daphnedinkley

i needed this validation

I'm bored at work and I have nothing better to do, sooo... Born To Die Paradise Ultraviolence

It's amazing that Lana's reputation has positively grown in many ways - critics finally embrace her music, she stuck to her guns with her visual style so it seems more authentic and therefore more respected, etc - but in order to become a true all-rounder she needs to start delivering a killer stage show. It's almost like she's in her new prime (not saying this is her peak, I hope it gets even better from here!) so it would be a perfect time for her to overhaul her approach to shows and make great live performances another thing she's known for, especially after the whole SNL debacle. Don't get me wrong - Lana can deliver a great live show, in that she's very talented and we all know she can sing. It's almost like she chooses not to. As people have already said in this thread: heavy backing track, relying on the audience to sing-along, not leaving her comfort zone, etc. All of these things add up to make the experience not as incredible as it could be. Our girl desperately needs a vocal coach or stage coach - could you imagine 2019 Lana doing this? (it's the Olympia performance of Burning Desire!) Or indeed this?! (Heart Shaped Box) If Lana did something like her Heart Shaped Box performance now I honestly believe it would go viral tbh. She seems comfortable on stage these days, but she still lacks the confidence to really go for it with her vocals, especially without heavy backing track. I mean, like people have said, there's NO excuse for a backing track in songs like Bartender. Maybe for a couple of harmonies here and there, but that's at an absolute maximum. Then there's obviously the setlist issue which we've all ranted about time and time again, but it's even more offensive now that she's embarked on the NFR tour with barely any NFR songs. I mean, just thinking about it now: The Greatest is one of her most acclaimed songs to date, it would be incredible in a live setting and it's fairly upbeat, so not having on the setlist is unbelievable. Love Song isn't a song I particularly like but I know a lot of people do and it's VERY relaxed vocally, so it's not difficult to sing; she doesn't even have to do the full thing since the song is quite meandering and slow, but she could at least do the first verse and chorus and a short outro, no? That takes up under 2 minutes of set time and those who love that song will be happy. She could rotate Fuck It, I Love You and The Next Best American Record on different dates, switching them out or asking the audience which one they'd rather hear - Lana's audience interaction is really endearing and usually a highlight of her shows. Or hey, wild thought but maybe she could just do them both since it is the NFR tour Cinnamon Girl is a fan fave and that long-ass outro would give her a chance to vape, have a drink, recoup some breath, have a lil rest, etc. I could go on but I won't Certain songs will always be tour staples. I think it's fair and understandable that she plays Born To Die, Blue Jeans and Video Games at every show. Those were her breakthrough tracks and I'm sure for a lot of fans they have a lot of nostalgic appeal, especially more casual fans. Plus Video Games is always a live highlight, her voice is consistently gorgeous with that one. I even, to a degree, understand Summertime Sadness and as much as I'm sick of it I'm okay with it staying on the setlist permanently - that was a big song for her and it's a little more upbeat and gives the casual audience a chance for a singalong. National Anthem has GOT TO GO. It doesn't sound good live anymore, it's not her biggest from Born To Die and frankly if people wanted to see that song live they should've gone to see her when she toured BTD/Paradise On the flipside, there are certain songs that aren't tour staples that I feel should be. West Coast should always be on a Lana setlist, imo - it's the lead single from another massive album of hers, it's upbeat and danceable, it sounds SO good live and I don't think it's too difficult for Lana to sing. I'd love if Salvatore became a song you expected at almost every show. I know it's a random deep cut, but it would be so amazing live if done properly with the full band - those Western/Spanish guitars, a big bombastic chorus, an incredible bridge that's more paired back but then leads up to a HUGE and explosive final chorus, and Lana's vocals always sound gorgeous when she's singing this song. It would also assure that Honeymoon got at least one song on every setlist, cause we all know it deserves a moment to shine but it's so often neglected. I sorta feel like either Ride or Ultraviolence should be on every setlist, but it would be a case of one or the other - if she plays Ride then no Ultraviolence, and vice versa. I can't really justify this one *13 Beaches voice* it's just the way I feeeeeeeeellllll This is a delusional dream of mine and I know it sounds completely random but I'd LOVE if Burning Desire was a tour staple for Lana. Of course it will never happen, but I would LIVE!! Even though it's just a forgotten bonus track and tbh the studio version isn't even that great, the live version of the song is INCREDIBLE, it's much more rock-inspired and heavy and I think it would be a great song to have near the start of setlists; it's short so it doesn't rob another song of a spot, but it's a song that could really get the audience pumped. I know Lana's shows aren't about dancing about and bopping out but a change of pace is always nice and every great live show needs a little excitement. I love the way the audience starts clapping at the bridge when she performed this song in Olympia Finally, Lana really needs to retire that stale old medley. It was cute at first, but it's gotten very old very quickly. I do like the idea of having a medley though - maybe she could do one for her more trap-inspired electronic tracks, like a Freak / Art Deco / In My Feelings medley leading up to The Blackest Day or High By The Beach? That would fit perfectly at the end of Cinnamon Girl. Or how about a more rock-ish medley, like Body Electric / Money Power Glory (rock version with added guitar) / Gods and Monsters leading up to California? idk I have a lot of thoughts regarding this. Lana will always do what she wants and that's fine but in an ideal world I'm sure we'd all LOVE for her to have more power in her live shows.

