sound unpracticed and unprepared. Part of the first chorus of the SNL performance goes like this:
I heard that you like (breath) the bad girls honey (breath) is that true?It's better than I ever (breath) even knewThey say that the world was built for twoOnly worth living (breath) if somebody is loving you
There's a point in the second verse where she actually sings "Video (breath) games." Now being nervous can do this kind of thing, but she does the same thing to a greater or lesser extent in every live video I've seen of her, and again this is not a hard song to sing, the phrases are already short. And she doesn't even have to play an instrument.
This is stuff that any high school choir director would fix in a single session. It's weird to me because for all the marketing and grooming that's ostensibly being put into her career it seems like nobody bothered to hire a vocal coach, as though how she sounds onstage really is not a priority.
― St3ve Go1db3rg, Monday, 16 January 2012 17:22 (twelve years ago) link
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2659/3769712047_714d284449.jpg
― irina-camelia begu (lex pretend), Monday, 16 January 2012 17:26 (twelve years ago) link
i was thinking earlier of how many suggbans i could get just by posting with the display name "LDR's DSLs"
― blood jessica shirt (some dude), Monday, 16 January 2012 17:38 (twelve years ago) link
Eleven
St3ve otm
― What We Did on Our POLLidays (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 16 January 2012 17:41 (twelve years ago) link
St3ve deserves the first phd in LDR tbh
― I certainly wouldn't have, but hey. (Le Bateau Ivre), Monday, 16 January 2012 17:47 (twelve years ago) link
morelike land del GAY amirite?
― HOOS steen is it anyway? (Lamp), Monday, 16 January 2012 17:53 (twelve years ago) link
Results 1 - 10 of about 256 for gaydiohead. (0.28 seconds)
― blood jessica shirt (some dude), Monday, 16 January 2012 17:56 (twelve years ago) link
morelike DUMB BOOB amirite?
― HOOS steen is it anyway? (Lamp), Monday, 16 January 2012 17:58 (twelve years ago) link
it's spelled gey.
― sunn :o))) (Merdeyeux), Monday, 16 January 2012 17:59 (twelve years ago) link
dying @ DUMB BOOB
― dayo, Monday, 16 January 2012 18:01 (twelve years ago) link
merdeyeux morelike merdepost
― HOOS steen is it anyway? (Lamp), Monday, 16 January 2012 18:02 (twelve years ago) link
the problem is the way she keeps breathing in the middle of phrases, where she really shouldn't be
unfortunately practically every modern pop/R&B singer, including the "good" ones, does this
― Bam! Orgasm explosion in your facehole. (DJP), Monday, 16 January 2012 18:03 (twelve years ago) link
think all modern pop and R&B singers should stop breathing
― dayo, Monday, 16 January 2012 18:05 (twelve years ago) link
^^^ old-skool ILX post
― Bam! Orgasm explosion in your facehole. (DJP), Monday, 16 January 2012 18:07 (twelve years ago) link
whiney could help with at least one or two
― blood jessica shirt (some dude), Monday, 16 January 2012 18:08 (twelve years ago) link
This entire thread I've been misreading LDR as DLR. When is SNL going to book Van Halen? Have they ever done SNL?
― Josh in Chicago, Monday, 16 January 2012 18:23 (twelve years ago) link
Beside's the Schmitt's Gay ad?
― Josh in Chicago, Monday, 16 January 2012 18:25 (twelve years ago) link
Huh, here's GE Smith w/ EVH on SNL!
http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/musical-performance-eddie-van-halen/1354211
(Column on the side has a "people who watched this also watched" list, which lists ... Lana Del Ray!
― Josh in Chicago, Monday, 16 January 2012 18:27 (twelve years ago) link
I really don't understand the hub bub about the SNL performance. To me it seemed like she was failing to convey the "gangsta Nancy Sinatra" image rather than poor singing IMO. I've seen her past performances on Youtube and this is consistent to what she does. I'm not saying it's good, but for people to complain now is kind of silly.
I think she either has to forget about the image per se and improve her performance (which would require her to actually convey showmanship) or find a way to convey to mix both showmanship and the image. If she chooses the latter, it would prove difficult since creating an image for music is seen as "fake" or "inauthentic" nowadays. Also, people are so hung up on her background which really bugs me. Rich people don't bug me unless they are affecting my paycheck. And since her or her father aren't anywhere affecting my (or anyone else's) financial situation on the Internet I just don't see the hang up on that.
I say good luck to her. I'm still going to listen to the album.
― Tired of these edcuated basic bitches. (lilsoulbrother), Monday, 16 January 2012 18:40 (twelve years ago) link
If she chooses the latter, it would prove difficult since creating an image for music is seen as "fake" or "inauthentic" nowadays.
this is def not true. lots of artists create images for themselves. they're just competently executed. lady gaga isn't particularly 'authentic.'
