sparklrtrailrheaven

new Por Vida cover image, which has def been added in the past couple days: she's pretty, i dig it! kinda funny how this is the third Por Vida cover tho lmaodofhdk

just got NME 2017 in the mail today -- only my second Lana mag (NME 2015 was the first), but now I can really say it's the beginning of a collection!!

Meant to post this here:

I'm still so intrigued by Talking Like an Answering Machine -- the title's all we've got, but it's an exceptionally interesting one EDIT: I totally meant to post this in the "That One Song You CRAVE For" thread, but made a wrong click -- I'm sleep-deprived

She’s not saying she’s angry we’re not giving her enough because she’s *not* losing listeners or her money, lmao. She’s pretty much ensured her coin no matter what promises she drops for the fans — I’m sure the fanbase and what we expect of her is not very pressing on her mind. If she wants to be unconcerned with the fan base and make art on her own terms, I don’t think many of us would deny her that. What’s not cool is being at this weird middle point where she drops a crumb from time to time and then doesn’t deliver. She should either tell us nothing and release stuff whenever she gets around to it, so no one’s left hanging, or actually follow up on her word — that’s the issue.

Lately, I've been thinking a lot about a very singular era of Lana's career: the transition period lasting from roughly late 2006 to early 2008, moving from the acoustic, folky sound of Sirens to the classic "surf noir" sound of AKA. I see this as kicking off with the Ben/Run Motorcycle/YGLM session, and lasting until she began working with Kahne -- there's a darker edge in these works, and her songwriting was at, I believe, its peak: songs like Pin Up Galore, Pawn Shop Blues, Yayo, and Elvis all came out of these years. So, I tried to put together a little playlist of some songs that exemplify this period. It's kind of rough, simply because it's a mix of finished studio tracks, rehearsals, self-recorded acoustics, and studio sessions, but I tried to cull the best of her songwriting and cultivate a very specific tone: the desperate, deep South-flavored, dive bar gloom that only barely peeks out on AKA -- the original, largely forgotten brand of LDR sadcore. Featuring an edit by @@Trash Magic that came at the perfect time and was weirdly exactly what I was imagining, here's "FLORIDA DARK":

Plus, I love using queer bc it's a great midpoint between rigid, overly-specific labels like gay, bi, etc. but it feels a lot less clinical than the LGBT+ acronym

You make a good point! So, since I *don't* know the demographics of the fandom, I'll say that gays are often a more vocal or open majority. (Also, I can't find it now, but there was a demographics survey conducted on the forum a couple years back, which would be super interesting to take a second look at now!!)

I agree that generalizations can be damaging, but to refer back to PARADIXO, who said it so well: I don't think anyone here is trying to claim that being LGBT+ is the reason we must like Lana, but it's undeniable that she has a large proportion of LGBT+ fans -- especially gay men -- so it's interesting to explore that correlation. Not all gay people like LDR, and not all LDR fans are gay, but there IS a link, and we're talking it out.

It’s so hard to say without generalizing, but I feel like part of the draw could be that Lana appeals to the gay affinity for camp — especially in the BtD era, Lana verged on campiness, even though she seemed to take it all very seriously. Her meld of influences also ticks some classic ‘gay culture’ boxes, what with pop music/classic Hollywood glamour/etc. — and then she exaggerates it all, creating a perfect, campy, gay storm. I think that’s at least part of the reason that her persona switch to wannabe-baddie White Girl Wednesday matcha drinker at Churchome has jarred the fan base so much — unreality and excess has always been a part of Lana’s story, and knowingly or not could be the reason a lot of people were drawn in — especially the gay fans.

Night Talks - Jackie Stabb

Such a cute project I'll ofc always have an attachment to the original Honey Baby/Pablo and the live recording of I Want War, but these are fantastic versions -- and it's so impressive that she did these all on her own!! I'm glad she decided to share these as a little gift As for how different Honey Baby is, I feel like this is more of a reprise or pt. 2 than it is a replacement for the original song, you know? Like it's such a good companion to the original -- you can listen to them back to back and not feel like you heard the same song, but still get the same concepts running through

Angel Baby - Rosie and the Originals

Ram On - Paul McCartney

if this is fax then poor Rich

She's free to follow whoever she wants and be whoever she wants to be, but that doesn't mean we can't comment on the fact that the matcha-drinking, mommy-blog-following, Churchome-attending Lana seems to be a very different person than who she was a few years ago. It's not that those are inherently bad things (except Churchome lmao), but it's jarring that her interests/personality have made such a 180. And, as for having too much extra time to scrutinize Lana... we're ALL members here, aren't we?

i keep saying i miss c. 2009 'weird Lana' but this isn't what i meant... fuck go back where is SHE

Hold Me - Trixie's Big Red Motorbike

notoriouswhitegirl strikes again

Vice - Miranda Lambert

JUST finished listening-- this was essentially my introduction to Fiona, because before this the only songs I knew well were Every Single Night and her cover of Across the Universe, both of which I LOVED. This was dizzyingly creative -- I can't say I've ever heard anything that sounds like it! I love it instantly -- all the frenetic rhythm, all the wordplay, all the interloping sounds and sketches of other songs. It'll take time for me to really *process* this, but knee-jerk reaction is that's brilliant and truly in a league of its own

Mansions - The Mamas and the Papas

I Don't Care Anymore - Doris Duke

I was listening to the fabulous Rich Whores recording of Yayo today, and it set me thinking about this song -- I think this is THE definitive Lana song. It ought to speak to its incredible significance that it's been the ONLY consistent returner throughout nearly the entirety of Lana's career -- it was still new and shaky at the Union Pool show in June '07, and it's since reappeared time and time again, in demos, two studio albums, and live performances ranging from the Lizzy Grant club shows to the stadiums of LA to the Moon. It's got all the signature Lana lyrical hallmarks: the color blue, bad boys, dependence, trailer parks, escape, hope, drugs, daddies, and a scoop of retro Americana. And, all along, it has changed shape to reflect Lana's current obsessions and styles: it's been an acoustic folk ballad, a heavy metal head-banger, a jazzy torch song, and a spooky, otherworldly laptop demo. It could fit on the kaleidoscopic debut album and the doomy pomp of Paradise just as well as it could slide into the confessional-surf sound of NFR!. In short, it's everything Lana, with none of the era-specific quirks that restrict or date her other songs -- an absolutely gorgeous anomaly in her catalogue. It's sexy, it's sad, it's wild, it's cinematic, it's timeless. I'm in awe of Yayo.

I have a lot of trouble listening to LFL as an album, so I split it into two, shorter EPs, based partially on the Recording Chronology thread. It's not a radical idea, and the tracks are still in their running order from the album, but it has improved the album so much for me -- everything feels in-context: LOST FOR LIFE 1. Love 2. 13 Beaches 3. God Bless America 4. When the World Was at War 5. Beautiful People Beautiful Problems 6. Tomorrow Never Came 7. Heroin 8. Get Free LUST FOR LIFE 1. Lust for Life 2. Cherry 3. White Mustang 4. Summer Bummer 5. Groupie Love 6. In My Feelings 7. Coachella 8. Change