sparklrtrailrheaven

I listened to Lana Del Ray again tonight, for the millionth time-- my feelings haven't changed. This album is genius, and it definitely saddens me that Lana will likely never return to this set of aesthetics and style of music. However, the genius of AKA is not *just* Lana. I give a sizable part of my respect for the album to David Kahne, as well. While Lana created killer melodies, lyrics, and concepts that would work extremely well under the guidance of any producer, Kahne had the perfect touch to push the songs from "excellent" to "god-like", in my opinion. It definitely deserves repeat listens-- some subtle flourishes Kahne brought in are best noticed after you've been bowled over a few times by Lana's handiwork with the stories told and pictures painted here. To me, the perfect example of Kahne's "Midas touch" on AKA is "Pawn Shop Blues". As evidenced by a live performance and a demo, PSB was a staggeringly beautiful, tender, and poignant track when Lana was doing it on her own. However, Kahne took it to another level-- while PSB in its raw state is mournful and brimming with sadness, Kahne's instrumentation gives it depth-- it goes from being a "sad" song to something better described as "bittersweet". With the angelic echoes and trembling guitars, Kahne doesn't detract at all from Lana's lyrics-- instead, he gives them deeper meaning and manifold facets. Pawn Shop Blues becomes, all at once, a hopeful look at living for a purpose outside of yourself, a melancholy assertion on the nature of love and loss, and a somber reminder of how one can lose it all for nothing. With these extra dimensions, the track becomes infinitely interesting, as it's hard to tell where the hope begins and the desperation ends. I'm rambling-- my point being, AKA is an absolutely genius record that I'll love 'til the day I die, and both David Kahne and Lana are geniuses for putting just the right elements in just the right places to create an album that is cohesive yet kaleidoscopic, and that has so many facets and subtleties that it demands repeat listens. Fabulous. Please continue sharing info and thoughts on AKA here, because it means the world to me and I want to know all there is to know about it! Thanks for reading all this

Blue Jeans: 125 Ride: 236

I agree! Ever since finding out from @@Eclipse that two of my favorite Lana tracks, Trash Magic and Pin Up Galore, were produced by Steven, I've been dying to hear what production he gave to AKA, as it's my favorite album! It'll be a match made in heaven And, I don't believe there would be a version of Smarty-- I'm pretty sure that was one of the two tracks, along with Gramma, that Lana and David wrote in-studio.

Imagine the music she would've made if AKA had taken off, though...

I'll add this to the OP, under a spoiler! thanks!

This Rolling Stone article (http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/lana-del-rey-to-re-release-first-album-20120127) claims it was "shelved two months after its debut on iTunes".

I'm sensing some negativity, no? Let's keep this civil and on-topic, okay?

Uh, I'm honestly not sure! I'm not as interested in reading about those albums, so I haven't looked, truthfully

That's true to a point, but I don't know how it relates to Lana Del Ray! Keep in mind, this is a thread for discussion of Lana Del Ray, the album-- not Lana Del Rey, the person, in general

Welcome to the Lana Del Ray post-release thread, a place to collect information on, discuss, and appreciate Lana’s 2010 debut album! Tracklist: 1. Kill Kill 2. Queen of the Gas Station 3. Oh Say Can You See 4. Gramma (Blue Ribbon Sparkler Trailer Heaven) 5. For K, Pt. 2 6. Jump 7. Mermaid Motel 8. Raise Me Up (Mississippi South) 9. Pawn Shop Blues 10. Brite Lites 11. Put Me in a Movie 12. Smarty 13. Yayo While Lana Del Ray (commonly known as AKA) wasn’t Lana’s first studio album -- that honor goes to Sirens -- it was her debut on a record label, and her first album to be sold commercially. AKA’s history was turbulent, which probably owes to much of the mystery and misinformation that surrounds the album today: As noted above, the formation of AKA brought about many demos and outtakes that didn’t make the final cut, including Lizzy’s collaborations with producer Steven Mertens. Below is a helpful guide to the AKA demos, along with information on unused tracks recorded with both Mertens and David Kahne: Lana’s promotion of her music during the AKA era included interviews, frequent live performances, and perhaps most distinctively, the creation of self-assembled music videos for most of the tracks on the album, much like the “Video Games” visuals that would propel her to stardom in 2011. Below are a selection of these videos, plus relevant fan creations: Lastly, here are some helpful links for further info and exploration of AKA:

