Kiki de Montparnasse

I went to Paris, Texas 

GET HIGH 
DROP ACID 
NEVER DIE
NOT TONIGHT
Lake Placid

when he calls me by my name not by Angelina Jolie 

Wow. I can't believe I just finished my first personal listen of the record. I know it's so soon, but I'm already ready to declare this as her best album. Though Ultraviolence will always be my personal favourite mostly because I have so many memories with it and meaning built into the songs over the past 9 years, it's undeniable that this record is an absolute masterpiece. So much was said. So much was done! There was a great variety - it was raw, personal, unexpected, even shocking at times! A jaw-dropper in multiple ways.
Again, I've been awake for over 40 hours now so I apologise if this post and my live-listen reactions sounded kind of jumbled and worded poorly, but I think even if I had been well-rested it still wouldn't have improved my ability much to find what to say. I have so many thoughts that I can't yet articulate. This record is a lot to take in, in a very good way. Right now, really all I can say is wow. Wow wow wow. Miss Del Rey has done it again, always outdoing herself.
I'll have to come back here later today to write my full thoughts and of course give my ranking after a couple more listens, actually probably in a week for that since already I have no idea how I'm even going to begin ranking these songs. Seriously, at the listening party I kept going "oh, this is my new favourite" and I felt the same way after this personal listen.
Love her. Love the record. Love you guys.
I can't believe we're finally here. It's a beautiful day to be a Lana fan, as is almost every day x

i'm just glad she went back to her latina roots

 

Caaaaaroline, what kind of

was she? 

Real 
 

What an incredible way to end a record. You know, pretty early on in the pre-release I predicted that the closing track would be one of the wordier ones, taking the final minutes to get out all that she wanted to say before it came to a close. Though I was somewhat wrong, I'd also like to think that I was somewhat right. 
Sometimes there really isn't more to be said, except for what already has been said.
I think motioning that sentiment by repeating the care-free, fun-loving lines of Venice Bitch that we already know and love with some new ad-libs is brilliant.
She said so much on this record - she got raw, she got personal - more than ever before, in my opinion. So, why not close the whole thing by shaking the heaviness off and transitioning into a remix of one of her most iconic songs?
I think by not saying anything more at all and rather choosing to reminisce on a lighter note, she silently reiterated some of the most important lyric lessons that she wanted to stress from the record - 
"I'm meaning to say, that there's nothing to do except know that this is how the light gets in"
"I give myself two seconds to breathe and go back to being a serene queen. I just needed two seconds to be me."
"When you’re home, you’re home (Venice, California)"
"It's not about having someone to love me anymore, this is the experience of being an American Whore"
"When you leave all you take is your memories, and I’m gonna take mine of you with me"
 
So by saying nothing new at all, she really said so much. Again, this whole record contained so much personal storytelling, and I just think this is the perfect sendoff. Sort of a, here was my story, now it's over, let's have fun.
 
I also love the Taco Truck section of the song and while I do wish it was its own song, I think it transitions so well into Venice Bitch. I think I may even prefer this rendition to the original.
Also, I'm still dying at the fact she teased a lyric from this song to me over a year ago. No, I'm never going to shut up about it x

LAKE PLACIIIIIID

DO A FAT CRISS CROSS IN THE BACK SOMEWHERE

Listening to the album on shuffle and Peppers came on after Fingertips 

The way she talks about the wipe out interpolation in Peppers before she actually merges into it Omg

i take off all my clothes, dance naked for the neighbors 

ugh the amount of money I could make by creating a reaction YouTube channel and doing her whole discography pretending to be a first time listener while simultaneously giving the fans exactly what I know they want...
if only I didn't have shame 

hands on ur knees Angelina Jolie 

let the light in is INSANEEEEEEE god that was incredible

Angelina Jolie when she hears Peppers
 

lana during the pastor's interlude         

Something about Paris, Texas, though simple in lyrics, evokes an emotion in me I can't explain.. maybe it's the voice, maybe it's the melody, maybe it's the venue. I think this song perfectly encapsulates rediscovering your life after being lost and finding yourself once more - discovering what is truly right for you, even if it's not what you initially wanted.
I also just want to point out, this song reminds me a lot of the style of music I listened to before I discovered Lana in 2012. Jem, Regina Spektor, Inara George.. so in a way, maybe that's what's hitting me - the nostalgia. Either way, for some reason I didn't have the highest expectations for this song for whatever reason, but wow. It's incredible. Those high notes are done so effortlessly too. Another top favourite.
Now onto Grandfather... x

there's always a magazine that gives her albums a 60 so they can pretend they're different from the other 

GET HIGH
DROP ACID
NEVER DIE
NOT TONIGHT
LAKE PLACID!!

HANDS ON YOUR KNEES IM ANGELINA JOLIE

OH MYYYFHKJDSFJKHBLJGFLJCBJLCGV JLJGVJLB

Candy Necklace is so stunning. I knew this was going to be an amazing song from the first snippet we ever heard of it, and this is another track that greatly exceeded my expectations which were already high to begin with. To me, it does feel massive. You can hear the passion in her voice build as the song progresses with the production doing the same perfectly in tow. It has jazzy elements, haunting elements, almost unsettling in a way.. but that good kind of discomfort that you crave more of. This was the one I was most excited to hear again after the listening party, and this second listen lived up even better than my memory of it. Another instant favourite.
Now to the Jon Batiste Interlude.. x