geidiprimes

I legit saw the 9 coming lol. I actually do think it's her most skillful work, edging out NFR. "Best" is too subjective. I get why Fantano trashes her early albums -- they are more reliant on vibe and aesthetic, and so if you're too nerdbrained like him you won't enjoy/relate to them. Her last 4 albums move away from this to more universal themes and objectively brilliant songwriting. And imo OB is by far her most thoughtful work in terms of how the songs progress and interconnect to tell a larger story.
 
... also, I have this suspicion that after his divorce he might be more in his feelings and vulnerable to lana's spell. 
 
two more thoughts:
1. I notice many fans consider it out of the question for OB to be better than NFR. I'm not saying it is -- time will tell -- but it's worth considering. I think NFR gets a positive bias because it was SUCH a leap forward for her that it had an extra wow factor. 
2. I really appreciate lana including the last 3 tracks for the fans. It was obvious from a mile away the score would take a hit from critics for these songs. But for those of us who have appreciated her across her different eras, they were such a treat. I don't even consider them that out of place. They fit in the emotional journey of the album from a place of hurt/vulnerability, to healing, to a sexy/confident ride off into the sunset. Like A&W drives home earlier, Lana contains multitudes and contradictions. She's grown so much yet she's still that bitch, and I love her for that. 

I legit saw the 9 coming lol. I actually do think it's her most skillful work, edging out NFR. "Best" is too subjective. I get why Fantano trashes her early albums -- they are more reliant on vibe and aesthetic, and so if you're too nerdbrained like him you won't enjoy/relate to them. Her last 4 albums move away from this to more universal themes and objectively brilliant songwriting. And imo OB is by far her most thoughtful work in terms of how the songs progress and interconnect to tell a larger story.
 
... also, I have this suspicion that after his divorce he might be more in his feelings and vulnerable to lana's spell. 
 
two more thoughts:
1. I notice many fans consider it out of the question for OB to be better than NFR. I'm not saying it is -- time will tell -- but it's worth considering. I think NFR gets a positive bias because it was SUCH a leap forward for her that it had an extra wow factor. 
2. I really appreciate lana including the last 3 tracks for the fans. It was obvious from a mile away the score would take a hit from critics for these songs. But for those of us who have appreciated her across her different eras, they were such a treat. I don't even consider them that out of place. They fit in the emotional journey of the album from a place of hurt/vulnerability, to healing, to a sexy/confident ride off into the sunset. Like A&W drives home earlier, Lana contains multitudes and contradictions. She's grown so much yet she's still that bitch, and I love her for that. 

I legit saw the 9 coming lol. I actually do think it's her most skillful work, edging out NFR. "Best" is too subjective. I get why Fantano trashes her early albums -- they are more reliant on vibe and aesthetic, and so if you're too nerdbrained like him you won't enjoy/relate to them. Her last 4 albums move away from this to more universal themes and objectively brilliant songwriting. And imo OB is by far her most thoughtful work in terms of how the songs progress and interconnect to tell a larger story.
 
... also, I have this suspicion that after his divorce he might be more in his feelings and vulnerable to lana's spell. 
 
two more thoughts:
1. I notice many fans consider it out of the question for OB to be better than NFR. I'm not saying it is -- time will tell -- but it's worth considering. I think NFR gets a positive bias because it was SUCH a leap forward for her that it had an extra wow factor. 
2. I really appreciate lana including the last 3 tracks for the fans. It was obvious from a mile away the score would take a hit from critics for these songs. But for those of us who have appreciated her across her different eras, they were such a treat. I don't even consider them that out of place. They fit in the emotional journey of the album from a place of hurt/vulnerability, to healing, to a sexy/confident ride off into the sunset. Like A&W drives home earlier, Lana contains multitudes and contradictions. She's grown so much yet she's still that bitch, and I love her for that. 

I legit saw the 9 coming lol. I actually do think it's her most skillful work, edging out NFR. "Best" is too subjective. I get why Fantano trashes her early albums -- they are more reliant on vibe and aesthetic, and so if you're too nerdbrained like him you won't enjoy/relate to them. Her last 4 albums move away from this to more universal themes and objectively brilliant songwriting. And imo OB is by far her most thoughtful work in terms of how the songs progress and interconnect to tell a larger story.
 
... also, I have this suspicion that after his divorce he might be more in his feelings and vulnerable to lana's spell. 
 
two more thoughts:
1. I notice many fans consider it out of the question for OB to be better than NFR. I'm not saying it is -- time will tell -- but it's worth considering. I think NFR gets a positive bias because it was SUCH a leap forward for her that it had an extra wow factor. 
2. I really appreciate lana including the last 3 tracks for the fans. It was obvious from a mile away the score would take a hit from critics for these songs. But for those of us who have appreciated her across her different eras, they were such a treat. I don't even consider them that out of place. They fit in the emotional journey of the album from a place of hurt/vulnerability, to healing, to a sexy/confident ride off into the sunset. Like A&W drives home earlier, Lana contains multitudes and contradictions. She's grown so much yet she's still that bitch, and I love her for that. 

I legit saw the 9 coming lol. I actually do think it's her most skillful work, edging out NFR. "Best" is too subjective. I get why Fantano trashes her early albums -- they are more reliant on vibe and aesthetic, and so if you're too nerdbrained like him you won't enjoy/relate to them. Her last 4 albums move away from this to more universal themes and objectively brilliant songwriting. And imo OB is by far her most thoughtful work in terms of how the songs progress and interconnect to tell a larger story.
 