well we all know the good sis isn't afraid of a lil playback

Her not performing The Greatest is one of the biggest crimes of this whole thing the song is loved by both fans and critics and it's a recent single so why not perform it?? It's the kind of song that's really made to be performed live and sung along to by a big crowd, it's so big and anthemic!!

I don't wanna put a dampener on anyone's experience cause I'm sure the night was actually amazing overall!! But

What are you some of yalls fave deep album cuts? Some of mine would have to be: When The World Was At War...., Florida Kilos, Sad Girl, Salvatore, The Blackest Day, Lolita and Heroin

Honest opinions, what do y'all think of a surprise release? Realistically, would you be down for it? Complete radio silence with no promotion and no idea what to expect then BAM 12-15 whole tracks?

an entire mood

I'm honestly not sure where the idea that anybody criticising the production, mixing and mastering of NFR wants Lana to make polished pop (a la BTD) comes from. Personally Ultraviolence is my favourite Lana album, so believe me when I say I love the raw, chaotic, grunge/rock/blues/jazz-hybrid sound that Lana's had before. NFR could potentially be my second favourite album, because I love what it has to offer: heartbreaking and complex lyricism (Hope), trippy surf-inspired guitars (MAC, Venice Bitch), an increased sense of instrumentation compared to LFL, and so on. All of these things add to the appeal of NFR. However, what I (and I assume other people) have a problem with on NFR is that these elements (barring the lyricism which producers don't have any control over) are not taken full advantage of. I don't want these elements gone and replaced by hip-hop beats and BTD strings and synths; I (we?) want more of them. Take the chorus of MAC, one of my favourite songs, as an example: there's very little bass when the chorus kicks in, which squanders the almost anthemic feel of the track; the drums don't quite have a kick to them; on streaming services the chorus is quite scratchy and almost metallic-sounding when played at a loud volume (which is the only way to get any semblance of the rousing vibe the song intends to inspire), as if the volume of all the instruments and layers weren't balanced properly and everything is happening at the same volume, a sure-fire way to make the song sound a little messy when played loud. Compare this to West Coast, for example: those drums HIT, the layering of the instruments is masterfully done, the chorus is hazy and fuzzy and trippy but not at the expense of the production value because it feels like you hear exactly what you're supposed to. Look at How To Disappear - I like the song, but when the line "But I love that man like nobody can" kicks in, Lana's vocal track randomly jumps a lot louder on the track, probably to compensate for the bells being added so that they don't drown out Lana's voice. This, however, is incredibly jarring and definitely noticeable, and I assume a rather amateur way to go about balancing out vocals and instruments. In fact, a lot of people take issue with the bells on the song overall, but if they were done a little more tastefully instead of just being slapped on top of the instrumental then perhaps people wouldn't feel this way - I mean, everybody loves the guitar on Happiness is a Butterfly because it's subtle and artfully done. I'd also like to use Sad Girl as an example - the Spanish guitar that's added to the second verse isn't subtle but it's not exactly in-your-face either; it adds to the track without messing up the overall vibe and making the song messier than it has to be, it's perfectly blended, it sinks into the background that was already established but it's noticeable enough to considerably elevate the track and give you something to look forward to each time you listen. It's these little production "errors" that I believe people have a problem with. Cruel World is an example of a noisy, chaotic track that's beloved by the fanbase. Not everyone wants Lana to be some polished pop princess; they just want to feel as though her songs are treated with the care they deserve.

Fabulous thank you!

Hey guys I have a quick and slightly strange question relating to an article I'm working on atm - do y'all consider Bel Air a deep cut? I mean it has a music video bc of Tropico and idk if any song from a short EP can truly be considered a deep cut, but it's also not very well known to the general public and probably not the first song people associate with Lana?

