West Coast

Wow a concept. I will be sourly disappointed if we don't get a matcha tea cup photoshoot in there too.

We also all know that they were probably more interesting concept of songs than the alleged "Red Hot Chilly Peppers influences" we supposedly ended up having. Just saying. The way Lana describes her albums prior to their release never cease to amaze me.

All her albums deserve that. We're probably going to get some tacky violet picture courtesy of Chuck let's be honest. Side note, the fact that this went from an actual poetry book, to some homemade handbinded diary type of thing, to a fucking spoken word album... it has me dying over here. Does this woman not realize how foolish she looks sometimes?

NFR was Lana being too comfortable in her own ways and not reaching for higher heights. Agree that it was a much needed improvement from LFL, but with a closing track like Get Free I expected Lana to go down some weird/ethereal psychedelic and/or doo-wop road, but she instead went for the safe "cute & light acoustic" freeway. It paid off from a "critical" point of view, but to be honest critics acting like Lana is at her peak when she couldn't be more beige and generic is quite the insult to her past records. But I've made my case already. Personally speaking White Hot Forever better not be some tedious piano/acoustic guitar driven album. It better pop off. Without going back to an Ultraviolence type of sound, I feel like with an album title like that she could easily make some intense, summery and psychedelic tunes. Anything but the flat and dry sound of NFR will do at this point for me.

This is where we're going to disagree even further. I think that from Cruel World to Pretty When You Cry, the album is a ten across the board. Outstanding tracks one after the other. I understand that for a lot of fans lyrical redundancy is a huge issue for them on Ultraviolence, though I kinda felt that way when I first heard the album, nowadays that doesn't bother me as much. I think that Ultraviolence's strength lies in its intoxicating and atmospheric production. Though I prefer the single version (the Rob Orton mix? Anyway the Official Audio on Lana's YouTube page) of West Coast, it truly is a masterpiece in its own right. When Lana sings the bridge in Sad Girl, it's probably the highlight of the album to me. The instrumentals on all these tracks are just otherwordly. As for the rest, well Money Power Glory as its strength and weaknesses, I don't really care for Fucked My Way Up To The Top. Old Money is a gem in my honest opinion. The Other Woman is a fine cover. The reworked version of Black Beauty is amazing, though it sounds off a little in some part. Guns and Roses... and Florida Kilos actually grew on me over time and I actually enjoy it now. The album is not perfect, but it's my favourite. It's a solid 8-8.5/10. I simply do not feel this way about NFR, I definitely enjoy songs like the title track, Venice Bitch, California and to a certain extent The greatest, but even on these songs I find myself cringing over the lackluster production. I simply do not enjoy how flat/dry and tinny the instruments and overall instrumentation and voice mixing sound on this record . I know it doesn't seem to be a huge problem to most fans on here, but it is for me. After listening to records like Born To Die, Ultraviolence and Honeymoon, which all had their strength and weaknesses, but overall sounded pretty amazing and outstanding. A record like NFR to me sounds utterly flat and quite forgettable from a production/instrumentation and mastering point of view. From the first track it sounds off; the piano (and overall instrumentation) in the title track sound so cheap and tinny, too much ambient/white noises, and utterly flat and compressed vocals. To me NFR is more like a 6, maybe a 7/10 on a good day. I guess we're going to have to disagree about this forever, I went back to listening to the album a couple times over the past five months and I still feel the exact same way. What's worse is that the few tracks that I actually liked are already losing their luster. I just simply do not think of NFR as being this amazing record that stands out in Lana's discography. To me it stands out in other ways.

No worries, I'm nominated for the "Can you come up with something else?" category (amongst other things) at the Lipsters for a reason you know, it's all good. If Lonerism is your favourite Tame Impala record than you are probably going to love Melody's Echo Chamber as well! Songs like Some Time Alone, Alone and Endless Shore are probably going to give you all the Lonerism feels you know and love!

Shades of Cool and Ride are the only videos that deserve a 10 and you know it. Freak and White Mustang don't deserve more than a 5 given that they are just repurposed footage and MAC, Venice Bitch and that whole messy triple video don't even deserve a 1 and that's that on that. The rest dangles between 6 and 9.

I know we got different views on NFR, but I'm glad we can agree on this. Lonerism is otherwordly and Innerspeaker is an incredible record as well. I love current too, though I really enjoy the first half of the record (after The Less I Know The Better I kinda lose interest... until New Person (which is an even more incredible track live!)). I also think that the Posthumous Forgiveness is the best single released from The Slow Rush thus far, such an amazing track, the second half of that song is gold. Though I kinda feel the same way about the other singles as I feel about the second half of Currents: amazing production, but a tad repetitive song construction, they kinda lack the bridge/climax moment that songs like Let It Happen, The Moment and Eventually have. They still stand out though. Can't wait for the rest of the record to come out next month! Sort of related but have you heard of Melody's Echo Chamber's self titled album? It was produced by Kevin Parker and was released around the time of Lonerism too it definitely feels like a sister album to it!

You're back! Danny DeVito I love your work!

I co-signed this.

I honestly totally forgot to include it! I somehow do not regret that though.