... also, I have this suspicion that after his divorce he might be more in his feelings and vulnerable to lana's spell. 
 
two more thoughts:
1. I notice many fans consider it out of the question for OB to be better than NFR. I'm not saying it is -- time will tell -- but it's worth considering. I think NFR gets a positive bias because it was SUCH a leap forward for her that it had an extra wow factor. 
2. I really appreciate lana including the last 3 tracks for the fans. It was obvious from a mile away the score would take a hit from critics for these songs. But for those of us who have appreciated her across her different eras, they were such a treat. I don't even consider them that out of place. They fit in the emotional journey of the album from a place of hurt/vulnerability, to healing, to a sexy/confident ride off into the sunset. Like A&W drives home earlier, Lana contains multitudes and contradictions. She's grown so much yet she's still that bitch, and I love her for that. 

I legit saw the 9 coming lol. I actually do think it's her most skillful work, edging out NFR. "Best" is too subjective. I get why Fantano trashes her early albums -- they are more reliant on vibe and aesthetic, and so if you're too nerdbrained like him you won't enjoy/relate to them. Her last 4 albums move away from this to more universal themes and objectively brilliant songwriting. And imo OB is by far her most thoughtful work in terms of how the songs progress and interconnect to tell a larger story.
 
... also, I have this suspicion that after his divorce he might be more in his feelings and vulnerable to lana's spell. 
 
two more thoughts:
1. I notice many fans consider it out of the question for OB to be better than NFR. I'm not saying it is -- time will tell -- but it's worth considering. I think NFR gets a positive bias because it was SUCH a leap forward for her that it had an extra wow factor. 
2. I really appreciate lana including the last 3 tracks for the fans. It was obvious from a mile away the score would take a hit from critics for these songs. But for those of us who have appreciated her across her different eras, they were such a treat. I don't even consider them that out of place. They fit in the emotional journey of the album from a place of hurt/vulnerability, to healing, to a sexy/confident ride off into the sunset. Like A&W drives home earlier, Lana contains multitudes and contradictions. She's grown so much yet she's still that bitch, and I love her for that. 

ALBUM. OF. THE. YEAR. 

Y’all need to listen to the album in nature or on a drive around backroads, somewhere scenic. It’s completely life changing and I get chills with every song. Hearing Kintsugi with birds chirping in the background is SURREAL 

Wow. I can't believe Fantano gave her a -
She really fucking deserves it. I don't agree with Fantano on a lot (the Ultraviolence review baffles me to this day), but to see that after 9 albums into her career she's just getting better and better according to critics?? That's incredibly rare. I hope people know that she has cemented herself into the American singer-songwriters forever. Born To Die was lightning in a bottle, but to continue to make record after great record, when many other artists peak... she's rare. So proud of her

On album at least, Lana Del Ray manages her public image very well. Of late, every new release has added to her mystique, finely blurring the lines between the person and the persona, to a point where one is indistinguishable from the other. There is a tension in her songs that arises from not knowing how much of what are hearing is the real Lana Del Ray standing in partial view – papered over by a collage of archaic 1970s pop culture references – and what is half-truth and outright embellishment. Lyrically she continues to fuse her own mythology with the mythology of California. ...Ocean Blvd rises above the sum of its parts and successfully presents an altered reality, blending fact and fiction, memory and desire, physical geography and the shifting geography of the soul. It is for these reasons that, after the dust settles on this golden creative streak, I think this record is going to be a lot of people's favourite Lana Del Ray album.
The direct contrast to Lana would be a pop amazon like Beyonce, whose career is a nesting doll of personas, seemingly refined by focus groups of images consultants and heavily tailored to an album release/tour cycle. There is nothing wrong with that approach. David Bowie and Madonna laid down the template. It works really well and allows for sudden reinvention.
I prefer something more fluid and contiguous, rather than a jarring transition where I can see the joins. I like artists who at least give the appearance of growing organically. For that to happen they need to follow their creative instincts and commit to a regular release schedule. Lana scratches that itch.
 

That's his loss. Fishtail is in my Top 5. 
 
But a 9/10 is a win for the culture. I just know the incel neckbeards and Sputnik dorks are SPIRALING right now.

The biggest mistake this album was the stunt either she or the UK label pulled with the reviews prior to release there
 
i still do not understand what the logic was with that

Ok bald guy kinda ate. Like he really understood this record and was super nice to her. 

literally 11 of the songs as fav tracks....
 
the acclaim..
 
i know people hate him but hes kind of the most influential critic out there at the moment so like... a win!

I know nobody cares but I'm still mad there isn't one in Buenos Aires
 
We have some really iconic record stores, including one of the most beautiful on the planet, Ateneo
 

 
Imagine playing the album there, there's even a coffee store 

I’d def rather go to the Watertown one I might have to call out of work LMAO

watertown is closer to me (i dm'ed them on ig and they said it's at 4pm) but i could do braintree if that's where most ppl are going. idk what time that one is, I think maybe 7pm.

we must have two different versions

Paris, Texas 
 

Okay here's my ranking of the songs (minus Candy Necklace ofc, but also minus the Interludes which I'm saving to pad out the album release experience lol.)
 

my ranking for now