LaserKitten

I can't imagine anyone would be pissed at losing out on an award to Bjork. That woman is a genuine musical genius with a truly incredible body of work. I'm just glad Lana didn't suffer the ignominy of losing to the inexplicably popular Meghan Trainor or squeaky toy/Bratz doll Ariana Grande.

The video was just OK for me, some nice shots, great to have more of the UV footage. Lana looks stunning, especially when she smiles. But there's a really fine line between super slo-mo being meaningful and it being "fuuuuck we have to stretch this footage out". I mean, nice foot/leg and all, but do we really need 20 slow seconds of it? On a more positive note, it's generating pretty enthusiastic responses from many 'serious music sites'. Stereogum has a wonderful long essay about LDR and FJM - really worth reading if you have the time.

Mashable has the full performance of West Coast and the cute speech by Lana with FJM: http://mashable.com/2016/02/10/lana-del-rey-acid-taylor-swift/#TPSslgUUKiqi She seems happy, confident and in good voice. And she looks beautiful (of course)

Not sure if this is the right place to post this, or if it's already been posted, but Lana may have been hanging out with Norman Reedus for his upcoming motorcycle show. Perhaps we'll get some nice interview stuff? http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-3432620/Lana-Del-Rey-Walking-Dead-s-Norman-Reedus-hang-motorcycles-filming-reality-show.html Daily Mail, so take with a pinch of salt, obv.

I wonder if he'll just be 'the guy' in the video, or if he'll have a more substantial role - maybe as part of a monologue? God I hope so. He's so eloquent & witty. Looking forward to it anyway, those pics are heavenly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=66&v=MvqgJqfIRQs Guess we can add Dixie Chicks to the list! This is beautiful.

Interesting choice for an interviewer. Maps to the Stars was excellent - incredibly disturbing but brilliant. Really looking forward to the 'angle' and tone of this one.

The Blackest Day would make an incredible Ride-esque video, it's got a clear narrative and some striking imagery, as well as being just a beautiful song. Don't know if this has been discussed before, but the backing vocals after "ever since my baby went away" sound like a Greek tragedy/Greek chorus. Like wailing women or something. Am I crazy? Reminds me, in a vague way, of Madonna's Frozen video and the three witch-like Madonnas.

Hi, I don't have much to add to this but I just wanted to compliment you on an incredibly insightful and intelligent post that articulates so much that I have felt about Lana that hadn't really coalesced properly in my mind. As a child of the 90s, and a fan of Fiona, Tori, Shirley etc, your post helps to put my affection for Lana in a context I hadn't considered before. Thanks! Beautiful writing.

Scrolling through, I was like 'goddess, goddess, goddess...fucking MEERCAT??!' That dog is perfect and perfectly strange. Seriously, this woman is murdering me slowly with her beauty. That pink ensemble tho...

Is she...camping? This is turning into the greatest photoshoot ever.

I would guess Freak too. It's the only song on the sampler that hasn't already been a promo song or had a video.

That's amazing! Maybe it's the intensity she inspires in her fans - there may be less of us, but we are kind of crazy-smitten lol. And you're right about Marina, whom I also like, but as good as she is I wonder if she commands the kind of ferocious, frenzied reaction from fans. (the meaner side of me thinks 'why would anyone line up to meet a Kardashian/Jenner?' but I won't go on) Maybe it comes down, in a large part, to Lana's mystique? You can't fake or buy that thing that she has. Do you agree?

It's funny, I was thinking about this exact question earlier. The truth is, it's really difficult to be objective about Lana, y'know? There are songs I'm less in love with and play less (Guns & Roses, Once Upon A Dream...) but pretty much everything she releases has this layer of 'Lana-ness' over it that separates it from normal evaluation. God, does that even make sense? Her official discography under LDR is actually really impressive, quality-wise...but I'm completely biased because I'm so fucking enchanted with her she could fart in a bag and I'd be swooning

Yeah, seems that way. She's such a different artist now to the one I, and most others, first encountered on BTD. If we're honest, there's nothing commercially appealing on UV or HM, when compared to the kind of music that sells big. But it's like she occupies this really unusual, almost unique middle ground. Good name recognition, infamy even, that most would attempt to spin into something bigger. I increasingly admire her no-fucks-to-give attitude, even if at times it's frustrating for us! Like others mentioned, there doesn't really appear to be a strategy, at least not a typical or cohesive one you'd expect from someone of her level. I'm so curious to see what her next move is.

Yep, super weird. The only things that come to mind when I think of pink flamingos: - the film by John Waters/the amazing Divine - kitsch (like plastic flamingo lawn ornaments) - flamingos are odd creatures that usually stand, in water, on one leg, and no one really knows why. What any of this has to do with the song is beyond me, but I kind of love it too?

The only upside to insomnia is when Lana releases something in the middle of the night. The guitar, the hairbrush, the goofy 'kind of pretending to play an imaginary guitar', the smiles, the spinning gramophones... She's such a weirdo. I love it.

Correct me if I'm wrong, cos I don't know shit about shit, but it strikes me as super weird that an artist can reach the higher parts of various charts in many countries, but there's little imperative from her label to do more, to make some money? I know Lana, as the artist, has her preferences in terms of promo, but surely she has some contractual obligations to, I dunno, promote her (rather big) release? Strike while the iron's hot, that sort of thing? Aren't some label bosses twitching, even just for another MV or a couple more interviews? I always thought the mighty dollar trumped all...?

I kind of understand why Lana's music is characterised as 'depressing', but personally I think it's just more thoughtful and meditative and I guess adult than the 'contemporaries' she's (wrongly) lumped with. She's not a pop star, right? Comparing her to Katy or Taylor or whatever seems really redundant. Different universes. She could be a great pop star if her unreleased stuff is anything to go by, but she's pretty much beyond that now. UV and HM are the work of a woman who walks her own path. I don't give a fuck about critics' 'scores' and ascribing some arbitrary number to her albums. Like that's going to change how I feel about the music.

My favourite thing about being a Lana fan is that she's just fucking effortlessly cool. She doesn't need to make a spectacle of herself on awards shows and talk shows to maintain her career and the media's interest in her. She doesn't have a godawful cheap-ass perfume, line of clothes, shoes or accessories to extend her 'brand' (ugh). No terrible, ill-fitting, cringey collaborations with lesser 'singers' to boost her exposure. She doesn't smize desperately from every magazine cover and saturate the media with her presence, until everyone's sick of her and willing her to fail. She's just cool. And seems like a genuinely nice person. And she maintains integrity in the work she does. OT, Honeymoon is perfect. I'm so pleased she has made no attempt to take a more accessible, radio- or chart-friendly approach. I love being a fan.

Anyone else feel like this is a 'duet' between Lana & Lizzie? The 'white tennis shoes' bit sounds like it's directed at a female - like Lizzie in early promo pics - rather than a male. Just a random, half-conceived thought, but I listened to it with this idea in mind last night and it changed the whole tone and meaning of the song for me.

"I will never sing again And you won't work another day" The chord change and her voice here is possibly my favourite moment on this incredible album. 'Timeless' and 'cinematic' are cliches at this point, but that's exactly what Swan Song is.

Honeymoon currently #1 on NZ iTunes (BTD at #198) Auckland has been covered in HM posters for the last two weeks. Fuck this Tropico avi...