not the "romanticisation of tumultuous relationships" again re thunder did they even listen to the lyrics? "just keep burning, keep me alive, spare your blade" - from what i can tell, the whole song is her begging this explosive person to express their anger when they feel it/redirect it so as to limit them hurting her specifically. this is also why i think the new production is far more appropriate - it is eerie and troubling, just like its meaning
She needs to make a music video for Black Bathing Suit and Wild Flower Wildfire. Keep it simple like the 2nd Arcadia video. Lie Down With Me is a nice song but nowhere as epic as these other 2 songs.
Man the horns in this album hint at something special. Mariachi vibes in Arcadia + western-ness of The Trio created such a cool mini-atmosphere/vibe in those two tracks, I'd love her to explore this sound more in the future
If I recall correctly, the vinyls weren’t included in the first week’s sales. With them, she would’ve easily reached the top 5, if not the top 3. There’s absolutely no need to worry about her longevity. If the vinyls only count for next week, there’s even a possibility that the album performs better than the first week
People that are looking for things to hate about Lana are the same people who will find an excuse for other artists' faults. Dua Lipa being miss worldwide during the first covid wave or Nicki not getting the vaccine and talking nonsense on the Internet.... Yet, if lana did any of these things, she'd be under the headlines for days
Text Book: the interweaving of needing an actual father, a partner and how things change with time and are ushered out with time, poignant. which hits harder with the upbeat of the chorus reminiscent of the 60s. the motive overall is wanting some kind of stability that the world doesn't have and can't provide at least on a sociocultural viewpoint. the treachery highlighting the second verse makes the second chorus sound a bit more combative. intuitively, i think what she's trying to capture with the song is that society needs some kind of stable father figure
atmosphere's closest to like BTD imo, with the faint western atmosphere that fades into what could sound like a desert mirage / Paradise
Blue Banisters: the melody starts as if it's being sung as steps of a set of stairs. u could easily waltz to the rhythm to the prechoruses but then its like
the piano does a great job at pacing what intuitively sounds like a delicate, apprehensive heart beat.
Arcadia: she's got an entire world(s) around and within her, and with that, love and a curiosity for exploration, but she realizes that layers of the map won't welcome her and she banishes herself to where she can still be herself. the anthemic sounding chorus only highlights her despair and wanting to be accepted as a citizen after working so hard for so long, but realizing that the ideals that she raised herself on have dimmed and were mishandled.
The Trio - Interlude: highlights the faint Kill Bill atmosphere that text book faintly touches on. it's comedic and also foreboding.
Black Bathing Suit - the piano reminds me of something spiteful sprouting from embittered sadness. the melody shifts from uncaring to the chorus' assured ultimatum that if you couldn't look in between the lines from before, then u surely won't ever "get her" at all. someone can have the face of an angel but stench of a foul decaying soul and its effects on the inside, she emphasizes the need for a genuine beauty of the soul, but the world chooses to attempt to diminish her bc she doesn't look like a social media bratz model / isn't fulfilling the norm's vision of their fantasies
IFYLDNTM - somehow can be exaggerated but also rings true for an unhealthy dance between herself and the limelight, which her romantic relationships and even perhaps lesser reflect which makes the outro sound even more genius, something reminiscent of an oldtime movie. she wants to be seen for who she really is as a mere person, past the fame
Beautiful - the intro sounds like tired glass falling, that could parallel her patience for being what she thinks would be best/ caters to the other. sometimes u lose the essences of yourself doing that, but she reclaims herself in the saddest but most pleasantly sounding pleas. how she sings "like you", makes me immediately think, I could see the little things where your inner child/ innocence of soul (ref to like when we were kids under chemtrails over the country club) and beauty shine, why can't you see me the way I do you? it's heartbreaking.
Violets For Roses - there's a natural uplift to the song's tempo that could remind one of playing ring around the rosy, the musical sounding chorus reminds her past love that he (collectively/personally/symbolically) couldn't appreciate her in the least, and only saw what they could take from her (ref to bbs). she feels a lot freer where she can start feeling like herself again bc the emphasis, spotlight of the relationship fades out and turns into sunshine.
