Blue Banisters - Pre-Release Thread: OUT October 22nd, 2021

[Manson 1,130]

29 minutes ago, Pale Fire said:

how cute would it be if the final track was just Lana singing and then the outro fades into like a conversation between her, Chuck and Rob 

Ugh that would be awesome 

[Super Movie 50,262]

Something else that I think is gonna be prominent, and already is, in this album is gonna be the fact that NFR was her most critically acclaimed album yet (even if not directly). It's my favorite Lana album right now, but she basically said that it was somewhat pandering to the general public and that she knew people would like it. The fact that it was one of her safest albums lyrically and did amazing in terms of reception, whereas other albums that were more bold were trashed, seems to have really frustrated her. And then you have the fallout in spring-summer 2020 after being loved by the general public. The lyric "They built my up 300 feet tall just to tear me down" in Arcadia felt so telling and emotional to me, so I think there's gonna be more lyrics like that in the album as a whole.

 

Sorry for the essay lol. This has been on my mind since Wednesday and I just wanted to share 

[Venice Peach 52,921]

51 minutes ago, Crys10 said:

Since she clearly looks very interested in this album, I’m hopeful there has to be another single with a music video. I wonder what could be?! 

Maybe the title track cause she always does one (even if it gets scrapped like HM) and boz said she was talking to directors for it.

The blue alternative cover looks so different to the standard cover photoshoot so maybe it's from the set of a MV? 

[Glitter Boy 16,198]

2 minutes ago, Super Movie said:

Something else that I think is gonna be prominent, and already is, in this album is gonna be the fact that NFR was her most critically acclaimed album yet (even if not directly). It's my favorite Lana album right now, but she basically said that it was somewhat pandering to the general public and that she knew people would like it. The fact that it was one of her safest albums lyrically and did amazing in terms of reception, whereas other albums that were more bold were trashed, seems to have really frustrated her. And then you have the fallout in spring-summer 2020 after being loved by the general public. The lyric "They built my up 300 feet tall just to tear me down" in Arcadia felt so telling and emotional to me, so I think there's gonna be more lyrics like that in the album as a whole.

 

Sorry for the essay lol. This has been on my mind since Wednesday and I just wanted to share 

I've been thinking about it too! It also makes me feel like a god like this album is coming for NFR's crown of the Most Critically Acclaimed Lana Album yet... predicting 88 in Metacritic  

[Elle 113,664]

1 hour ago, Crys10 said:

Since she clearly looks very interested in this album, I’m hopeful there has to be another single with a music video. I wonder what could be?! 

I’m still hoping for a video for Blue Banisters, especially since she teased that clip of it.. if not, this will be her only album without a video for the title track! x

[Let the Light In 15,139]

It still feels surreal that she is releasing Thunder officially, and apparently it is reworked to become a career highlight. Now if she releases it as a single with a music video, it would be beyond perfect

[The Stargirl Pinky 66,857]

3 minutes ago, Elle said:

I’m still hoping for a video for Blue Banisters, especially since she teased that clip of it.. if not, this will be her only album without a video for the title track! x

She has been breaking traditions lately….. 

[FallingCherry 7,731]

I don’t think Lana has any problem with NFR, when it got released, it seemed to be the album she was the most proud of and one of her most introspective ones at the time, with how much of her "daily life" was in it. The songwriting was different from her past works such as UV or HM because she was in a different place in her life, and had grown up and matured a lot. But I think that with the amazing reception the album got, Lana might have thought she was finally loved by the general public as a person, when in fact, what people loved was the album, not necessarily her. The general public never really liked her as a person. QFTC is what made her realise people loved her music, but still weren’t on the same boat as her. Chemtrails was her telling how she misses a life without fame and how much of a burden it can be, and also how important her family is to her when times get rough. And now with BB she’s about to tell the whole story. NFR was a statement, it’s where she was back then and where she probably still is in terms of her everyday life, but with Chemtrails and BB, we’re getting a larger picture of her past too, and the damage that the public not liking her as a person has brought.

[Surf Noir 188,277]

4 minutes ago, Elle said:

I’m still hoping for a video for Blue Banisters, especially since she teased that clip of it.. if not, this will be her only album without a video for the title track! x

 

she'll just casually upload a homemade video for it on her uhauljoe youtube channel in 2023  

[The Stargirl Pinky 66,857]

@sweetcinnamondealer You changed your username!!!! We stan!! 