13 Beaches - 83 (+1) Cherry- 72 Heroin- 55 Get Free- 32 (-1)

Cruel World - 35 (-1) Ultraviolence - 21 Shades of Cool - 52 West Coast - 40 (+1) Pretty When You Cry - 45 Black Beauty - 47

I think this is exactly my problem with the track and why I can't love it like everyone else does - the messy raw vocal could work, but the song needs more of a grunge vibe to really pull it off and make the song special, and like you said with the crazy guitars that could've given an UV-esque vibe.

Norman fucking Rockwell - 21 Mariners Apartment Complex - 18 Venice Bitch - 24 (+1) California - 19 (-1) Bartender - 61

So I think I've figured out my ranking finally! Though I'm sure it'll change soon enough. edit: nvm I started typing it out and I still can't fkn decide

Norman fucking Rockwell - 21 Mariners Apartment Complex - 18 (+) Venice Bitch - 23 California - 21 (-) Bartender - 60

I think its "you're in the yard, I light the fire"!

Boy oh boy do I have a response to this topic Since this will probably be quite long I'll try to format it appropriately and not just have it as a huge wall of text! Oh Say Can You See I know the AKA album gets a lot of love in general, but I've seen a lot of people dismiss this track as useless and filler - I won't have it! Good lord, this song is divine. It's folk meets early Lana meets a Halloween edition of the Animal Crossing soundtrack. I know that's a weird and strangely specific mixture of references, but that's the only way I can describe it. It's so peaceful but so deeply melancholic and longing; The nighttime is almost ours. I can't even articulate what this song makes me feel. It's too magical to listen to on a regular basis, but it holds such a special place in my heart and I wish more people connected with this song the way I do. It's a beautiful, sad, quiet night translated into a 4-minute track. Come When You Call Me America Kind of like Oh Say Can You See, this song has a unique feel to it. It's one of Lana's weirder tracks - it's light and airy but jazzy and trip-hop-esque. It reminds me of a grown-up version of something from the Nights: Journey of Dreams soundtrack (yes, as you can tell, I'm big on video game soundtracks hahaha). It sounds the way silk feels. Maybe this song doesn't exactly count as underrated because it does have somewhat of a niche appeal, but I'm bringing it up because it's very beautiful, a little surreal and definitely one of my favourites that I never ever see mentioned! Hope Is A Dangerous Thing I'm forever seeing this at the bottom of people's NFR rankings and I guess I understand why - it's sparse, a pure piano ballad, pretty long and definitely quite a downer. Still, I feel that a lot of fans under-appreciate the lyrical power of this song; it's some of Lana's best writing to date. Lana has a lot of great lyrics but Hope is her at her most complex and most raw; there's something really special about a song that's so verbose yet still so raw and open and vulnerable. I probably sound super pretentious so pls feel free to call me a dickhead if it's appropriate but lines like "Spilling my guts with the Bowery bums is the only love I've ever known" and "Shaking my ass is the only thing that's got this black narcissist off my back" really capture the loneliness and confusion of alcohol addiction for me (I've been an alcoholic for 4 years); "Hello, it's the most famous woman you know on the iPad / Calling from beyond the grave I just want to say hi, Dad" gets a lot of clownery online, but for me it's a heartbreaking lyric that shows the duality of fame and misery, as well as how hard it is to keep in touch with family and friends when going through a depression because it's easy to feel like a dead man walking; "A gatekeeper carelessly dropping the keys on my nights off" is a lyric so beautiful and touching yet so perfectly obscure that I don't even want to go into the million different meanings I've assigned to it! There's a lot of ways to convey meaning in a song - sometimes just a dope ass instrumental can do the talking - but this song is an example of how beautiful, well thought out, poetic lyrics can really speak to an audience. And also, did she lie? Hope really is a dangerous thing! Sad Girl There are soooo many things that make this song great. Among them is Lana's "sad but won't not fuck you the fuck up" attitude, but my favourite thing is that the instruments in this song are used remarkably well. While I love NFR (honestly I really really really do), this song demonstrates exactly why it hasn't knocked Ultraviolence off the top spot for me; there's some sonic depth and a constant sense of progression going on that's lacking in quite a lot of NFR cuts. It's jazzy, bluesy and it has so much to look forward to - I'm always excited to hear that Spanish-influenced guitar kick in during the second verse, then of course there's the glorious bridge. I know Lana fans love a sing-song moment, so why do I not hear more fans talking about how much they enjoy belting out "Watch what you say to meeeeee, careful who you're talking tooo!"? It's lost on me. This song deserves way more love than it gets and I know for sure it would sound incredible live, so I'm v v v v sad she hasn't performed it before. Gramma Another AKA song that doesn't get a lot of love - this one is always getting knocked out first or second in AKA Survivor games. Still, it's one of my favourites and I think it's really underrated because of the unique vibe it possesses: it's cheeky, bratty, fun, a little girly and definitely twisted. I know Lana's described this song as having an innocent meaning in prior interviews, but honestly? I'm not buying it! This song is undoubtedly naughty in a way that's SO wrong only Lizzy-era Lana could get away with it. Lana is (or rather was) so good at the whole ~feigning innocence roleplay~ thing. Maybe I love this song so much because I was a messed up kid - without being too TMI, this song reminds me of being a young teen and the early sexual experiences I had and how I knew it was bad but it also so wrong it's right, when I would sneak out of my own Grandma's house to do bad and stupid things, and all the feelings of excitement and wonder I had along with the feelings of fear, confusion, guilt, abuse and sadness. This song couples a playful cheery beat with ever-so-slightly sexually suggestive lyrics ("All I wanna do is play") and then some moments of darkness ("I don't wanna think I'm bad, Gramma") to create this strange, sinister atmosphere that's so representative of being essentially still a little girl taking on the big, exciting, scary, wonderful, terrible adult world - especially where men are involved. It also touches on that feeling of attention addiction: "I'm in love with everyone and I don't wanna think I'm wrong just for feelin' pretty" and "I wanna be the whole world's girl Gramma". There's a fine line between suggestive and outright controversial, and Lana, I believe, is just about on the 'suggestive' side - if anything my reading of this song could well be controversial! Still, there's some unbelievable skill in managing to write about such a topic in a way that's a little dark but still tongue-in-cheek without it coming across as mocking or exploitative. I really love this song and I honestly feel it stands out in her discography. In Wendy, More Mountains, There Is Nothing To Be Sorry About As a fanbase we tend to neglect a lot of Lana's more singer-songwriter-y type stuff, but these songs right here...... goddamn. She has a TONNE of folksy gems, but these are some of my favourites and I never EVER hear them mentioned. More Mountains is bleak and existential; In Wendy is sweet and a little blue; There Is Nothing To Be Sorry About is legitimately devastating and I genuinely can't listen to it without crying. "Remember me the way I was six months ago"... nahhhh man I just A lot of Lana fans actually haven't heard these songs; this is your sign to GO AND LISTEN TO THEM! I think the only reason these songs are so underrated is because so many people completely forget about them, but wow, they take my breath away. Ok sorry for the huge post LOL I have a lot of feelings ok