― Mordy, Monday, 16 January 2012 18:46 (twelve years ago) link
Well considering how she was first came attention through the "indie" market and the fact that her record label tried to wipe out any information about her Lizzy Grant cd caused alarm for people to scream "fake." What they should've done was acknowledge her past image and album and be more forward about the image (a la the Ziggy Stardust situation) to create a better marketing campaign. Rather than try to pretend her Lizzy Grant stuff never happened.
― Tired of these edcuated basic bitches. (lilsoulbrother), Monday, 16 January 2012 18:51 (twelve years ago) link
And her Lizzy Grant album is exactly the same music she is doing now which puzzles me about this whole LDR thing.
― Tired of these edcuated basic bitches. (lilsoulbrother), Monday, 16 January 2012 18:52 (twelve years ago) link
This is the first time I'd seen her and the second time I'd ever heard her song.
― Bam! Orgasm explosion in your facehole. (DJP), Monday, 16 January 2012 19:00 (twelve years ago) link
How's the guitar practice, Dan?
― What We Did on Our POLLidays (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 16 January 2012 19:12 (twelve years ago) link
docklands light railway
― judith, Monday, 16 January 2012 19:16 (twelve years ago) link
I'd listened to "Video Games" lots, but this is the first time I'd heard her live. The disconnect was jarring.
― Girl I want to take you to a JBR (jaymc), Monday, 16 January 2012 19:16 (twelve years ago) link
someone did post a video where she seemed p good. i feel like its an act that needs an old pro though. the problem w/ buzz cycles is that in this case they're demanding something that is hardly realistic.
― judith, Monday, 16 January 2012 19:19 (twelve years ago) link
Makes sense that she's getting a crazy push now when music programmers are figuring out how to fill the place currently held on radio and at the mall by "Someone Like You."
― do you not like slouching? (Eazy), Monday, 16 January 2012 19:24 (twelve years ago) link
most interesting thing about being away from ILX is coming back to find out what people have been losing their shit over for the past six months. turns out it's jocelyn wildenstein doing chris isaak covers. cool.
― Little GTFO (contenderizer), Monday, 16 January 2012 19:25 (twelve years ago) link
I still haven't heard the studio version--this is all I'd seen/heard:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOP2Yd_jpYQ
Is this one of the bad ones?
― do you not like slouching? (Eazy), Monday, 16 January 2012 19:26 (twelve years ago) link
You can only compare the live versions with the studio version if you actually hear the studio version
― I certainly wouldn't have, but hey. (Le Bateau Ivre), Monday, 16 January 2012 19:28 (twelve years ago) link
That Jools clip considerably less lolzy, just drowsy.
― da croupier, Monday, 16 January 2012 19:30 (twelve years ago) link
contenderizer killin it
― blood jessica shirt (some dude), Monday, 16 January 2012 19:30 (twelve years ago) link
orm
― What We Did on Our POLLidays (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 16 January 2012 19:31 (twelve years ago) link
Ha, I meant otm
ormless
― HOOS steen is it anyway? (Lamp), Monday, 16 January 2012 19:32 (twelve years ago) link
im glad to see contenderizer back
― Jimmy Riddle Orchestra (Armand Schaubroeck Ratfucker), Monday, 16 January 2012 19:32 (twelve years ago) link
jocelyn wildenstein doing chris isaak covers
A+
― polyphonic, Monday, 16 January 2012 19:34 (twelve years ago) link
Emphasis on "people"
― Tired of these edcuated basic bitches. (lilsoulbrother), Monday, 16 January 2012 19:37 (twelve years ago) link
turns out it's jocelyn wildenstein doing chris isaak covers.
Love it.
I mean, Marianne Faithfull is no less drowsy.
― do you not like slouching? (Eazy), Monday, 16 January 2012 19:38 (twelve years ago) link
another strong defense
― da croupier, Monday, 16 January 2012 19:44 (twelve years ago) link
as long as there are nice people who haven't heard much of Lana Del Rey but have certainly heard worse, there remains hope for her yet
― da croupier, Monday, 16 January 2012 19:46 (twelve years ago) link
lilsoulbro surely there are more 'people' who saw her perform for the first time on SNL than people who watched every live youtube before the show
― blood jessica shirt (some dude), Monday, 16 January 2012 20:06 (twelve years ago) link
Well I think the people who complain are the ones who keep up with music news on the internet and are aware of those NYC performance/European TV performances or seen the videos posted during her Lizzy Grant days. For people who mostly get their exposure from TV and the like of course they wouldn't know.
― Tired of these edcuated basic bitches. (lilsoulbrother), Monday, 16 January 2012 20:08 (twelve years ago) link
i wonder, honestly!
xp
― Critique of Pure Moods (goole), Monday, 16 January 2012 20:08 (twelve years ago) link
i guess that depends on if you're talking about people commenting on the performance itt, or on the web in general. pretty unlikely on the latter front, more likely but still not all that certain on the former.
― blood jessica shirt (some dude), Monday, 16 January 2012 20:09 (twelve years ago) link