Taco Truck x VB

i love lana's little twangy accent throughout the album come on country queen 

My personal highlights for this album are:
- BBS' chaotic outro
- IYLDWM outro
- Dealer's chorus
- Living Legend's WHY WHY WHY WHY
- Sweet Carolina's bluuuuuues

The way BB is uv’s younger sibling   From like a different dad 

I've said a lot of this already in the pre-release under spoilers but here are my expanded thoughts now that I've really had time to absorb the album. Sorry it's so long, just wanted to get all my thoughts down somewhere!
 
Overall I think it's really spectacular, one of her best, though I find it very difficult to rank her albums because they are all so special and serve such specific purposes in her overall discography. This album manages to be deeply personal and fascinating, sad and funny, angry yet deeply loving. It is such a beautiful portrait of the various sides of Lana, and I think she absolutely succeeded in telling us her story the way that she wanted to. 
 
Text Book is a beautiful opening. She gets right to it with a song that opens the door to a ton of issues that she'll explore on the album. Gorgeous in every way, and the outro gives me complete chills.
 
Arcadia is a magical work of genius. The way she starts things so simple and cute with this patriotic sound before slowly revealing that it's actually a take-down of America, and a sad realization that despite the deep connection she's formed to it, she has to leave for something better, is honestly just incredible songwriting.
 
Interlude - The Trio is out of place for some people, but I think it fits perfectly. After the gentleness of the first three tracks, this interlude rings the alarm bells and tells us that we better be paying attention because a lot is simmering beneath the surface of this album. It's a great moment that picks up the pace and demands focus before leading into the standout track of the album.
 
Black Bathing Suit might be the most important song of Lana's career. It's one of the most fascinating and vulnerable songs ever that invites you right into her psyche as she reflects on a very complicated existence. She manages to blend all over her previous sounds into one song, with unexpected tempo shifts that don't click on the first listen, but once they do, they could not be more perfect. The outro is stunningly chaotic and even though she's got the last laugh, you can really feel the emotional damage that the hate she receives causes by the way she chooses to let the song spiral out of control in those final moments. This song is just devastating and brilliant, like she mocks the haters while also revealing the pain that they cause. One of my favourite songs ever, and complete proof that Lana is so much more than a musician. She is truly an artist and is willing to lay it all on the table and experiment with her sounds, her words, and her performance, to create something so unique and powerful.
 
If You Lay Down With Me is such a great song to come next, giving us this absolutely beautiful and classic Lana vibe, while also feeling so fresh. The lyrics are adorable and warm and truly make me want to spin around the room like a ballerina super high. The instrumental outro is a highlight of the whole album.
 
Beautiful is so special. It didn't make as strong of an impression as some of the other tracks at first but the more you hear it the more it breaks your heart. The piano raindrops are so gorgeous, and the sentiment behind this song is extremely important. She's speaking to all of us and asking us to stop trying to change who she is as an artist. She's never going to change for us, nor should she ever need to.
 
Violets For Roses expands on the themes explored in Beautiful. It wasn't one of my immediate favourites but the more that I listen the more addictive it becomes. Simple and beautiful and very classic Lana sounding, with a melody that's to die for, especially in the chorus.
 
Dealer is an absolute knock out. Miles sounds great but Lana is obviously the real star here by a long shot. It's a complete thrill to hear her on this track. I understand people wishing that she sang the whole thing, but I think it works really well as a duet, and Miles' verses only make us long for Lana's return, which makes her moments even more rewarding.
 
Thunder is amazing. I loved the original, I love this version too, and think it overall suits the album better. As many of you have said, the progression is excellent and the result is less repetitive than the song once was. She could have maybe kept a couple of the previous details to allow the song to build to something even rockier, but it's still wonderful as is.
 
Wildflower Wildfire is another standout and almost like an initial climax of the album for me. The lyrics are some of her best and I absolutely love the way the song builds with her powerful declaration to be a wildflower, not a wildfire, even if it's a promise that can't last.
 