feels so good to cross those off

more elvis references

You are a lifesaver

What songs are the "Disco" sessions comprised of? Do the early demos of "For K, Pt. 2", "Oh Say Can You See", and "Raise Me Up" also come from these sessions? Thanks

I believe @@evilentity, @@annedauphine, and other members are working on an Interviews section as we speak!

she could do a diff. melody with the 'methamphetamines' lyrics wouldn't midnite dancer girlfriend just be Go Go Dancer

You included my all-time favorite song (These Days)! Plus, you also included a ton of my favorite artists (Kate, Lana [obvs.], Lesley Gore, Fleetwood Mac, Shangri-Las, Tori, Janelle, and sooooo many more I love!) (and o h m y g o d you included "Wonderful Summer" and I s2g I thought I was one of the only people who knew about that song-- I can't even handle how great this list is!)

Instrumental: Caught You Boy Acoustic Track: Your Band is All the Rage Acapella Track: Methamphetamines Melody: Axl Rose Husband

This may have been mentioned before, but what do we know about Lana's relationship with Aaron Peer, who made and starred in the short film "Poolside" with her? It struck me that his character is called "Ray" in the film-- at first, I dismissed it as coincidence or perhaps creative input from Lana, but come to think of it, could Ray be a nickname for someone named Aaron? My brother's name is Aaron, and I can't help but think of the way our southern great-grandmother prounounced it-- "Ay-ron"-- which in turn reminds me of Ray. This is a big stretch, of course, but perhaps it would be an interesting avenue to explore-- if Aaron Peer was indeed the "Ray" Lana has sung about (and even apparently named herself after), this could be the first step in unlocking some big mysteries. Just a thought!

Quoting my own post to add this incredible video: The perfect addendum to my post-- this completely sums it up. I'm so proud of her

I don't know if this is the right thread for this or not, but I wanted to say this somewhere (and my status isn't enough room) I was re-watching this performance of "Video Games": Seeing Lana break down and cry like that gave me so many feelings. Despite the fact that this heaux has made a lot of artistic decisions I don't care for, and doesn't always do the things I wish she did, I am so proud of her, and I feel like I can't criticize too harshly, because she has worked so hard to get to this point. I bet the girl who was drinking and hangin' around in Lake Placid, or the girl who wrote songs in her trailer in New Jersey, or the girl who played songwriters' competitions and local clubs never, ever thought she'd reach this point. When she was singing "you're gonna love me, I'm gonna make you," did she know how true that was going to be? Did she know she would cover magazines and perform at festivals and have crowds and crowds of people cheering her name? When she took the stage for the first time and sang, did she know what was to come? Thinking about all of this is what makes me love her so much more. She's not perfect, she's certainly flawed-- but she is living her dream and I am so happy for her. I wish the Lizzy Grant of ten-or-so years ago could look forward to now and see what she's become-- I think she wouldn't believe it. Even if her music were to go down the drain, I'll always believe in the artist Lana Del Rey is, and forever be proud of her for having a dream and seeing it through.

the good sis bey saw the HM vid before it leaked!! leak ha telephone calls so we can hear lana letting bey get insp. from ha video

You've done great coverage, thank you! I'm loving all of the pictures and video you've been able to find.

Do you know what the full setlist was?

ooooooh my god, this is my favorite festival appearance so far! she looks sooooo good (no white dress, finally) and she sounds killer! here's hoping this one's for DVD