Vertimus

People with that kind of cultural sensitivity, sincere or otherwise, are never going to succeed in the end in the 21st century, which really is a global village. There's not a nation in existence that cannot claim 'ownership' or 'origin' of some aspect of culture, even if it's a hairstyle, hem style, way of preparing fish or fowl, manner of binding a book, or a bead design. If we all decided to claim rights and ownerships of what we decide we want to claim as belonging to 'us,' there's be literally no time to do anything else or hear about the din. Lana can use the term kintsugi; it's obviously not a word in her first language of English, and I don't think she's pretending or suggesting that it is. On the contrary, like Joni Mitchell using the word 'Hejira' for the title of her 1976 album, it's a kind of way of honoring another culture and its conceptualizations.

I think some are just equating piano songs and sleepy ballads as always identical.

The problem with songs about kids and family is that to each individual, their own child is adorable almost beyond measure, but other people may find ongoing talk about someone else's child's tiresome before very long. It's the old 'come over and watch our home movies' situation you see in old movies and television shows, where the hosts are boring their neighbors to death with their endless vacation reels and talk about what fascinating action 'little Stevie' or 'little Susie' took today. How many people complained about 'Sweet Carolina' as "interesting to Lana, no doubt, it's about her niece, but not to me" after BB came out? I didn't use the word "lazy," you have seen that somewhere else, and I didn't say female artists who write about their family aren't "trying." It's exactly what you just said in your last line: their priorities change in a massive way when people have children, for both women and men. Men write about their kids, parents, siblings too, often to equally undramatic or interesting effect, like Jimmy Buffet's 'Little Miss Magic' (groan). Or to good effect, as with Rayland Baxter's song about his relationship with his father, 'Oh My Captain,' which is so broad and archetypal that the themes are expressed in a kind of universal language. I'm all for women having children and raising families, and men too; I live in NYC and have been here for a while; I've seen what ambition and careerism can do to women especially, who are urged to "rise to their potential' and give up having a family, or having one child only, that they barely see due to 24/7 career and commuting demands. Lana has every right to explore her family, its history, and her 'karmic lineage,' as she has been doing on some of the BB songs and now on 'The Grants' and others from OC. But whether those songs will have real appeal to even her Stans is another question.

I'm not the biggest JA fan, and when I heard that statement, whether sincere and/or accurate or not, to me it sounds exactly like what one powerful friend in the industry would say publicly about another of equal power and status. In another words, I think he's just blowing smoke and sunshine. And it's not accurate as I see it, because Lana was already quite daring on BTD---naming her debut album that, and including a song with that title, was pretty ballsy, as were 'Gods & Monsters' and 'Cola' on Paradise, and then on to UV with all of its aggression. To me, she 'led' and broke her own mold right from the start of being Lana Del Rey, she was already in the artistic wilderness at square one, like some other notable musicians and bands before her. It still remains to be seen what the balance of OC will be like, but, from insiders, we've already heard that some of the other songs will be on the quiet and reflective side. For me, 'A&W' is loud and 'different,' but those qualities don't make it 'great' automatically. I'd prefer to listen to 'VB' or '13 Beaches' over again rather than 'A&W.' All I ask for from the universe is a few songs per album that I really like, and do expect that.

And whatever that was on the BBC yesterday was a lot of nothing, as I expected. Just a lot of BS that had almost no focus on Lana whatsoever.

I find the title track boring, clumsy, and a little forced. ‘The Grants’ is pretty but sleepy. I’m not 100% that there’s going be anything with much of a pulse on OC except Jimmy Jimmy Poco Puffs, but I hope there will be.

Because no one is ‘miffed’ or ‘peeved’ about self expression.

Yup. It needed more contrast in terms of the music and vocals, even if low key. ‘Hope’ was low key, but also full of musical contrasts. And the production was crisper and clearer.

It’s a nice little track but it sort of gives off a feeling that is was written and produced for Lana herself, primarily, rather than for an audience or wide audience or public. Thus, I call it sleepy.

No; but I don’t encounter this situation with any other album, at all, including COCC, BB or Lorde’s ‘Solar Power.’

My hearing is normal, and I am using an iPhone and the latest iteration of Apple earbuds. So it cannot be that. Far from sounding close to the mic, to me, she sounds like she’s on the other side of the room.

Of course. To me, so far, it sounds, as I have said, like there was a pillow over the mic. Maybe that’s the effect she wanted. I don’t find that effect interesting myself.

And the vocals are mixed too far into the back. I like the song a lot, but it’s sleepy, and there’s just not enough aural contrast. As pop music, the dynamic is pretty low.

Yeah--and she seems to have the audience sing most of the songs anyway. I've seen a lot of artists live, and can testify that Stevie Nicks and Debbie Harry cannot sing live, almost at all. I also feel that gratitude, and she seems very open to meeting fans, which is rare with such a successful artist.

I think there's a lot of sketchiness in Lana's vocals and music, going back to BTD. Sometimes, her music comes across more like American folk art than professionally-produced music, especially in terms of her vocals, and I hear that again on some of the OC tracks. Lana has a lovely voice, and it is one of the two things that most draws me to her (especially her 'siren' voice), but she can 'sing' the same way Debbie Harry and Stevie Nicks can 'sing': in the studio, with all the technology, her voice is great, but live, at least in stadiums or large halls, she struggles. She doesn't have that Whitney Houston, Beyonce, Linda Ronstadt, Anne Wilson, Shirley Bassey, Aretha Franklin, Mariah Carey, Nico, Tina Turner kind of voice that can shatter glass at 50 yards.

It's very mellow, like a slower version of TLY with less contrast.

When is the interview? Sometime in the next hour and 45 minutes? Are we sure there is an interview?

Yes, you certainly can.

But some people are coarse and boorish and that's that. They have the right to express themselves too. I'm not advocating for rudeness, I'm saying it's not going to hurt anyone here if some member says ''A&W' is a turd or a piece of shit or whatever. You're only responsible for your own posts and behavior. Let Elle and the mods take care of the rest as they see fit.

Isn't it better in the long run to let people who attack and insult others to perhaps learn a lesson when 99% of the members here ignore or block them? Or no one at all responds to them?

But since those things are not against the rules, and childish people are allowed to be members, and people are all different, you're going to get a percentage of that anywhere on the internet. Leave them alone, ignore them, or block them. If you've vehemently disliked someone has posted multiple times, why read anything they post at all? Skim over it.

I agree. If I say, 'A&W' is a coarse piece of shit--remember that on 12/4, someone here called OC "a turd"--that's not necessarily offensive or an attempt to be offensive or to insult anyone. It's just someone expressing themselves. Ignore it if you don't like it. Keep in mind how many times other members have probably found any of our comments to their dislike.

Let other people be themselves. If they're coarse or boorish in your eyes, that doesn't take away their rights to express themselves as they see fit as long as they remain within the rules set by Elle. You are responsible for your behavior alone, period, and others are for theirs. I'm sure I could find an example of something you've said here which, however politely expressed, I could exaggerate in my mind or emotions and see as 'beyond the pale' and offensive.