Nectar of the Gods has always been one of my favourite unreleased. The stark guitar and vulnerable lyrics are out of this world gorgeous, and the final line is one of the most devastating moments on the album. It's like she needs the fire that she's abandoned in the last song after all, and by trying to tame herself, the flame that keeps her alive has gone out.
 
Living Legend has also always been a favourite, and with its placement on this album, it's what brings her back to life. She struggles with her guilt and complex feelings, while admiring someone of inspiration to her, and comes to the realization that she's always been stuck between heaven and hell and she's tired of it. I think realizing these things about yourself helps lead to acceptance, which leads to healing. The electric guitar vocals are another highlight of the album and let her bring that burning passion back to the forefront.
 
Cherry Blossom is so delicate and beautiful. After she goes through this journey of ups and downs through her life, to end on a touching lullaby to her future child, or to anyone who needs her, is really moving. The sentiment in this song is so important and it feels like a lesson that she's really learned through all her hardships, which leads us beautifully to the end of the album.
 
Sweet Carolina is surely Lana's warmest and most adorable song ever. I love everything about it and it closes the album so well. The title track so early in the album shows her sister coming to save her, and here Lana returns to the favour with this beautiful love letter, assuring her (and us) that she'll always be there, and when sadness comes we can always dance away the blues.
 
10/10
 

 

I'm starting my 4th listen right now..I'm addicted 

I think this is her saddest album to date. Queen of sadness has outdone herself in this department.
 
I don’t see how you can sit through this whole album and not feel emotionally wrecked, whether you like it or not. The fact that it’s rainy, cold, and dark here today might not be helping.

The way I get withadrawls when I haven't listened to this album for a few hours. I'm truly  addicted to BB and cigarettes
 
Wait does that mean Lana is my Dealer now

the way that BB is THAT butch. this album is some of her best work what the hell?  the way she never misses and gets better and better with each record i actually collapsed last night listening to this 
this album could SAVE LIVES!!! CHANGE LIVES.
 
i literally can’t even rank this album but my faves are: BBS, Dealer, violets for roses, WFWF, Thunder, Text book and Sweet carolina
 

I'm too scared to form an opinion rn as my tastes have been changing so drastically lately (NFR, an album I didn't even like before, became my fave recently ) so like who knows what my mind will think a month from now  
 
But I have to say, while I love some songs on BB and don't care for some others, there's not a single BAD song here imo. It's easily a cohesive and solid album in that aspect. There's not a single BB song where I'm like "ugh, not this" and I really appreciate that! + love the photography and aesthetic of this era, easily a 10/10. She really served this era.

Inaccurate when it seems like all people did was shit on COCC when it first dropped.

This album really caught me off guard. I already said last night (in the midst of a breakdown bc my boyfriend said some really mean shit to me but Lana was there to comfort me with BB <3) I didn't expect it to be this good  I'm so content with this record! It's very cohesive imo, something I thought wasn't going to be the case at all. This is my little review (faves in bold):
 
