Norman Fucking Rockwell - Post-Release Discussion Thread + Poll

[sjatib 5,069]

bc they have their hands full with *much* more important matters, like random arbitrary bans and making weird veiled borderline-gaslight-y jabs about users who dare agree with one another

 

It's nice cause I happened to get a WP because of trying to keep the thing here calm. It was "out of topic", it seems. Nice.

 

Anyway, NFR is a beautiful album, to keep the post "on topic".

[YUNGATA 14,945]

It's nice cause I happened to get a WP because of trying to keep the thing here calm. It was "out of topic", it seems. Nice.

 

Anyway, NFR is a beautiful album, to keep the post "on topic".

 

As I just discussed with you in our PM off-topic posting is a valid reason for a warning point. I am happy to discuss this further with you if you wish.

[Foxglove 2,266]

@@Vertimus is the perfect exhibition of classic white male fragility, stay bothered  sir.  imagine thinking "western civilization is the best and most important and only valid society to ever exist reeeeee" is an objective fact.  pls pull your head from your likely not-so-golden-ratio'd ugly ass and recognize that "provincial" isn't an insult unless your elitist self must shit on anyone who doesnt live in a capital city.  indigenous people got slaughtered bc they were dumbo stupidheads who deserrrved it, right?  that's why your prized white male dominated western civilization is responsible for the modern annihilation of all things natural and sacred.  thank the Lort that some blessed White Saviors came down to invent nuclear weapons, create disastrous climate change, institute industrial wage slavery, and go "oh ho ho ho im better than you" to anyone who dare question their "objective" view that things are better with all these messes.  im so glad our Overlords (sweet sweet hierarchy!) destroyed food sovereignty and leisure time and now we must grovel for processed supermarket human feed to survive.  i am oh so grateful that the rivers and oceans and lakes are poisoned and we must all pay to live on land we didnt ask to be born on, all thanks to the All-Superior White Western GodFathers.  Grow a brain. you are perhaps the most myopic person on here and claiming others are narrow minded... i- it's really hard to even read without a full body cringe.  my spirit deserves better.  your spirit deserves better.  stop torturing your poor self by lapping up the actual shit you swallow to stay brainwashed.

 

on topic: NFR is not a woke album, and anyone who thinks so has a kindergarten level grasp of world issues.  acknowledging California fires is tantamount to looking out the window and seeing that dirt exists.  it just is (Vertimus knows how this objectivity stuff works, right?) ... in multiple videos Lana throws shit at cops knowing her privilege protects her from any repercussions, she shows no grasp of any sort of world issues.  in California, she says "i heard the war was over if you really choose to end the one around you" or whatever.  like, ok Lana go tell that to the legion of dead Yemeni children or Uighyur Muslims or Sri Lankan Tamils or Central/south american kids at US border camps.

 

this whole damn world needs a "wake up call" especially Lana.  and you, Vertimus.  thankfully others here already spelled it out

[PARADIXO 31,689]

Amazing post by @@Foxglove , though now it is time to stay on topic.

[Tristesse 1,761]

Uuuh, what an amazing album, though. The production is of great refinement. I can't believe my fave just paved the way for a new decade of music just like she did almost 10 years ago. I'm a privileged white male by the way

[mkultraviolence 5,829]

It really does feel like a masterpiece to me too. The outro (I mean the last 6 or so lines) is just immaculate. To me the climax of the record.

 

to me it feels like there is no climax in this record. maybe a little one, but it all seems very static to me.

[Veinsineon 71,120]

to me it feels like there is no climax in this record. maybe a little one, but it all seems very static to me.

same. I had to “adjust” it in my repertoire of music to end with a more satisfying play through. There are a few actually unnecessary songs and some surface level track placements. It doesn’t result in the record having that sort of internal echo that previous LDR albums have had. This whole record seems kind of ; stale for lack of better word.

 

 

 

 

In other words, here’s a refreshing order for NFR to really feel like a signature LDR Record

 

01. Norman Fucking Rockwell

02. Mariners Apartment Complex

03. Cinnamon

04. The Next Best American Record

05. Bartender

06. Happiness Is A Butterfly

07. Love Song

08. How To Disappear

09. California

10. Fuck It, I Love You

11. Venice Bitch

12. Looking For America

13. The Greatest

 

 

 

[13bitches 6,175]

Anyway stan AKA

 

[Surf Noir 190,447]

Anyway stan AKA

 

 

aka is the true queen of cohesion, we got disco, acoustic, ballad, surf noir, and alternative pop sounds all in one album it still manages to sound great.

[mkultraviolence 5,829]

same. I had to “adjust” it in my repertoire of music to end with a more satisfying play through. There are a few actually unnecessary songs and some surface level track placements. It doesn’t result in the record having that sort of internal echo that previous LDR albums have had. This whole record seems kind of ; stale for lack of better word.

 

 

 

 

In other words, here’s a refreshing order for NFR to really feel like a signature LDR Record

 

01. Norman Fucking Rockwell

02. Mariners Apartment Complex

03. Cinnamon

04. The Next Best American Record

05. Bartender

06. Happiness Is A Butterfly

07. Love Song

08. How To Disappear

09. California

10. Fuck It, I Love You

11. Venice Bitch

12. Looking For America

13. The Greatest

 

 

 

 

where's hope 

[13bitches 6,175]

aka is the true queen of cohesion, we got disco, acoustic, ballad, surf noir, and alternative pop sounds all in one album it still manages to sound great.

Yas and wig

[Make me your Dream Life 83,372]

to me it feels like there is no climax in this record. maybe a little one, but it all seems very static to me.

