radian

American. I always found it to be a bit too treacly for my taste but it finally clicked for me just a couple of weeks ago. Can't get enough of it now.

My absolute favorites are Yayo aka version and Cruel World. Beyond those other favorites are - Gods and Monsters A Star for Nick Blue Jeans Break My Fall Burning Desire Ultraviolence Chelsea Hotel No. 2 West Coast Out With A Bang Hollywood

First I have to say the thing that drew me to Lana in the first place was her voice. Although it's not a hard fast rule, when it comes to my taste in music if I don't dig your voice I'm not sticking around, no matter how good the production is. Lana's voice, just the depth and richness of it, is the biggest reason I love her. But as I listened to her music more and more I realized just how much I connected to the lyrics. I too am a recovering addict (my signature is facetious), and I feel her songs address this issue in a very clever, unique, but honest, way. Along with that is a weakness for dangerous men, feeling dedicated to others who aren't to me, getting myself into dangerous situations. I also have a love of vintage, antiquity, particularly the 60's and 70's. Ever since I was a child and first became aware of the past I've been obsessed with it. Angel Forever mentioned above that they feel like they missed out on something when looking at the past, and I feel that way too. Lana clearly has a true reverence for the past that she expresses beautifully in her lyrics. The last "biggie" in regards to how I relate to Lana is that I feel I've had a lot of obstacles to overcome throughout my life, a lot of hardship. And there are lots of little things. I love Brooklyn, I really love California and the ocean, I know how it is to not really have a "home" and make one for yourself as best you can through others. I like to think if I ever met her we would click but another way we're similar is moodiness so maybe not lol. Not that that would happen anyway but you get what I'm saying.

Definitely Dan Heath's orchestral version. It's more lush and immediate imo.

People trying to pull a plot out of this video are going to be disappointed. There is no plot, there isn't supposed to be a plot. It's purpose is to capture the atmosphere of the song and deliver striking, evocative images that linger in one's mind. While I don't agree with all of insomnia's specific interpretations (I feel the idea is for each person to interpret it as they see fit), I do agree that doing it on the cheap, shooting it on an iphone themselves, is a big part of the point. It's intimate, and even dangerous. (They seem to be trespassing?) Has anyone ever seen the movie Picnic at Hanging Rock? I see the video as a sort of condensed version of that film, at least in it's intentions. There are no answers, just vague hints that are wide open for interpretation. I also feel like it truly captures Lana's personality, it feels very much like "her", if that makes sense. It could be argued that in terms of intent, purpose, and capturing Lana as an artist, it is her most fully realized video so far. I predict that a few years down the line a lot of the people disappointed by it will come around to it, and that it will actually be a big fan favorite.

My money's on a bunch of dangling white grapes she eats one by one while relaxing on a lavish chaise. Sidenote: I wonder if the heavy focus on her lips during the orange eating scene is supposed to be a big fuck you to critics who used them against her as proof she was "phony". I mean, they're really out there on display and covered in juice and being handled by dude's fingers. Seems kind of pointed if you ask me.

Totally. On all of it pretty much. I love the idea of AFFA being a sort of transition into the UV era, it definitely fits. I agree though, I doubt we'll ever get Hollywood or AFFA in any official capacity now. You never know, she might decide to go back to a purer pop sound like AFFA, or even something a little electronic sounding like Hollywood. But considering where she's at musically with UV and things she's said in interviews it's doubtful. It's fun to imagine though. I think for me the annoying thing is knowing she has these great songs that won't truly get their "moment" to shine. But hey at least we have them.

^ Agreed on both points. Lemonade actually works perfectly here, as it may not make literal sense but it works in relation to the "tears of gold" lyric before it, plus it's evocative of summertime and youth, tying it to the earlier lyric, "reminded me of when we were kids". On another note, one thing that always confused me was the "like I was poison ivy" lyric, because there's a little vocal tic in there that throws it off a tad. After listening more closely I've come to the conclusion that the multi-tracked vocals say two different things. The main vocal says "like I was poison ivy", as we all hear, but I'm almost certain the secondary vocal says, "that guy was poison ivy". Give it another listen, once you notice it, it's pretty clear. I could be wrong but, I dunno, I don't think so. Sorry if this was already discovered and discussed btw, if so I didn't see it.

Sirens > AKA

Just wanna go on record and say I fully support this. I've never cared for American while I love Hollywood, and AFFA would work wonderfully as an album closer, not to mention flow nicely from Bel Air. Counting Burning Desire (which could be mixed in somewhere else, maybe after BV), that would make 10 tracks and Paradise could've been it's own album.

Wow, a lot of people really hate this one, don't they? I think it's pretty great; probably my favorite of the UV videos so far. It perfectly captures the atmosphere of the song, and shooting it on the down low on an iphone gives it a vaguely dangerous vibe that also makes it feel independent and unique among stars of her caliber. She looks great and is charismatic, and even funny at times. There's a general air of mysteriousness pervading the whole thing that makes me want to watch it over and over. I don't find it boring at all. If anything it's much more interesting than big, melodramatic, plot-heavy video would've been. For me anyway.

A Star for Nick. I love when she goes acoustic and of the Sirens songs it's my favorite. The vocal melody is perfect, keep it as is, just re-sing it. Spruce up the production a bit but not too much. Less is more. Plus it'd be pretty interesting to have her singing about how she's gonna be star now that she is one. Kind of similar to West Coast in that regard.

Yeah, I do think it's about him too (the cult leader). I guess what I'm saying is the song uses a toxic relationship as an allegory for alcohol/drug abuse. She does this a lot it seems; there was even the time she said she sometimes uses names as stand-ins for alcohol in her songs.

I agree with this. From the first time I heard UV I felt it was about going clean after being a user. Pretty much all the lyrics support the theory. Going clean can be a hard process (violent), but when she was using it felt like true love because she was drunk/high ("Jim raised me up, he hurt me but it felt like true love"). But it was ultimately bad for her, ("Jim taught me that loving him was never enough"). I could go further but I don't want to scare everyone off being a new member lol. I will say that I think the spoken portion towards the end, ("We could go back to New York", etc) could be read as her fantasizing about leaving fame behind and going back into anonymity (as much as she possibly could anyway), to start using again. Not that she would, of course, but I'm sure given how rocky fame has been for her the idea has crossed her mind.