[Frangipani 11,602]

Just listened to the singles for the first time in a while and they've aged like fine wine; Textbook went from one of my least favourite Lana songs to one of my top 10.

That outro

[Jeanne Dielman 5,829]

I've been trying to decipher how Lana is going to tell her story and this is what I came up with:

 

Text Book, Blue Banisters and Arcadia operate as a form of introduction - a prologue to the story Lana wants to share with us. Text Book is not an accessible or particularly "welcoming" opener - it's lyrically dense and complex, and the overall mood it evokes is quite cerebral. The opening line is perfect: this is really her story and she (finally) feels strong enough to tell it. The closing line implies repetition; a dead end. Blue Banisters is about healing and memories. The ghost of a lover still haunts her because the pain he inflicted on her remains unbearable. But she finds comfort in the company of her family and friends who try to heal her wounds even though they probably fail. But they're always there for her. They "fly to her to paint, paint...". There's something hopeful in the song, but Lana has to live with this pain - it'll never go away. Arcadia is one of her most lyrically subversive songs. What seems like a cheeky allegory and an apparent love letter to California becomes a slyly scathing critique against America and the criticism she's received throughout the years. In a way, these three tracks seem to define her current state of mind: the disappointments of love; the unfair criticism; the search for a safe haven - both literally and figuratively - in the world. 

 

@Thunder made some great points about the three-act structure of the album. Dealer is one of Lana's angriest and rawest songs. Thunder is both celebratory and a portrayal of (emotional) stagnancy. Wildflower Wildfire has some of the darkest and most confessional words Lana has ever written, but she finally finds hope. "It's you from whom I learn." This seems to be another critical transitional moment in the album - we finally dive into old UV outtakes. What is their purpose in the narrative? There is a lot of nostalgia in these songs, particularly Nectar of the Gods which ends with Lana feeling lost again. Living Legend and especially Cherry Blossom are sweeter, warmer songs. The fact that the final track, Sweet Carolina, is co-written by the father she "wanted back" (and finally found him) and her sister is very important. I think this will be a very emotional and highly personal ballad. Perhaps nothing has really changed in Lana's life. As Blue Banisters says, this "hole"/pain hasn't been healed and probably never will be. But she's found the support she needs - her father, her siblings, her best friends, her fans, her own self. These are her banisters.

 

So what should we expect from those mysterious tracks in the middle of the album? Black Bathing Suit, Beautiful, Violets for Roses, If You Lie Down With Me...these are very beautiful (pun intended!) and romantic or even sultry/inviting titles. But would such a direction make sense sonically and lyrically? How do we end up with the anger in tracks 9-11? Are these songs about her past? Could the titles be misleading? Is she going to go from something potentially sexy (Black Bathing Suit/If You Lie Down With Me) and pure (Beautiful/Violets for Roses) to something as lyrically dark and angry as Dealer? Could these tracks hold the key to fully understanding Lana's intentions? The fact that insiders avoid talking about these - sure, they want to leave us something to be excited about lol! - makes me think that they may be quite revealing and intense. 

[Jared 3,128]

 

[cruelestworld 44]

Thinking about listening to Thunder on vinyl for the first time <3

[rightofjupiter 15,809]

30 minutes ago, Super Movie said:

Something else that I think is gonna be prominent, and already is, in this album is gonna be the fact that NFR was her most critically acclaimed album yet (even if not directly). It's my favorite Lana album right now, but she basically said that it was somewhat pandering to the general public and that she knew people would like it. The fact that it was one of her safest albums lyrically and did amazing in terms of reception, whereas other albums that were more bold were trashed, seems to have really frustrated her. And then you have the fallout in spring-summer 2020 after being loved by the general public. The lyric "They built my up 300 feet tall just to tear me down" in Arcadia felt so telling and emotional to me, so I think there's gonna be more lyrics like that in the album as a whole.

 

Sorry for the essay lol. This has been on my mind since Wednesday and I just wanted to share 

i see lots of ppl here saying that Lana pandered w NFR, but I really don’t think that’s what she meant when she said NFR is cool/what’s not to like etc. I think she just knew the record was full of songs with melodies that are so timeless and classic- almost as if they’ve always existed- so of course it would be hugely popular. 

