veniceglitch

I thought there was already a thread here, but maybe not.
 
Any fans?

They seem like an obvious if unspoken influence on Lana. 
 
Their new album, Strange Little Birds, is out next Friday (June 10), and is already streaming on Apple Music. It's fantastic.
 
"Night Drive Loneliness" is pure proto-Lana shot through the lens of an industrial noir thriller. "If I Lost You" veers close to moody mid-90s Madonna with a heavy trip-hop melancholy added.
 
 
 
Lead single is "Empty":

 
"Even Though Our Love Is Doomed": (Described as the heart of the album)

 
 
 
It's hard to beat their first two immaculate albums,  but this new one is sitting pretty well with me. Excited to see them on the road this summer.

I thought there was already a thread here, but maybe not.
 
Any fans?

They seem like an obvious if unspoken influence on Lana. 
 
Their new album, Strange Little Birds, is out next Friday (June 10), and is already streaming on Apple Music. It's fantastic.
 
"Night Drive Loneliness" is pure proto-Lana shot through the lens of an industrial noir thriller. "If I Lost You" veers close to moody mid-90s Madonna with a heavy trip-hop melancholy added.
 
 
 
Lead single is "Empty":

 
"Even Though Our Love Is Doomed": (Described as the heart of the album)

 
 
 
It's hard to beat their first two immaculate albums,  but this new one is sitting pretty well with me. Excited to see them on the road this summer.

Don't know if this "unpopular," but it is a series of opinions.

 

I remember reading a piece that spearheaded Lana’s importance: holding up the lonely torch of the female depressive in pop culture as a voice that deserves to be heard.

 

I agree with this. It's so easy to see her disaffected nature as a defect, but it's at the core of who she is and why she makes art to begin with. It's what gives her introspection, but also brings forth isolation.

 

Lana's perspective, from a 'marketability' and thematic angle, is one that would have made more sense in the mid 1990s. She would have kindred spirits in Garbage, Tori, Fiona, even Alanis. But in some ways, her perspective is even more needed now, because there is SUCH a lack of diversity in the females we hear from in pop culture, and the kinds of stories they tell. Shirley Manson of Garbage has pointed this out, fittingly enough. We need to hear from the miserable girl, the loser, the ones who don’t want to play nice, and maybe don’t even get out of bed some days. There’s always been a place for that girl in other media: literature, film, art. Music, especially pop music, doesn’t know what to do with this personality type. If it’s Kurt Cobain or Leonard Cohen (or any number of current male indie mini-gods), it’s tortured genius. If it’s a woman doing it, it’s pathetic, INDULGENT solipsism. How dare you be so lazy, inwardly focused and torpid when there are SOCIAL ISSUES to examine and crusade. That's the attitude Lana faces.

 

 We live in the age of the Totally Transparent, Fervently Disciplined, and Manicured Go-Getter. Taylor. Katy. Demi. Even Rihanna. They are corporate workhorses, THIRSTY for the fame, and more than ready to play and stay in the game. The personality type this workload requires is not for the delicate, sensitive, ambivalent type. They don’t look inward. They are fixated on the crowd. You see these same types in offices all over the world. Type A middle managers. They get shit done, might seem like “team players” (dictators in disguise), but they aren’t interesting and don’t offer a lot of innovation or insight into life, creativity, or much else. I’m sure the economic collapse of the past 10 years and the wreckage of the music industry has a lot to do with why this middle manager pop star archetype has prevailed. It’s sheer survivalism. 

 

The truth is the Lana of Born To Die, and that album itself, is an anomaly. It’s a character study in what it would be like to be a famous pop star. In philosophy, there’s an idea that to create a character, you have to lack what that character has for it to work (Homer vs Achilles is a classic example.) Lana was never a natural star by any means, but she’s clearly seen it as a way to transcend herself or try to another skin on. (“Give a man a mask and he’ll tell you the truth.” - Oscar Wilde.) To parallel her to Britney, Lana never has had a pre-Blackout glory era. This is where I think some LDR fans get it wrong. BTD was not her Baby One More Time or Oops! or whatever. Even on BTD, she was a propped-up simulacrum of what a pop icon might be like. She represented the IDEA. It was NEVER natural. She was the weirdo philosophy major playing dress up as the cool girl, singing into her mirror. The fact that she found an audience is a small miracle, but her intuitive habitat is still dancing around, alone, with her headphones on, wondering what it would be like to be onstage. The actual stage is foreign to her, and almost besides the point. I bet when she’s up there, she imagines being alone.

 

Look at ALL her work before, and after, BTD. The work of an outsider dreaming her life away, imagining that fame could transform her, fulfill her, then finding nothing there. Even before she became famous, the lyrics suggest she already was aware of its empty promise (probably due to her study of doomed cult icons). If anything, what she’s doing now is getting back to her roots: turning her LACK of fulfillment into art, trying to make something tangible of a void within. It’s hard work, and clearly she’s not always up to making it a complete vision. To create and share art is an attempt to tell your story in the hopes of CONNECTING with people. But that’s where it stops for Lana. In solitude, she records her vision then hits “send.” Then she disengages, unable to sustain the ideal in real-time. Unable to fulfill the pop duties. Unable to deliver the big pay off, for herself, or for her fans. It’s like a surrealist film that cuts off in the ‘wrong’ moment, just to leave you on edge. How many times can you get away with it? We’ll be finding out.