"you're in the art, i light the fire" - i thought this was the lyric at first and now i can't move past it bc to me it's like her man (who writes, i.e. "you write, i tour") views her as his muse; he's in the arts, but she lights his fire of inspiration "watcha been up to my baby, haven't seen much of you lately" in HTD - for some reason my brain just naturally forms the lyrics that way hahaha i feel like it goes better

blows my mind that it was even released as a single and not treated like the boring filler track it was destined to be

I'm an Ariana fan but wow she sounds terrible on this track.... her enunciation (or lack thereof) just gets more and more ridiculous and nonsensical with every song Lana looks gorgeous but also a little awkward and out of place

That very first bass drop in the second chorus of Video Games... so unexpected but so impactful The guitar in the second pre-chorus of Happiness is a Butterfly is unbelievable, add so much to a song?? The gospel-style backing vocals (the "ooooh"s) in the Ultraviolence bridge The sax/trumpet (I can't tell the difference hahaha) that comes in the bridge of Art Deco, uuuugh that takes that song from a 6 to a 10 for me For some reason I always get chills at "Kanye West is blind and gone/Life on Mars ain't just a song" in The Greatest I always look forward to "You talk to the walls when the party gets bored of you" in Norman Fucking Rockwell, probably because I dated a guy exactly like that lmao When that first chorus hits in Black Beauty it's so so special At around 5:48 in Venice Bitch when the sort of fast electric guitar (I'm not sure how else to describe it) comes in for a moment and builds up anticipation for that glorious moment at 6:04 when Lana's vocals come back and she's singing "aaaah, aaaaahhhh!" in a wild, almost shouty way I love it SO MUCH it's so uncharacteristic of her to be so raw and almost out-of-tune but it sounds incredible, sad, angry and passionate all at once. I'm obsessed with that part of the song. "It's not one of those phases I'm going through, or just a song, it's not one of them, I'm on my own, on my own, on my own again" in The Blackest Day... so raw and honest I honestly believe one of the most sincerely cool moments in Lana's entire discography is the part of Brooklyn Baby where she sings "If you don't get it then forget it, 'cuz I don't have to fuuuuuckin' explaaaaaaain iiiiiit" - tell them sis!!! She captures the spirit of not giving a fuck so well!!

Holy Terrain is okay, but it doesn't feel sorta.... exclusively Twigs??? If that makes sense Still like it tho!!