Text Book: 8/10. Great opening track IMO. Only thing I still don't like is the BLM reference, feels kinda out of place and a little performative (don't come for me please, I know Lana is not a performative artist but it comes across as that because with QFTC and the accusations of being racist, seems like it's somehow "forced"? idk)
Blue Banisters: 10/10. Can't think of a better title track, this song is the embodiment of Lana Del Rey. The piano at the end makes me weep.
Arcadia: 9/10. Great melody. Loved both videos. Only thing I don't like is the mixing, in the chorus my ears hurt a little bit lol
Interlude: 3/10. Feels out of place, it's good as the ending to Arcadia's og video, not so much in the album, it doesn't go anywhere, feels pointless (I have to admit tho if I didn't know Clay had anything to do with this, I'd probably like it a bit more lol)
BBS: 10/10. UV vibes to the maximum. Love the chorus and ending so much. Also love the West Coast similarities (different tempos coming and going throughtout the song)
IFLDWM: 9/10. More UV vibes. Love it! Only thing I don't like is the "muffled" sound. Idk if it's because it's an older song but her voice is not so clear at times.
Beautiful: 5/10. Don't really like it. Still a good song but a skip for me.
Violets for Roses: 5/10. Don't like it either. Not a bad song but a skip for me. I like the message tho.
Dealer. 10/10. Fucking explosive. Love the tempo, their voices sound so hot god. The outro makes me wet. I hope Lana explores more of this type of sound in the future.
Thunder: 10/10. I already loved the demo but this has more of a Lana - Blue Banisters era sound, it goes so well with the rest of the album. A fucking masterpiece. Creepy - heavenly violins and backing vocals really did that!
WW: 10/10. Currently a skip because it's very relatable to me and it makes me cry everytime I hear it, and I can't cry everywhere I go lmao. A necessary and amazing song, helps the general public and us to understand where Lana is coming from and why she is the way she is sometimes.
NOTG: 8/10. A classic, good song from Lana. I like it ever since it leaked. Only thing I don't like is she didn't rework it. A few more instruments would have done wonders to this amazing, timeless record.
Living Legend: 9/10. Same as NOTG. Thank god she left the wawawas! One of my fave unnowreleased songs! 
Cherry Blossom: 9/10. Sweet, nurturing, lovely ballad. I understand why she put it in BB. Goes great with the closing track. A few more instruments would have done wonders to this one too! I listened to the unrealeased so much that I'm already a bit bored with it but I still don't skip it because I like that it's followed by SC.
Sweet Carolina: 10/10. One of her best closers. Some love it, some hate the "crypto forever, fuck you kevin" line. I personally love it, it's fun and sounds great with the little piano in the background. So Lana. Love the melody, simplicity and purity of the message.
 
Conclusion: one of my favorite records from Lana. I really needed this at this point in my life. I thank god for Lana and for music.

Yes.
 

ok but new thunder slaps forget what i said
 

agreed. the new version matches the album much better but it definitely doesn’t have as much potential as the demo 
 
the louder drums/guitar/backing vocals were definitely good for radio, but oh well

I love the part from the trio till thunder. Idc for the rest.

gotta say something, i don't think this new version of thunder has "hit-single" potencial as much as the old version had

1. ultraviolence
2. honeymoon
3. blue banisters

Tex and Mex playing the piano at the beginning of Beautiful  

it'll be awhile before i can figure out where it fits in my ranking of her discography, but i love BB and think it's such a gorgeous addition to her corpus.
 
