Norman Fucking Rockwell - Post-Release Discussion Thread + Poll

[WilshireBoulevard 5,421]

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!'.

 

That was to distract from the Isr*el situation

[xxmissdaytonaxx 30,079]

happiness is a butterfly is such a cutie

[Nobody 21,602]

That was to distract from the Isr*el situation

 

She'd posted this iconique photo a little before that happened tho 

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/BmJiNbtgi2o/

[DCooper 37,156]

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!'.

 

Tame Impala is a rock band, not a solo female "pop" singer. For an artist like Lana to release a song like Venice Bitch was a bold choice.

 

Let it Happen is a good song, but Venice Bitch is much better in my opinion. 

[WilshireBoulevard 5,421]

She'd posted this iconique photo a little before that happened tho 

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/BmJiNbtgi2o/

 

Wow i'd forgotten about that 

 

Pretty accepted theory that the single releases of MAC and VB were pushed forward so she could cancel the Israel concert quietly though, no?

[West Coast 45,897]

Tame Impala is a rock band, not a solo female "pop" singer. For an artist like Lana to release a song like Venice Bitch was a bold choice.

 

Let it Happen is a good song, but Venice Bitch is much better in my opinion. 

 

Tame Impala is definitely at the crossroads of rock/psychedelic rock and pop music. 'Let It Happen' is a much stronger song than 'Venice Bitch', I don't really care about the song lengthwise, to me it's a cute track with cute lyrics and a long hazy outro and that's all there is to say on my part. 'Let It Happen' has a much superior structure to me and actually a pretty strong climax and guitar solo. Also, anyone that has seen Tame Impala live and witnessed them opening the show with 'Let It Happen' can attest that this is truly an otherworldly experience (I have).

 

Also, it wasn't bold of Lana to release 'Venice Bitch' as a promotional single she had also released 'Honeymoon' which, while not as long, was still a pretty lengthy track, but it was also at a much slower pace. That was actually bold of her. Much like @ pointed out: the early stages of the 'NFR!' rollout clearly started to distract everyone from the Israel gig situation at the time. Clearly, 'NFR!' was far from ready (if it ever was) from being released at the time.

[theweightofthehours 1,836]

How can someone spend so much time talking about something they dislike?

[PARADIXO 33,063]

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!

 

I know right. I was checking the numbers the other day and wow... hope at 61M???

[Trash Magic 28,452]

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!

 

I'm actually so shocked by hope is a dangerous thing...'s streaming numbers. That is insane!!!!

[West Coast 45,897]

How can someone spend so much time talking about something they dislike?

 

I think it's funny that a literal French person tells someone that they spend too much time disliking something. Like isn't that the absolute most French thing in the world to argue and spend time talking about stuff you don't like?

 

Also, have you noticed how this thread was literally dead before I came back to talk about the album again? Just saying. I don't wanna say "my impact" because that's hella pretentious. But read my mind.

 

 

Arrêtes, j'vais pleurer.

 

[slang 1,533]

Some interesting metacritic data on whether some fans (i.e. not just critics) prefer NFR to older LDR.

 

https://www.metacritic.com/person/lana-del-rey

 

User scores are pretty flat from BTD thru HM, but there is a discontinuity between LFL and her previous work (noticeably lower, but not by a lot) and a discontinuity between NFR and her earlier work (noticeably higher and by a more substantial-looking amount). Not that I know exactly what the user scores mean, but it's consistent with some fans, or some alternate fanbase, preferring NFR over older work (i.e. user scores of NFR 9.1 (8000+ ratings) as vs. 8.3 (about 1700 ratings) for BTD), and some fans not preferring LFL over the same (which I guess is less unexpected). I'm not really in either group.

 

With respect to NFR "production" that people have been divided on of late, the actual production is defined best by Jack in an Atlantic Interview he gave where he described NFR as a "bizarre folk album" and among other things describes how he and Lana searched for a specific sound. Once they found that sound they locked down the equipment:

"That album was made in one specific room, with one specific piano, a very specific 12-string guitar, very specific drum kit, very specific patch on the Mellotron that went through a very specific tape echo. We landed on a couple sounds that really sounded like this thing we had thought of, and then we put a helmet on all of them: Nobody touch this drum kit. Nobody move the mic from the piano."

 

https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2019/12/jack-antonoff-taylor-swift-lana-del-rey-and-more/603517/

 

In my opinion, if you are in the delusional minority that is put off by NFR (as opposed to the delusional majority that loves it), I don't think it's only the production throwing some of the long-time Lana stans off. It might possibly be the "orational" rather than emotional (torch) singing. The former is more like a folk stance. Not that she sings bad on NFR (or non-emotionally, as HIADT and FIILY are still emotional songs), but just that she sings differently and more in line with Cohen, Dylan, Reed. Or maybe we should be comparing her to Dido or Regina Spektor, production-wise (and singing-wise)?

[theweightofthehours 1,836]

I think it's funny that a literal French person tells someone that they spend too much time disliking something. Like isn't that the absolute most French thing in the world to argue and spend time talking about stuff you don't like?

 

Also, have you noticed how this thread was literally dead before I came back to talk about the album again? Just saying. I don't wanna say "my impact" because that's hella pretentious. But read my mind.

 

 

Arrêtes, j'vais pleurer.

 

I haven't noticed that, no.

 

Also I'm Argentinian not French.

[West Coast 45,897]

I haven't noticed that, no.

 

Also I'm Argentinian not French.

 

Sorry, I assumed you were French given you mentioned ordering 'NFR!' from FNAC way back in this thread, my bad.

 

But I stand by what I said. It's a discussion board. I can come here and talk about what I don't like about this album ad nauseam, because last time I checked the guidelines of the board it's not against the rules to talk about the album in any shape or form. If you don't like my comments, move along. In no way should I refrain myself from discussing my likes and dislikes for mere LB users (I am a mere user also just to be clear). 