 

And that’s another thing. I think Lana’s “failure” to rise the occasion affects certain fans personally. Not just because they want her to get a Top 10 and compete with the ‘normal’  pop stars. But because maybe they, too, are depressed and know too well what it means to not deliver, to not function optimally, to disappoint people. When you’re depressed, being able to complete ANYTHING can feel like an insurmountable challenge. If you’re blessed with the strange mix of being both ambitious AND prone to depression, you are constantly at war with yourself, which Lana seems to be. Sometimes she has the energy to fight through it and deliver us true magic. These are her little victories. Other times, she drowns in her own ennui and forgets everyone but herself. Some fed up fans say she doesn’t care, but I don’t believe this is true. I’m sure she’s in a state of frequent frustration, with the “world,” but more often, with herself.

 

Part of what drew me — and many others, I’m sure — to Lana’s work and persona was that she seemed malcontented, if not quite tormented. Life is too much, and not enough, for her. I remember that little-known Gwen Stefani lyric (“I sip on dreams and choke on real things.”) To me, that’s Lana constant M.O. She wants desperately to escape, to isolate, and to never work another day again (the ultimate sin of today’s life-hack-driven, entrepreneurial, “optimize yourself!” digital nomad climate). She never makes it clear what it IS, exactly, that would make her happy, because what she’s asking for is impossible. A LOT of people empathize with this ambivalence, despite the fact that this passive, me vs. the world view of reality is literally censored out of modern day music. You’re not supposed to complain! Things will get better if you live, laugh, and love! LDR will never live, laugh and love first-hand, but she’ll always wonder what that might feel like. And pine for it like its her to mourn.

 

Female depressives can sustain a career. It doesn’t have to end in a Sylvia Plath/Amy Winehouse tragedy. Shirley Manson and Fiona Apple are still going strong 20 years down the line, and in some ways, seem more connected and ‘healthy’ than ever, while still finding a way to channel their grievances through their art. They’ve evolved their artistry to a level that is undeniably iconic. They will never top the charts again, but that was never the point. They have huge cult followings that will always follow their next move. It’s a family. I’d love for Lana to have this in her 40s, too, but I believe at some point she’ll have to start making art as part of a conversation, not just a soliloquy, for this to happen. 

I think this is her very essence: equal parts art and science. I think LDR as a persona/identity is meant to be someone who lives poetically, driven only by emotion and whims, makes her 'life an art', etc.
 
But the reality is she would not be where she is if she were just a wide-eyed innocent, dreaming about life from her window sill all day, or being led around by boys. Lizzy Grant is the shadow master and commander of the LDR concept; she dreams big but she is also a doer, the ruler of her own destiny. (Her critics who think she has no agency need to wake up —  who in pop music right now has more control of their own vision than her ?)   She is very calculating, knowing, and aware of how to give form to her dreams. It surely all starts with intuition and artistic intention and emotion, but then Science Lizzy kicks in — the one who researches, studies, analyzes, experiments w/ a hypothesis, puts in art in action. A good creative director is always equally artistic and scientific, and Lizzy herself has hinted at this in interviews. 
 
I also think someone like this is naturally driven to explore esoteric and marginalized philosophy/psychology/cultural topics; I'm sure she's even aware of Crowley, Theosophy, and the like. Not sure if I buy she was in 'a cult', but the chronology specifics don't matter so much, the essence of how it shaped her does. What's exciting is that she can bring these super niche topics into the warmth of the spotlight, even if she has to paint broad strokes to do so. I honestly can't think of someone else so widely known and loved that is able to pull this off in the 21st century. Maybe Grimes, but with her, it's literally the Wiki-meets-Tumblr remix version of everything. Young artists everywhere should be inspired that women like Lizzy are finding ways to make the outre and strange palatable.

I think this is her very essence: equal parts art and science. I think LDR as a persona/identity is meant to be someone who lives poetically, driven only by emotion and whims, makes her 'life an art', etc.
 
But the reality is she would not be where she is if she were just a wide-eyed innocent, dreaming about life from her window sill all day, or being led around by boys. Lizzy Grant is the shadow master and commander of the LDR concept; she dreams big but she is also a doer, the ruler of her own destiny. (Her critics who think she has no agency need to wake up —  who in pop music right now has more control of their own vision than her ?)   She is very calculating, knowing, and aware of how to give form to her dreams. It surely all starts with intuition and artistic intention and emotion, but then Science Lizzy kicks in — the one who researches, studies, analyzes, experiments w/ a hypothesis, puts in art in action. A good creative director is always equally artistic and scientific, and Lizzy herself has hinted at this in interviews. 
 
