Blue Banisters - Post-Release Discussion Thread + Poll

[mlittle11 12,234]

Just now, margaret soty said:

My girl Chemtrails does not sit next to Blue Banisters, keep her out of this topic. 

exactly  even though i could pass on a few songs on that record, its nowhere near the mess that bb is. plus the vibe is GOOD, cohesive, and makes me feel warm n fuzzy. 

2 minutes ago, TerrenceOnKilos said:

I used to spend hours analysing UV and Honeymoon, now I just have to listen to the song to know what it's about....

this exactly 

[Eugene 26,672]

 

[Let the Light In 18,857]

7 minutes ago, margaret soty said:

My girl Chemtrails does not sit next to Blue Banisters, keep her out of this topic. 

Thank you 

[Ramada Hydrangea 433]

1 hour ago, margaret soty said:

If You Lie Down With Me>>>>>>>>>>>

 

1 hour ago, Vertimus said:

One of her best. 

Glad I’m not the only one who is obsessed with this song 

[longtimeman 9,011]

16 minutes ago, SoftwareUpgrade said:

 

What are your thoughts on this record? 

I like it a lot - maybe even more than I like NFR. It felt to me like she was clarifying her writing after accidentally hitting on a way of expressing herself that resonated with middle aged rock critics (NFR). It's hard to express in a few sentences (knowing that more than three sentences in a post will get a TL;DR response from most people) but it's frustrating how even professors reviewing her records on youtube don't bother to read the full phrase that they're evaluating, rather than hitting on part of a verse that seems clumsy or out of place (or wrong, as though that's a thing). I understand that for most people. any one song should have a maximum of one emotion, but Lana's songs have never been that restrictive. Go back to Born To Die and actually listen to the songs - almost every one of them is trying to show us how point of view works in music.

[taco truck 33,415]

14 minutes ago, margaret soty said:

My girl Chemtrails does not sit next to Blue Banisters, keep her out of this topic. 

Idk if this is directed towards me but I actually do like Chemtrails a lot more than bb I just think she was forcing the “I’ve grown and matured so much“ kind of thing lol, definitely a different way than lfl tho and I understand what @wilting daisy was talking about. I think on Chemtrails/bb she’s kind of forcing it by making her lyrics less palatable and more stripped down lol. But Chemtrails itself is pretty vibey and white dress is one of her best songs ever

[LifeOnMars 7,931]

41 minutes ago, mlittle11 said:

this is what i miss about lanas music that isnt in the new record either. i need her to go back to world building n leave the straightforward and personal writing to her poetry. 

I feel like she will never fully go back to that style of writing. It wasn’t until she started getting more personal in her writing that critics started to call her one of the best songwriters of her generation. She seems to value the opinion of critics more than anyone else, so she will likely continue on that path. 

[Eugene 26,672]

2 minutes ago, taco truck said:

Idk if this is directed towards me but I actually do like Chemtrails a lot more than bb I just think she was forcing the “I’ve grown and matured so much“ kind of thing lol, definitely a different way than lfl tho and I understand what @wilting daisy was talking about. I think on Chemtrails/bb she’s kind of forcing it by making her lyrics less palatable and more stripped down lol. But Chemtrails itself is pretty vibey and white dress is one of her best songs ever

[mlittle11 12,234]

Just now, LifeOnMars said:

I feel like she will never fully go back to that style of writing. It wasn’t until she started getting more personal in her writing that critics started to call her one of the best songwriters of her generation. She seems to value the opinion of critics more than anyone else, so she will likely continue on that path. 

youre definitely right. i wish she wouldnt live to please the GP so much 

[taco truck 33,415]

2 minutes ago, LifeOnMars said:

I feel like she will never fully go back to that style of writing. It wasn’t until she started getting more personal in her writing that critics started to call her one of the best songwriters of her generation. She seems to value the opinion of critics more than anyone else, so she will likely continue on that path. 

Ya as much as I love NFR I fear the critical praise was for the worst 

[Dark Angel 203,385]

3 minutes ago, LifeOnMars said:

I feel like she will never fully go back to that style of writing. It wasn’t until she started getting more personal in her writing that critics started to call her one of the best songwriters of her generation. She seems to value the opinion of critics more than anyone else, so she will likely continue on that path. 

 

lana's songwriting was always personal, she was always one of the greatest songwriters of this generation, the critics don't understand her past work because they can't comprehend anything that isn't digestible and mainstream, especially made by a woman who may have her own thoughts, experiences, and perspectives on certain matters, nobody should make art for critics, the charts, radio, social media, etc. it shouldn't have to be for any of that, she should make art for herself first and foremost, anybody who has a problem with it doesn't have to listen, she will/has found her audience

[Venice Jesus Whore 4,471]

Blue Banisters is my least favorite Lana album. I kinda loathe it as an album overall. To me, there are just very few highs and some of her lowest lows. And it does feel like she just came up with the style of Blue Banisters, Wildfire Wildflower, and Text Book, but didn’t have much more to add, so she just threw in a bunch of unreleased songs that didn’t fit in elsewhere. Idk, it just feels messy, unfinished, underdeveloped…
 

I do listen to a good amount of the songs regularly because I made a “Blue Chemtrails” playlist which combines my favorites from COTCC and BB. And that playlist does fill a niche in Lana’s discography for me of just slower, calmer music I can have on in the background. But I still have a love/hate relationship with some of the songs I even have on this playlist (Blue Banisters, Wildflower Wildfire, Black Bathing Suit). 

