Vertimus

Thanks--yeah, it's definitely not a LDR production.

Are you referring to the 'slowed with reverb' version?

I don't think 'Beautiful' is one of the stronger songs in her catalog, but it fits nicely on BB. Welcome.

I continue to see Lana as an artist's artist, and increasingly so, and thus not a middle-of-the-road taste like Taylor Swift and Adele. It's similar to when Tori Amos was doing amazing work in the 90s, but the public ignored her and embraced Alanis Morissette instead.

I'm also a big LFL fan--it has some of her most memorable songs: '13B,' 'Heroin,' 'WTWWAWWJKD,' 'White Mustang,' 'Summer Bummer' and 'GBA,' and I liked 'TNC,' 'IMF,' and 'Cherry' well enough.I also wish they had stuck to the original concept----I Iiked the original version of 'LFL' so much more than the pop single it became, and wish they hadn't cut 'Serene Queen,' such a dynamic track. 'BB' the album reminds me a lot of LFL--it weaves in and out of all kinds of places, emotions and mind spaces, and there's a sense of personal happiness at the core of some of the songs (like 'VFR' and 'Arcadia'), while she confronts her demons head-on in others. It has great pop hooks on 'BBS,' 'IYLDWM' and 'VFR.' I've made peace with the older songs that have been included, though I preferred the original version of 'Thunder.' For me, 'BB' is her most satisfying album so far. It breathes. There was, for me, a kind of sterility on a lot of songs on some of her older albums, a flat emotional affect, which came across to me as if Lana was in a state of emotional paralysis. I didn't see evidence of that on 'COCC,' especially on the title track, and I don't see it on 'BB.'

Exactly, it's 'wholesome' without being mawkish, queasy or 'mellow.' I haven't tired of it yet either, not one bit. 'BBS,' 'IYLDWM,' and 'VFR' only continue to grow on me, and 'Aracadia' went from 'blah' to 'great' in my valuation.

What I like most about BB (the album) is the overall range of emotions that arise from it----it seems to me, in that regard, like her 'healthiest' and 'happiest' album yet. Maybe facing her demons head-on in WFWF allowed some serenity to follow. COCC was also a definite move in this direction, and, emotionally, in retrospect, seems like the perfect precursor to BB. I like the emotionally-tortured Lana of 'Old Money,' '13 Beaches,' 'White Mustang,' etc., and the haunted Lana of 'Swan Song,' but I like this Lana best so far.

Because they're Shepherd's Pie, and Lana is Beef Wellington.

But one day down the road of history, they'll be seen as the Pop Princesses they are, and Lana will be a Legend, an artist's artist, which they certainly are not. Right now, Lana does have a world of fans, literally. Those that can only follow vapid commercial trends, the loss is theirs. Let them sleep on.

I have two friends who claim not to be able to hear the melodies on IYLDWM and VFR, and I believe them, but find it impossible, after 6 or 7 listens, if not less, to at least begin to hear the melodies and 'hooks' of both.

What I love about both COCC and BB is that, overall, Lana sounds at peace with life and with herself, and, within that context, she doesn’t sound complacent or boring. It’s not a great many contemporary artists that can write songs about day to day life and living without those songs being dull, but on a lot of songs on both albums, Lana sounds serene and centered, and I find myself happy at this, and inspired too.

The playful horns at the end...perfection. And the horns get more playful towards the end. In whatever form it previously existed, I'm glad it never leaked.

For me, IYLDWM is Lana’s sexiest and most sensual song. That she doesn’t overdo it makes it perfect.

I think it's interesting how many BB tracks could have comfortably fit on COCC and sustained the mood---Arcadia, VFR, CB, 'Thunder,' SC, 'Beautiful.' I can't decide whether I love IYLDWM or VFR more. Even if I hadn't heard the 3 singles way before, they would still be my favorites.

Thanks, Niko. Another member also pointed out 'Mr. Brightside' in 'Thunder,' but I'd consider both bands 'alternative,' and not from the so-called classic rock era, which I guess would span from 1962 through 1979 or 1980. Determining that is difficult, with the rise of Punk in America and England about 1975-1976, which eventually morphed briefly into New Wave, which was a short but exciting time in popular music. We do know Lana is a Nirvana fan, so we can start looking for post-classic rock era references as well. And since she's covering the 'American songbook,' we may start to see references to songs from the 1920s-1960s.

It's probably been subsequently noted, but a week or so ago I said there were no classic rock era lyrical references on BB, but I was wrong. 'Comfortably numb' of course is a direct Pink Floyd 'The Wall' reference, one I should have picked up on when the 3 singles were released. This is how to do it right. Have it genuinely mean something within the context of the song and not just be a throw-away line.

'Arcadia,' which has really grown on me, is 'Looking For America''s big sister.

Got it-----Thanks!

So what is this BBS line about: "Your interest really made stacks out of it for me."

I like IYLDWM and VFR the best--they're the really standout tracks to me. They're not too light and they're not too heavy. VFR still seems to me to be 'American''s big sister.

I can’t listen to the title track either, especially the first third. I have the ‘skip when shuffling’ box checked in iTunes.

I think Lana may one day return to her original trip hop sound for a few songs or even a whole album, like Madonna has, because that's part of being free and doing what you feel like too. 'Meet Me in the Pale Moonlight' and 'Making Out' are, to me, classics of their kind. That they're just superficial pop songs makes no difference to me. The problem with a lot of BTD, as I see it, was not that the production was off (though we know Lana said she didn't like some of it), but that some of the songs were very weak, almost filler. I'm sure she could do a few songs or an album utilizing a contemporary, 2022-2023 version of that sound. I think there are touches of the BTD sound on 'Black Bathing Suit,' and 'Wild At Heart' from COCC sounded very like a BTD track to me.

I agree, but some of us might be 13, you never know.

One reason I love VFR so much is that it reminds me a lot of 'American,' one of my favorite 'simple, lighter' LDR songs. With the COCC title track, 'Arcadia,' 'Beautiful' and SC, as much as I like LDR's sad and/or dramatic songs, I'm glad to see her in this more reflective, forward-moving mindset. For me, VFR competes with IYLDWM as my favorite from the album. Those horns!

Plus, we know that NOTG was very likely written before 'Not All Who Wander Are Lost,' so she was lost, but has now come to an understanding about herself and her current path; "not all who wander are lost."