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

[Alison by Slowdive 26,015]

6 hours ago, Chiunzhan said:

hold on... my "beautiful" is 4:55 wtf

mine too

[Ultraviolencequeen 2,435]

Spoiler

I’m so excited for

this album. Kind of craving white dress/Venice Bitch rawness and haziness. Is there any of that? 

 

[Say Yes to Heaven 27,012]

My Beautiful is only 3;36?

[DeadSeaOfMercury 18,789]

2 minutes ago, Alison by Slowdive said:

mine too

4:30?

[That Venice Bitch 23,488]

The 4:55 version of Beautiful is just a corrupted file. If you play the whole thing and watch the timer thing it still ends after 3:36/3:54

[themusicbizisGONEgoingcountry 4,451]

Literally weeping at Thunder. The emotion the violins and surfy guitars add, Jesus

[Say Yes to Heaven 27,012]

So are there two versions of Beautiful at least? 

3:36

3:54

 

[wildflowerwildfire 6,398]

i wasn’t going to listen to the album now but lana was like just do it don’t wait

[Alison by Slowdive 26,015]

6 minutes ago, DeadSeaOfMercury said:

4:30?

my version of beautiful is 4:55 i'm so so confused

Edited October 16, 2021 by Alison by Slowdive
jk just read thru previous comments - i think it's a macbook issue lol

[mansongirl 292]

Can someone tell me which take of Cherry Blossom is on the album?

[DeadSeaOfMercury 18,789]

1 minute ago, That Venice Bitch said:

The 4:55 version of Beautiful is just a corrupted file. If you play the whole thing and watch the timer thing it still ends after 3:36/3:54

Spoiler

Ok so I scanned everything with Norton before sending to iPhone, does that mean the corruption is like a virus???

 

[COCC 29,539]

1 hour ago, Thunder said:

 

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I'm officially back on board the "this may be one of her best albums" train. This record is so beautiful oh my god the last six songs... 

 

 

it‘s so fun seeing you flip-flopping 

[DeadSeaOfMercury 18,789]

2 minutes ago, wildflowerwildfire said:

i wasn’t going to listen to the album now but lana was like just do it don’t wait

Did she actually say something to that extent somewhere?

[Formation 4,106]

Spoiler

If You Lie Down With Me is now my favorite. The way anything related to Barrie is her best work 

 

[RainbowEyes 48]

Did anyone else noticed musical differences on arcadia on the album version? I thought the already released single version had strings in it, the album version hasn't. or am i wrong?

[American Whore 47,346]

6 minutes ago, RainbowEyes said:

Did anyone else noticed musical differences on arcadia on the album version? I thought the already released single version had strings in it, the album version hasn't. or am i wrong?

 

they're at the end of the first chorus

[American Whore 47,346]

BBS destroys me every time. holy fuck, i've listened more than i'd like to admit

[Simeonbun 10]

My Long Review of Blue Bannisters

 

Spoiler

 

*please do not steal my writing and use it to comment on YouTube lol / had to say this bc it happened the last time I wrote a review for COCC and i never got credit lulz*

—

Just finished listening to the entire album and I am shocked at how good it is. I think ‘Blue Bannisters’ will be a critical darling (and I think the writing will be endlessly lauded) but it will obviously be incredibly polarizing among fans because of the album’s extreme embrace of full-on folk poetry. In other words—if you don’t like NFR/COCC crossed with Violet Bent Backwards, you won’t like this album. For me, once “Black Bathing Suit” hit I knew immediately that this was my absolute favorite album of hers PERIODT—and easily the most complex, revealing, and poetic one she’s ever written.

In its entirety, “Blue Bannisters” is an incredibly experimental alternative-soft rock and piano-ballad album, with some of her most direct, wistful, and strangest lyrics and melodies to date (seriously, so many weird lyrical Fiona Apple-isms in this album). My comparisons to Fiona Apple are warranted IMO because the album almost seems like Lana’s own venture into long, flowy “Fetch the Boltcutter”-esque writing and composing. Interestingly, the melodies on this album are either complex, strange, and surprising — or pastoral and soaring; and the lyrics are either long and winding and endless or wistfully simple (as in the entirety of “Black Bathing Suit” or “Sweet Carolina” compared to “Thunder”’s more punchy “just do it, don’t wait!” or the slow-burn lullaby “Cherry Blossom”). Lyrically, this is her best work yet (she just keeps getting better and better!)

Production wise, the album’s soundscape ranges from raspy demo soft rock to incredibly beautiful, polished, and nuanced lush orchestrations (like the tracks "Arcadia", "Black Bathing Suit", or "Sweet Carolina"). I can see why Lana didn’t work with Jack on this album—the orchestral acoustic nuance needed a different group of producers and more ears for sure. Lana managed to pull of an entirely different, raw soundscape with this album—and IMHO it's just as complex as NFR.