 

there're a lot highlights, but mm definitely. I kinda like how that is tho idk bout u 

[West Coast 44,956]

Uuuh, what an amazing album, though. The production is of great refinement. I can't believe my fave just paved the way for a new decade of music just like she did almost 10 years ago. I'm a privileged white male by the way

 

Lana ain't paving the way or breaking any doors with the production on NFR, let's stop right there. It's not remotely groundbreaking, at best the production on here is subpar, at worst... it's NFR. 

[Tristesse 1,761]

Lana ain't paving the way or breaking any doors with the production on NFR, let's stop right there. It's not remotely groundbreaking, at best the production on here is subpar, at worst... it's NFR.

Our tastes still differ, obviously.

I think it's a mistake to call a production "subpar" as if it were something objectively quantifiable on a certain scale. It's an art that we're talking about here: there is no such thing as a perfect production in the absolute, it wouldn't make sense in that it's not an end in itself.

 

This kind of argument reminds me of those made in the 19th century by the defenders of the academic style against the nascent impressionist movement: visible brushstrokes, garish colours... Nothing to do with the impeccable precision of classical paintings.

 

Because in the end, whether in painting or music, it is not the so-called perfection of the production that counts, but the emotions transmitted. A more messy medium, which looks less worked but in fact is just as much or even more worked, can bring a lot of depth to a music.

That's precisely what I like about NFR. That impeccable minimalism, the balance between silence and instruments that yet gives a warm and rich sound. The relative imperfection you criticize in the album, to me, it creates more closeness between the listener and the music, as if I was in the studio with them. It brings me closer to the emotions.

 

In short, what an incredible album.

[West Coast 44,956]

Our tastes still differ, obviously.

I think it's a mistake to call a production "subpar" as if it were something objectively quantifiable on a certain scale. It's an art that we're talking about here: there is no such thing as a perfect production in the absolute, it wouldn't make sense in that it's not an end in itself.

 

This kind of argument reminds me of those made in the 19th century by the defenders of the academic style against the nascent impressionist movement: visible brushstrokes, garish colours... Nothing to do with the impeccable precision of classical paintings.

 

Because in the end, whether in painting or music, it is not the so-called perfection of the production that counts, but the emotions transmitted. A more messy medium, which looks less worked but in fact is just as much or even more worked, can bring a lot of depth to a music.

That's precisely what I like about NFR. That impeccable minimalism, the balance between silence and instruments that yet gives a warm and rich sound. The relative imperfection you criticize in the album, to me, it creates more closeness between the listener and the music, as if I was in the studio with them. It brings me closer to the emotions.

 

In short, what an incredible album.

 

That's an interesting little essay you wrote there.

 

I strongly disagree though, we can talk about production in an objective/quantifiable way. Especially when it comes down to technicalities and this is what I've been doing since the album's release. But also, and obviously, my overall "appreciation" of the album from a personal POV.

 

But after watching Jack himself describe what he was going for in terms of production for this record, it's absolutely clear that this is far from a minimalist album. If it gave you this impression: fair enough, but like that was not the intention on this album. On the contrary, it's pretty obvious that he tried to go for this grand elaborate sound. But to me it falls incredibly short.

 

Literally nothing remotely impressive, let alone groundbreaking on 'NFR!'. It's a wannabe folk meet rock-ish album with too many piano ballads, that's all there is. We're far from the days Lana tried to set herself apart with a unique sound, approach and aesthetics. Glad she seems to be at crossroads artistically speaking and doesn't feel like doing the most to "impress" her critics (and she really did nothing truly impressive to give her all that recognition from her most fervent critics). But, she couldn't sound anymore beige and basic if she tried to on here.

 

What a lackluster little "album".

[DCooper 34,748]

Everything about Venice Bitch is impressive and groundbreaking. A major popstar releasing a 10 minute largely instrumental track with psychedelic undertones as a single is not normal, and the end result is absolutely stunning.

[Rico25 7,219]

Imagine dissing one of her best albums if not the best 

[FallingCherry 7,731]

Doin’ Time is officially the first single from NFR to have surpassed 100M streams on Spotify!

Also, I’m happy to see the album is still doing well on streaming platforms. People really enjoy it. Here are the latest numbers on Spotify:

Norman fucking Rockwell: 45 322 652

Mariners Apartment Complex: 71 018 200

Venice Bitch: 54 492 956

Fuck it I love you: 48 642 926

Doin’ Time: 100 146 776

Love song: 27 699 020

Cinnamon Girl: 36 653 309

How to disappear: 21 856 913

California: 23 833 558

The Next Best American Record: 17 818 886

The greatest: 29 963 326

Bartender: 16 279 361

Happiness is a butterfly: 24 967 184

Hope is a dangerous thing: 61 778 120

 

This album is doing so much better than LFL even though it was a more pop and commercially oriented album than NFR, which is truly impressive. People appreciate quality!

[WaitForLife 5,040]

Love Song stays the best song on NFR!.

[West Coast 44,956]

Everything about Venice Bitch is impressive and groundbreaking. A major popstar releasing a 10 minute largely instrumental track with psychedelic undertones as a single is not normal, and the end result is absolutely stunning.

 

Tame Impala (also of the most prominent emerging figures on the current music scene) released its first promotional single off 'Currents' called 'Let It Happen' and it spans almost 8 minutes long and that was back in 2015. I venture to say that it's a much more impressive track than 'Venice Bitch'. Just because it's ten minutes long and features an almost six minutes long hazy outro doesn't make it the most impressive song in her catalog. It was an odd choice for a single, it's a great song (though to me without the outro it was a pretty weak one to begin with), but the length of it doesn't automatically make it her most impressive track in my honest opinion.

 

Also, unpopular opinion, but Lana releasing 'Venice Bitch' a year prior to the release of the album was odd, because by the time the album came out I almost felt like both 'Mariners Apartment Complex' and 'VB' felt out of place on 'NFR!'.