I also think someone like this is naturally driven to explore esoteric and marginalized philosophy/psychology/cultural topics; I'm sure she's even aware of Crowley, Theosophy, and the like. Not sure if I buy she was in 'a cult', but the chronology specifics don't matter so much, the essence of how it shaped her does. What's exciting is that she can bring these super niche topics into the warmth of the spotlight, even if she has to paint broad strokes to do so. I honestly can't think of someone else so widely known and loved that is able to pull this off in the 21st century. Maybe Grimes, but with her, it's literally the Wiki-meets-Tumblr remix version of everything. Young artists everywhere should be inspired that women like Lizzy are finding ways to make the outre and strange palatable.

I think this is her very essence: equal parts art and science. I think LDR as a persona/identity is meant to be someone who lives poetically, driven only by emotion and whims, makes her 'life an art', etc.
 
But the reality is she would not be where she is if she were just a wide-eyed innocent, dreaming about life from her window sill all day, or being led around by boys. Lizzy Grant is the shadow master and commander of the LDR concept; she dreams big but she is also a doer, the ruler of her own destiny. (Her critics who think she has no agency need to wake up —  who in pop music right now has more control of their own vision than her ?)   She is very calculating, knowing, and aware of how to give form to her dreams. It surely all starts with intuition and artistic intention and emotion, but then Science Lizzy kicks in — the one who researches, studies, analyzes, experiments w/ a hypothesis, puts in art in action. A good creative director is always equally artistic and scientific, and Lizzy herself has hinted at this in interviews. 
 
I also think someone like this is naturally driven to explore esoteric and marginalized philosophy/psychology/cultural topics; I'm sure she's even aware of Crowley, Theosophy, and the like. Not sure if I buy she was in 'a cult', but the chronology specifics don't matter so much, the essence of how it shaped her does. What's exciting is that she can bring these super niche topics into the warmth of the spotlight, even if she has to paint broad strokes to do so. I honestly can't think of someone else so widely known and loved that is able to pull this off in the 21st century. Maybe Grimes, but with her, it's literally the Wiki-meets-Tumblr remix version of everything. Young artists everywhere should be inspired that women like Lizzy are finding ways to make the outre and strange palatable.

Stan Twitter discovered the royals’ existence a month ago and have lots of feelings about it lol. 

Stan Twitter discovered the royals’ existence a month ago and have lots of feelings about it lol. 

Stan Twitter discovered the royals’ existence a month ago and have lots of feelings about it lol. 

Stan Twitter discovered the royals’ existence a month ago and have lots of feelings about it lol. 

Stan Twitter discovered the royals’ existence a month ago and have lots of feelings about it lol. 

Stan Twitter discovered the royals’ existence a month ago and have lots of feelings about it lol. 

Stan Twitter discovered the royals’ existence a month ago and have lots of feelings about it lol. 

Stan Twitter discovered the royals’ existence a month ago and have lots of feelings about it lol. 

Stan Twitter discovered the royals’ existence a month ago and have lots of feelings about it lol. 

“Read the room” as if the casual everyday news reader has their finger on the pulse of what woke Twitter thinks about prince Phillip today
 
The day these freaks stop controlling the narrative around every topic will be the day I am finally happy again  so sick of it  

Y’all are weird we literally just got proof that the QFTC and all of her cancellations impacted her commercial success in like literally no way whatsoever so who tf cares yall worry about what Twitter warriors say WAYYYYY too much that shit is not the real world they live in a delusional plane of existence 

Stan Twitter discovered the royals’ existence a month ago and have lots of feelings about it lol. 

Stan Twitter discovered the royals’ existence a month ago and have lots of feelings about it lol. 

haters with their eyes wide to see if lana will post something and point the minimal flaws in it to end up her career.
 
i'm tired as hell of those morons, really. and tired of everybody who can't use EFFING CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM and go rapidly to furious hate. plz, let the woman live, stop bein so annoying and acting like she just killed a man put a gun against his head pulled the trigger now he's dead , LANAAAAA UUUUUUH.
 
what did she post? "i love the way they loved each other".
- people in the comments saying the queen and the prince are cousins and making a full exposed thread of the royal family. and lana, i'm sure she knows about everything going on the uk. she should know abt everything they do OR SHE IS A DARN RACIST P3DO SUPPORTER TRUMPIST ETC ETC.
 
wowza! the media doesn't show us everything. i watched the brazilian morning news about philip's death and the reporters only spoke on "pure love between elizabeth and him", and how important he was to the uk history. i was almost posting something related to it too, but i didn't, also knowing abt the shit royal famly's done. i stay neutral. in any ways you can be cancelled, there's no escape.
 
i'm scared of how lana will react if she reads those comments. well, i want to let it go cause i'm tired of that cancel culture rollercoaster. good night and go(o)d bless you!
 
 
 

People really be getting mad at everything, I get why but this amount, for an Instagram pic? I- 

I don’t get it, there’s condolences across the world about Philips passing, and warm regards about his very long marriage across all media, yet Lana posts about it and eveyone freaks out......am i missing something?

How could I forget? Playground Love.

Coachella

still gonna stream it as much as i would have if it didnt leak and i bought it like 4 times and so did the majority of this forum
 
the state of my moral compass remains unquestioned by me despite the opinion of someone on lana del rey boards