That's actually really interesting. I feel like it would've benefit the record to tighten it up a little and cut down on some songs. In that sense I agree, with both Love Song and Bartender it was like one piano ballad too many. I personally would've chosen Bartender over Love Song. Also while I think that Hope is lyrically one of her strongest song, I feel like it should've been relegated to unreleased material in its current format. Or make it something like 3 minutes instead of its current almost 6 minute format. This has also been said several times but Venice Bitch not closing the record is shocking. It would've been the perfect album closer in my honest opinion (though LFL was far from being her most cohesive project, Get Free remains her best album closing track in my opinion). It would've make the album more enjoyable to me, strictly from a tracklist point of view. My ultimate song placement would've been as follow: 1. Norman Fucking Rockwell 2. Mariners Apartment Complex 3. Fuck it I Luh ya 4. Doin' Time 5. Cinnamon 6. Bartender 7. How To Disappear (Piano version of course) 8. California 9. hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have - but i have it (shorter version) 10. The greatest 11. Happiness is a butterfly 12. Venice Bitch

After writing a little essay about West Coast in the the "Ultimate, Decade-End Lana Del Rey Ranking" thread, I went back to listen to Ultraviolence from start to finish. Honestly this album is just amazing. The production is so rich, detailed and layered. I understand that the raw/rough, live band type of sound was not, and is not for everyone. But to me, it's such an experience and every time I'm listening to it I feel like I can get lost in its sound and just analyze how detailed and impressive it really is. West Coast truly is Lana's most amazing song in that regard, it's a sonic experience from start to finish. Now here's unto the unpopular part. I feel like Lana post Honeymoon has gotten somewhat sloppy and disinterested with the production of her records. On Lust for Life there were gems, but it was pretty uneven; the the worst cohabited with the best and it was overall a little too tainted with cheap trap beats. On NFR, though it's nothing like LFL, it feels like the entire record was meant to sound flat and tedious. There are definitely instrumentation highlights on the record (Venice Bitch), but the rest of the album, in that regard, is almost completely forgettable and it just sucks. The few songs that I like on the record are already losing their luster and it's not even been six months since the album's release. It sucks that I feel this way about her album, but I haven't been "transported" or impressed from start to finish by her albums after Honeymoon.

In honor of Lana performing again at Coachella, let's take a moment to appreciate this iconic moment:

you were nominated for worst taste for a reason you know.

Lonerism is a modern psychedelic masterpiece imho (and it was deemed so in a couple of decade end lists as well). It's honestly one of my favourite albums of all time. Currents is an amazing record as well I live for the sorta lava lamp/psychedelic 80s synth atmosphere, but I did prefer the lowfi/neo-psychedelic approach of Lonerism. I want a psychedelic record from Lana at all costs. Anyway, both are amazing records that cement Kevin Parker as an important figure on the current music scene. I want him and Lana to collab so bad, but I feel like it's a bit far fetched. He did an amazing record with his then girlfriend Melody Prochet: the self titled album Melody's Echo Chamber. It's a fantastic album that almost feels like a sister album to Lonerism. He can def work with other artists and bring out the best in them with his own approach. The song Some Time Alone, Alone slaps so hard. A FJM collab would be amazing too. I Love You Honeybear is one of my favourites as well!

I'm so hear for this. I can't say I've been a huge fan of his collaborative projects, besides that one song with Kali or the entire Melody's Echo Chamber self titled album which SLAPS. But Kevin is definitely one of the most sought after person in the industry right now. He's extremely careful and meticulous when it comes to production. His production style is super tight. He and Lana would do amazing together I think. I've been campaigning for them to work together on this thread before and I'm still holding on. Something halfway between Honeymoon, Ultraviolence, Lonerism and Currents would blow my fucking mind.

The top ten (minus California, that's more top 50 material) is pure taste. The rest of the list is... a choice. Not mine, but a choice.

Thank you! Though I'm one of only two nominees in the "Can you come up with something else?!" category for this year's Lipsters (along with my bff/nemesis @Jared). So I'm probably doing something wrong (or right ).

I do not possess the will power to create such a complete masterpiece, but I can try.

I was about to say that, but me and my "controversial" NFR opinions are trying to keep a low profile this year.

Terrence Loves You is so pure. I venture to say that it has the best, most beautiful, intense yet subtle, bridge in all her discography. Top ten material in my heart.

MY HOLY TRINITY.

Also not one Honeymoon song in the top ten... choices. Sorry but Happiness is a Butterfly and Fuck It I Luh Ya breaking the top 50 over Terrence Loves You and The Blackest Day. Lethal injections! Thanks @@PARADIXO for this very interesting project/thread!

AS IT FUCKING SHOULD. West Coast is a fucking masterpiece probably the first and only Lana Del Rey song I've been obsessed with from the actual first listen. This song is just on a whole other level and has yet to be outmatched by Lana, her most atmospheric song perhaps. It's also, in my honest opinion, her best promotional single ever released. I can't believe she did that. The production is fucking perfect and pristine. Everything from: the instrumentals, actual properly recorded hazy bass and guitar riffs, her brilliantly layered vocals, the subtle hitches in her voice, the dreamy and ethereal way she sings:"your love, your love, your love" before the now iconic tempo shifts, the beautiful and languorous 12 strings guitar, the way she sings those sensual, yet contemplative lyrics, the backing vocals that sound like a fucking mermaid call AND the sorta Kill Bill siren that comes in during the second chorus almost like a second voice to add to the already dramatic, melancholic and intoxicating feeling of the song. The chorus just keeps on going in crescendo only to end quickly and abruptly leaving you feeling punch-drunk and wanting more: THEIR FUCKING MINDS. Every time I listen to this song at around 3:20, I kid you not, I lose all sense of self. Dan Auerbach is a fucking G E N I U S of a producer and his input on Ultraviolence is L E G E N D A R Y and boundary pushing for Lana! Finally some taste on LanaBoards!