[5Rick 2,925]

The way I’m going to be SO addicted to this album  I’ve literally played Arcadia at least 20 times today I need a miracle 

Spoiler

But still playing it right now 

 

[Super Movie 50,262]

10 minutes ago, rightofjupiter said:

i see lots of ppl here saying that Lana pandered w NFR, but I really don’t think that’s what she meant when she said NFR is cool/what’s not to like etc. I think she just knew the record was full of songs with melodies that are so timeless and classic- almost as if they’ve always existed- so of course it would be hugely popular. 

Yeah, I get that. I don't think it was intentional pandering if it was pandered a bit, but I do think she knew while she was making it that it would do well. And it deserved to 100% 

[Surf Noir 188,277]

27 minutes ago, BlueGreenGray said:

I've been trying to decipher how Lana is going to tell her story and this is what I came up with:

 

Text Book, Blue Banisters and Arcadia operate as a form of introduction - a prologue to the story Lana wants to share with us. Text Book is not an accessible or particularly "welcoming" opener - it's lyrically dense and complex, and the overall mood it evokes is quite cerebral. The opening line is perfect: this is really her story and she (finally) feels strong enough to tell it. The closing line implies repetition; a dead end. Blue Banisters is about healing and memories. The ghost of a lover still haunts her because the pain he inflicted on her remains unbearable. But she finds comfort in the company of her family and friends who try to heal her wounds even though they probably fail. But they're always there for her. They "fly to her to paint, paint...". There's something hopeful in the song, but Lana has to live with this pain - it'll never go away. Arcadia is one of her most lyrically subversive songs. What seems like a cheeky allegory and an apparent love letter to California becomes a slyly scathing critique against America and the criticism she's received throughout the years. In a way, these three tracks seem to define her current state of mind: the disappointments of love; the unfair criticism; the search for a safe haven - both literally and figuratively - in the world. 

 

@Thunder made some great points about the three-act structure of the album. Dealer is one of Lana's angriest and rawest songs. Thunder is both celebratory and a portrayal of (emotional) stagnancy. Wildflower Wildfire has some of the darkest and most confessional words Lana has ever written, but she finally finds hope. "It's you from whom I learn." This seems to be another critical transitional moment in the album - we finally dive into old UV outtakes. What is their purpose in the narrative? There is a lot of nostalgia in these songs, particularly Nectar of the Gods which ends with Lana feeling lost again. Living Legend and especially Cherry Blossom are sweeter, warmer songs. The fact that the final track, Sweet Carolina, is co-written by the father she "wanted back" (and finally found him) and her sister is very important. I think this will be a very emotional and highly personal ballad. Perhaps nothing has really changed in Lana's life. As Blue Banisters says, this "hole"/pain hasn't been healed and probably never will be. But she's found the support she needs - her father, her siblings, her best friends, her fans, her own self. These are her banisters.

 

So what should we expect from those mysterious tracks in the middle of the album? Black Bathing Suit, Beautiful, Violets for Roses, If You Lie Down With Me...these are very beautiful (pun intended!) and romantic or even sultry/inviting titles. But would such a direction make sense sonically and lyrically? How do we end up with the anger in tracks 9-11? Are these songs about her past? Could the titles be misleading? Is she going to go from something potentially sexy (Black Bathing Suit/If You Lie Down With Me) and pure (Beautiful/Violets for Roses) to something as lyrically dark and angry as Dealer? Could these tracks hold the key to fully understanding Lana's intentions? The fact that insiders avoid talking about these - sure, they want to leave us something to be excited about lol! - makes me think that they may be quite revealing and intense. 

 

i love this analysis! i think this album will definitely be lana's definitive "telling my story" album, i can't wait to hear it in full, i think the middle tracks could display a more lighthearted, playful, romantic side of the album, however, i do anticipate they'll be deeper than that, we may think black bathing suit will just be a sexy bop, but i think it'll be deeper than that, we thought arcadia was going to be a sweet, cheeky love song, but it was actually a subversive critique of how she's been potrayed by the general public, she expresses her love & her relationship with los angeles & america, while at the same time, critizing & fighting back against the american audience who've built her up once she pandered to the critics, and tore her down ruthlessly when she decided she to speak her truth, i really feel like this will be a genius album

[lustforlife 19,008]

15k sold on vinyls so far on USA 

[YourGirl666 12,070]

20 hours ago, fl0r1dakil0s said:

OMG guys today is josh kemp's birthday (the ex that video games / most of both to die is about).. do we think lana released arcadia close to his birthday on purpose 

She'll leak Off To The Races demo and Damn You final version as a gift