I was really surprised by the ample orchestral and instrumental solos (that we’ve missed since Honeymoon!!) The album focuses almost equally on the instruments accompanying her as they do on her voice itself (instrumental highlights include “Black Bathing Suit”, “If You Lie Down With Me”, “Thunder”, “Living Legend”, etc.) In terms of orchestration alone, I think this is her second-most beautiful album (with Honeymoon obviously being first).

Bonus points for the amount of trumpets and horns we hear throughout—seriously, Lana with a *band* behind her is unlike any other.

— My Review of Each Track --

1 - Textbook - Beautiful, evocative opening. The opening bass line coupled with the eerie “you could call it textbook” still sends me chills.

2 - Blue Bannisters - Not my favorite track on the album, but integral in terms of the album’s meaning.

3 - Arcadia - Beautiful piano ballad with beautiful (but strange) lyrics. I still have problems with the second verse's rhyme scheme and weirdness of the writing but one of my favorite songs by her nonetheless.

4 - Interlude - The Trio - This trap interlude marks where the tone of the album REALLY changes (from this point forward) and the album becomes much more experimental.

5 - Black Bathing Suit - Okay here we are... Glittery piano intro. Easily one of the sweetest and most exceptional songs she’s ever written! It’s clever, funny, wistful, references her bad relationship with her mom (again), and full of so many weird / experimental rhythms that sound like a cross between LMLYLAW, Fiona Apple, and Lana’s Lizzy era. The production is lush, weird, chaotic, and demo-y, similar to Dealer. The lyrics in this song are my favorite lyrics of the album and made me giggle so many times — and they even reference “Video Games” (“bad girls”). This one definitely deserves many listens.

6 - If You Lie Down With Me - Country piano ballad Lana at her best. Chorus (or one of the choruses, I guess? Idk the writing on this album is so weird!) references Simon and Garfunkel’s “The Boxer”. Favorite moment: “STOW-AWAY”. Easily has the most beautiful outro of any of her songs.

7 - Beautiful - Again, Blue Bannisters, with your glittery piano intros and outstanding poetry! This is one of her most beautiful (unironically) ballads ever, and the way she just speaks full-on sentences and whispers is so mesmerizing and haunting. Her writing really shines through on this track. The meaning reminds me of a reverse “Black Beauty”, and just as beautiful/poetic.

8 - Violets for Roses - Again, the sheer amount of poetry was shocking. Beautiful song but not as melodically memorable as the last three.

9 - Dealer - Okay, first critique. The transition from “Violets for Roses” to “Dealer” quite literally makes no sense. The song also just doesn’t… fit on the album at ALL given the poetic folk-ness of basically every other track. I love “Dealer” alone, it just doesn’t fit on this album. Like everyone says, even in expanded HQ it sounds very demo-y, which is a recurrent production choice throughout this album. (Btw this version has more lyrics than the leaked track).

10 - Thunder - Hearing “Thunder” in expanded orchestral, piano-ballad glory was such a shock! I was smiling throughout the whole song. Huge fan of the new orchestration. The pacing is so much more introspective, emotional, and beautiful and as such the song REALLY delivers its “oomph” moments as it slowly becomes more rock.

11 - Wildflower Wildfire - Beautiful transition from “Thunder”. At this point I realized that, because “Dealer” and “Thunder” don’t directly deal with her past in a poetic sense, they don’t really fit on the album. In other words, “Violets for Roses” should have led straight into “Wildflower Wildfire” for the sake of cohesiveness IMHO. One of her most revealing songs, and continues the theme of mentioning Lana’s fraught relationship with her mother.

12 - Nectar of the Gods - The new arrangement is so tender, subtle, and beautiful. Folksy and feels like a logical progression from COCC. The vocals sound new compared to the leaked demo, and the guitar is far more polished.

13 - Living Legend - Moving and tender. Belongs perfectly on this album. Polished, nuanced HQ version of the leaked demo.

14 - Cherry Blossom - Beautiful and tender. Mostly untouched from the leaked demo, I believe the ending is more epic and forceful though.

15 - Sweet Carolina - Mesmerizing and absolutely Lana to end an album with a love letter to her sister and her incoming niece (Chuck's daughter). Note that Chuck's real name is Caroline (AKA Carolina). One of her most beautiful songs melodically, and her soaring voice is an incredible way to end the album. The lyrics, and the mention to the “iPhone 11” and “fuck you Kevin”—are a huge highlight of the album. IMO this is her most beautiful closer ever. The production is gorgeous.

 

 

 

[SalvaWHORE 32,628]

Spoiler

guys!!! why does it feel like "If You Lie Down With Me" is a sequel of "On Our Way" ???? this song is sweet as fuck i just can't.

 

[Alison by Slowdive 26,015]

2 hours ago, DCooper said:

Black Bathing Suit question:

 

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Does anyone have any idea what she's repeating over and over in the outro? I'm trying so hard to decipher but I haven't a clue 

 

Spoiler

nvm - just read rightofjupiter's comment, and i def hear what they said now i need to stop replying before i've read everything lol <3