[mrborntolose 9,989]

isn’t the lyric in california “i heard the war was over if you really choose, the one in and around you”?

[theweightofthehours 1,836]

Sorry, I assumed you were French given you mentioned ordering 'NFR!' from FNAC way back in this thread, my bad.

 

But I stand by what I said. It's a discussion board. I can come here and talk about what I don't like about this album ad nauseam, because last time I checked the guidelines of the board it's not against the rules to talk about the album in any shape or form. If you don't like my comments, move along. 

That wasn't me! lol I didn't buy NFR!

 

I think you're right to a degree. Anyways, I saw on your profile that you like Breathe Deeper by Tame Impala. I genuinely can't get enough of that track, easily my favorite from TSR followed closely by On Track.

[DCooper 37,156]

isn’t the lyric in california “i heard the war was over if you really choose, the one in and around you”?

 

Yes

[PARADIXO 33,063]

isn’t the lyric in california “i heard the war was over if you really choose, the one in and around you”?

 yes

[Make me your Dream Life 88,718]

isn’t the lyric in california “i heard the war was over if you really choose, the one in and around you”?

 

yes. love this. 

 yes

 

totally xerox'd this apparently lmao 

 

Some interesting metacritic data on whether some fans (i.e. not just critics) prefer NFR to older LDR.

 

https://www.metacritic.com/person/lana-del-rey

 

User scores are pretty flat from BTD thru HM, but there is a discontinuity between LFL and her previous work (noticeably lower, but not by a lot) and a discontinuity between NFR and her earlier work (noticeably higher and by a more substantial-looking amount). Not that I know exactly what the user scores mean, but it's consistent with some fans, or some alternate fanbase, preferring NFR over older work (i.e. user scores of NFR 9.1 (8000+ ratings) as vs. 8.3 (about 1700 ratings) for BTD), and some fans not preferring LFL over the same (which I guess is less unexpected). I'm not really in either group.

 

With respect to NFR "production" that people have been divided on of late, the actual production is defined best by Jack in an Atlantic Interview he gave where he described NFR as a "bizarre folk album" and among other things describes how he and Lana searched for a specific sound. Once they found that sound they locked down the equipment:

"That album was made in one specific room, with one specific piano, a very specific 12-string guitar, very specific drum kit, very specific patch on the Mellotron that went through a very specific tape echo. We landed on a couple sounds that really sounded like this thing we had thought of, and then we put a helmet on all of them: Nobody touch this drum kit. Nobody move the mic from the piano."

 

https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2019/12/jack-antonoff-taylor-swift-lana-del-rey-and-more/603517/

 

In my opinion, if you are in the delusional minority that is put off by NFR (as opposed to the delusional majority that loves it), I don't think it's only the production throwing some of the long-time Lana stans off. It might possibly be the "orational" rather than emotional (torch) singing. The former is more like a folk stance. Not that she sings bad on NFR (or non-emotionally, as HIADT and FIILY are still emotional songs), but just that she sings differently and more in line with Cohen, Dylan, Reed. Or maybe we should be comparing her to Dido or Regina Spektor, production-wise (and singing-wise)?

 

 

This is actually something real interesting to look into mm yeah.

[West Coast 45,897]

That wasn't me! lol I didn't buy NFR!

 

I think you're right to a degree. Anyways, I saw on your profile that you like Breathe Deeper by Tame Impala. I genuinely can't get enough of that track, easily my favorite from TSR followed closely by On Track.

 

This isn't the right thread, but 'The Slow Rush' is a really amazing album. Not my favourite Tame record, nor his strongest if I'm being honest. But after a five year wait, this is a breath of fresh air and I'm really digging the groovy approach on this record. 

[West Coast 45,897]

In my opinion, if you are in the delusional minority that is put off by NFR (as opposed to the delusional majority that loves it), I don't think it's only the production throwing some of the long-time Lana stans off. It might possibly be the "orational" rather than emotional (torch) singing. The former is more like a folk stance. Not that she sings bad on NFR (or non-emotionally, as HIADT and FIILY are still emotional songs), but just that she sings differently and more in line with Cohen, Dylan, Reed. Or maybe we should be comparing her to Dido or Regina Spektor, production-wise (and singing-wise)?

 

Maybe, just maybe, 'NFR!' happens to be Lana's least Lana Del Rey-esque album and is simply her most "palatable" and least controversial album compared to her past work. Also, musically speaking it speaks to a broader audience, like you mentioned a lot of other iconic artists and I do think that her work on 'NFR!' resembles a lot of what you've mentioned stylistically speaking. We're far from the trip-hop/baroque pop sound of 'Born To Die', the raw rock-ish/blues-y atmospheric sound of 'Ultraviolence' and the cinematic/classical music meet muddy trap beats of 'Honeymoon'. 'NFR!' is very, for a lack of a better word, "generic" compared to these albums, it certainly is her least avant-garde work thus far (besides maybe 'Venice Bitch' with its long instrumental outro). It's not a surprise to me how well this album was received by the very same critics that weren't so gentle and appreciative of Lana's early work.

 

It's not a bad record by all means, it's just pretty beige for Lana and the production just happen to be very hit or miss with all her fans. I've seen a lot of discussion on here as well as on Reddit and even Instagram, and there were people on both sides (stans and detractors of 'NFR!') that weren't too open to the idea of Lana going back to work with Jack Antonoff. I for one would be thrilled if she would either go back to work with Dan Auerbach (seriously listen to his work on Yola's 'Walk Through Fire' album the production is just superb, even of not for the production this album is really beautiful. His Grammys noms for best producer this year was well earned I think) or just work with a someone she's never worked with before.