Dealer - the beauty of this song is the interwoven perspectives put into it, supplemented by another person singing in the song as well. the push and pull, and blowback are balanced and calmed by it's overall trippy production, as if being lulled to afterward-ed staying feelings of guilt and remorse
Thunder - the strings play an important role in conveying suspense. regattas in the wind that's why you're visiting, the party's lit and you have cut when it begins. there's an emptiness to the song that can be alluded to the differences of motives in their meeting. it can be forlorn as as glamorous as the circumstances are in at least the song are, both parties are left with nothing from the other, perhaps even more with tiredness than what they started with.
Wildflower Wildfire - most sim to Million Dollar Man, except she's the main player of the track, control is hers to have, and she turns all the wrong's she's experienced into lessons to not do the same as she's lived. restraint can be difficult when forgiveness seems so far away, but somehow, she centers herself and focuses all of that anguish into loving.
Nectar of the Gods - the nectar was just a glorified farce. the journey's end was anticlimactic and her soul sounds like it's singing, all confused what the fuck? all betrayed after everything she's done. as if the treasure she was looking for was actually just an ideal but said as something else.
Living Legend - right off the bat, the offering of something to someone you feel is living life the way you think is admirable. someone to look up to in this decaying world. she forgot about herself and followed them thinking that she could have that same level, but in doing so, she must've wiled and rushed things with the lack of thought. she betrayed herself in wanting to be better. she can't have them, but she's learned to do things her own way, honorably.
Cherry Blossom - powerful in how even if the song started as her singing to herself, it takes on more meaning in how she's softly compelled to pass on motherly love, knowing it's absence can really destroy someone. she gives love even if she was running on empty, and wants her child to be safe, bc she knows the dead ends in the maze. Angelina sim meaning to Angel; asking, guiding them not to lose their way.
Sweet Carolina - symbolic for actually being able to love new life, despite all the wrong that might've been painted on her. in a way, she's also gained a new kind of metaphoric sister. one of the most beautiful things I think we can do as humans is obtaining new information etc. and pass it to newer generations for the sake of care and advancement, and instead of her gatekeeping the lessons, she decides to take care of the future generation, bc she knows how much of a cruel world the world can still be.
The record coincides with how she said that if you do the work within yourself, you'll be better for it. and that, in turn, with how the world only chooses parts of her to nitpick, they're not seeing the larger picture of not just herself, but that priorities and higher perspectives are very much still very necessary in this hungering world.
and I’m almost certain that a part of her is referring to herself in Angelina as a messenger, to remind us not to forget the lessons we’ve learned. Start the album over after finishing it, and we get the first line of Text Book that parallels the motives of banisters as a way of support, safety and security. when you think about it, the banisters themselves need to be painted on again and again and that can be reflective of perspective, and learning amidst the changes that we go through in this life.
Everyone with a review can go home, 'cause this one wins. Mine has been thrown in the recycle bin. what a wide, deep, insightful, beautiful way to observe, feel and listen to the album.
I feel like Thunder is the lyrical older sister to Shades Of Cool. They’re both love songs dedicated to troubled men who Lana knows are flawed and distant and will probably never satisfy her in the long term.
But Shades feels a little more tortured and depressed, and the haunting instrumentation has a lot to do with that. She understands the man is unfixable and she’ll never understand him, but she still calls him her baby and vies for his attention over other women.
Thunder’s a little more grown up, where she again accepts he’s unfixable and distant. But this time, she doesn’t try to love him despite his flaws and compete for his attention. This time she’s just like fuck it, I care about you but you have issues so you might as well leave like you always do. She’s at peace with their dynamic. She’s not chasing him anymore.
Hey guys I just thought, what was again the reason she and the cop broke up? Was it because of fame? Because I've got this feeling she started talking about the burden of fame since COCC, and extended it to BB, things like "the simple life I chose this", deleting the media, "dark but just a game", etc.
I mean I always took it as something she would say to the critics but maybe she started rethinking fame since all of that happen with Sean. I mean, if the reason they broke up was fame.
no shade but i don’t think any of these suggestions have actually been responded to in like 3 years
although on the off-chance someone does actually respond pls make a dark theme so my eyes can stop BURNING!! and check out my suggestion 1 or 2 pages back about the news section
LilyBrik liked a post in a topic by Alison by Slowdive in Blue Banisters - Post-Release Discussion Thread + Poll