text book: i love the moodiness of the verses, bringing together a sort of '60s jazz/pop sounds with twangy guitars to boot– you really see lana bringing together so many of her influences in new ways.
BB: the storytelling on this song is unbelievable. i know lots of ppl here hate lana's super specific references to her friends but i think it adds a level of intimacy that really brings the story home for me. also still think the "jenny" in the song is jenny lewis and the thought of the two of them discussing the difficult of finding a male partner when you're an iconic woman genius is wild.
arcadia: i have to admit that this song doesn't super hit for me. i find the verses, melodically, to be a bit meh and while the chorus is gorgeous, it's also a little corny/sounds like a sweeping hilton hotel commercial. i don't hate it but i also think i'll be listening to it much. thank said, the orchestral horns add SO much (i want horns in lana songs..all the time lol).
interlude: fine, cute, random, don't mind it.
BBS: one of my favorite songs on the album and, as everyone has already discussed, a new sound for lana that to me sounds like chemtrails warm, organic instrumentation but expanded, looser, wilder, messier in an exciting way. i was also delighted to see the quarantine voice notes songs come together here...would love to hear the original voice notes to see how lana's process of building a song happens.
if you lie down with me: def a fav on the album. this 2013/pre-UV era of lana's songwriting is an all time favorite, she was deep in her 70s rock shit and those songs feel so timelessly perfect to me. the lyrics are very different to to her current lyrics in many ways– certainly there's not the complexity and questioning of the newer songs– but that's also typical of many UV songs (some of which are my favs, so no shade, looking at you sad girl). the horns at the end are pure HEAVEN and i truly feel blissed out when they come in. i hope lana does a jazz album in the vein of the other woman and these horns someday.
beautiful: i'm so sorry to say it– i know many of you love it!– but this is my least fav lana song is years and years. corny, overwrought, generic sounding af. it's not a bad song but literally any of these girls could sing it. it joins lucky ones and love as the few lana songs i seriously dislike. all that said, sometimes it takes me years to come around to a song (hello love song and music to watch boys to) so i may be singing its praises eventually.
violets for roses: love this one! as a die hard COCC fan this song spoke to me, imo it could easily have fit on that album. i'm also obsessed with lana singing/writing about flowers so any song w TWO kind of flowers in it is my jam. this song is like a warm breeze on a sleepy, hot day, thinking of the past but only to notice that the present is so much better.
dealer: love it! it could not be more different from what i thought it would be based on the interview from last year– i thought it would be a super melodramatic dirge about pain and suffering. but the reality of it is so much weirder and more quintessentially lana. also love hearing her do new things with her voice. she moves so easily through so many genres, moods, and expressions and dealer is a great of example of how this continues to be true.
thunder: loved the leaked version, love this version. while the leak is looser, it's also less dynamic. the violins have that jangly, 60s pop sound that works perfectly with the melody and rhythm of the song.
WFWF: the initial fav of the three singles that were released and imo the most "lana" sounding song on the album for people still wanting high drama and electronic sounds. lyrics are obviously devastating. again we see how she tries new things and tries to build new structures even for expressing themes that are familiar in her discography. the stardust lines and some of my fav lyrics on the album period.
NOTG: was one of my all time fav unreleaseds and now one of my fav released. lana's vocal performance, combined ennui and deep feeling, is unreal, in top form here. lyrics that read a little stupid by themselves ("i get wild on you baby/wild and fucking crazy/like the color blue") sound like the words of god when she sings them. idk, there's just something about her vocals and emotional presence in this (old) era of songs that kills me.
LL: as an unreleased this way always an almost-there song for me; it always seemed a little like the slightly crappier (but still good) version of ITTJ, and maybe it's just the fact that they leaked around the same time so i was listening to them both a lot. i think that has colored my view of the song and that i will soon come it really love it in it's own right, but that hasn't happened yet. i understand that it has what NOTG, CB, and IYLDWM have and am a little annoyed that that's not clicking in my brain yet.
CB: again, a fav unreleased and still a fav. what i love about these slow, moody songs is how much space there is in them, how she's drawn out the melody to create just the right amount of tension between each phrasing. the vocals are SO intimate, fragile, and tender, it absolutely kills. next to sweet carolina it makes me want a full piano lullaby album– lana's tori amos era incoming??
SC: just gorgeous. the lyrics make me want to weep ("we love every hair on your head, love you like god loves you" omgggg...i am agnostic but understanding that loving someone like god loves them aka absolutely unconditionally is so fucking sweet and earnest), the melody is very early disney princess (i forget who first mentioned it in the prerelease thread but shoutout to you), i'm thinking snow white, v 1930s vibes. the piano is also a goddamn serve, shout out to rob. i love lana's weird lyrics, they're obvs super personal ref to her life, in jokes, so the iPhone etc lines don't bother me at all.
 
overall, a killer album, lana truly being her most lana self (old songs new songs loose songs lullabies rock and roll jazz folk), a wonderful and much needed addition to her brilliant catalog. DYING for a damn tour in 2022!!

Bish, where’s If You Lie Down With Me?
 
just replace it with For Flop and it’s gonna be a hit.

NFR and BB are on their thrones as my favourite LDR records, and HM and COTCC are fighting for the third spot… I think it’s impossible for me to like an album more than NFR, because it’s literally my favourite album of all time, but BB is insanely good, I knew from the title track that the album was going to wreak me emotionally and I was right

okay you don't like it and that's on you but she definitely  doesn't deserve a 60 for this project
it ain't any honeymoon or ultraviolence but wishing her to fail like this... idk seems really unfair just because you're not connecting 
 

If the unreleased tracks were taken out of this album and replaced with White Dress, Chemtrails, Tulsa Jesus Freak, Dark But Just a Game, Yosemite ooof this would have been an insane album. I love it though! Both bodies of work are special and have their own story and mood.

At first I missed the jangly rock version of Thunder but now I appreciate the sadder, more beautiful version we got. It fits the album a lot better I think.