 

Spoiler

1. White Dress

2. Chemtrails Over the Country Club

3. Tulsa Jesus Freak

4. Wildflower Wildfire

5. Nectar of the Gods

6. Not All Who Wander Are Lost

7. Black Bathing Suit

8. If You Lie Down With Me

9. Thunder

10. Dealer

11. Dark But Just a Game

12. Wild at Heart

13. Blue Banisters

14. Living Legend

15. Breaking Up Slowly

16. Yosemite

I know this isn’t a Chemtrails thread, but it’s hard not to compare them when they came out the same year and when I associate them with each other. Even with Chemtrails having quite a few weak tracks and only being 11 tracks total, that album still just feels so much more focused,  developed, and purposeful than Blue Banisters does. The first three tracks on Chemtrails kinda obliterates the very large majority of songs on BB alone. 
 

All that being said, I’m just glad Lana has created Ocean Blvd because Chemtrails and BB had me questioning my trust in her artistic vision a bit, which isn’t a good feeling when you’ve been a consistent fan for a decade and have never really been disappointed. I still appreciate that BB exists and I can listen to it, but another part of me thinks I would’ve been happier as a fan if it was never released. But it’s Lana’s career and vision, not mine. And i feel bad complaining about having more music when I could’ve had less, but also, quality > quantity. 

[Ramada Hydrangea 433]

23 minutes ago, longtimeman said:

I understand that for most people. any one song should have a maximum of one emotion, but Lana's songs have never been that restrictive. Go back to Born To Die and actually listen to the songs - almost every one of them is trying to show us how point of view works in music.

I agree on this point. The emotions Text Book evokes actually remind me a lot of Born to Die (the song). Longing for what’s lost/nostalgia + hope that you’ll get what’s lost back + uncertainty for the future. I feel like those emotions sum up a lot of Lana’s music

[shadesofloveduthenandnow 20,612]

BB is top 5 ldr albums and that’s the tee

[CinnamonGay 10,527]

41 minutes ago, LifeOnMars said:

I feel like she will never fully go back to that style of writing. It wasn’t until she started getting more personal in her writing that critics started to call her one of the best songwriters of her generation. She seems to value the opinion of critics more than anyone else, so she will likely continue on that path. 

I feel like Ocean is a return to that form of songwriting. Although she says there's no world building, it's not as direct like NFR-BB.

 

Just that the world building isn't abstract, but they tell a better story than BTD-HM.

[hongkongdisco mysterygirl15 787]

I can listen to her laptop demos all day long so I personally don't care if it's messy, as long as it has character. Imo BB has way more life and personality than Chemtrails and especially NFR, which were the worst offense for an artist so singularly unique and distinctive. After receiving so much acclaim for the bland watered down indie singer songwriter thing that I've heard a million times before from other artists, I feared she lost it for good and it was a RELIEF to hear something somewhat experimental for her and that sounded like Lana again. I appreciate the rough edges. Plus it has several great songs and no skips for me, except Beautiful which has an admittedly grating chorus.

Lyrically, she's always had questionable moments, many of which (Picasso, Toyota) I find endearing. Grandfather is just as terribly on the nose, if not even worse than anything off this album. 

[CinnamonGay 10,527]

 not you guys dragging BB lyrics when her lyrics were worse during UV/LFL sparing a few songs.

 

Her lyrics have always told a story- just that the themes changed. Considering UV was released almost 10 years ago when she was in her late 20s( people are in their peak sexual/dramatic phase, it makes sense.) 

Her pen is stronger than ever, just that she's tamed down because she's settling into the midlife dreams and content with mundane stuff. 

[George Parasol 642]

People always seem to write so much nonsense regarding her lyrics. Latching onto a couple of words and phrases (newest one seems to be "world-building") and endlessly repeating them without having any idea as to what they means in regards to lyrics is no meaningful analysis. Now English is not my first language so maybe I'm simply wrong, but I'm still baffled by people saying her older lyrics were deeper and had more universal themes. I fail to see how themes of death, grief, childhood trauma are less universal than abusive relationships. As far as songs about relationships and romantic love are concerned, her newer lyrics don't seem radically different and less universal from her older ones. They feel better written to me, but that's subjective.

[taco truck 33,415]

18 minutes ago, George Parasol said:

People always seem to write so much nonsense regarding her lyrics. Latching onto a couple of words and phrases (newest one seems to be "world-building") and endlessly repeating them without having any idea as to what they means in regards to lyrics is no meaningful analysis. Now English is not my first language so maybe I'm simply wrong, but I'm still baffled by people saying her older lyrics were deeper and had more universal themes. I fail to see how themes of death, grief, childhood trauma are less universal than abusive relationships. As far as songs about relationships and romantic love are concerned, her newer lyrics don't seem radically different and less universal from her older ones. They feel better written to me, but that's subjective.

No offense but if you feel like her old songs are only about abusive relationships I don’t think you’re paying attention to them. Her music has always been about those topics, it’s the lyrical style that people don’t enjoy, and certain songs like sweet carolina or blue banisters that become extremely unrelatable due to the name dropping and such… not saying she has to make relatable music (because people get so up in arms about that lol) but relatability is a big thing in good lyricism and Lana lost that when she changed her writing style. 

[George Parasol 642]

9 minutes ago, taco truck said:

No offense but if you feel like her old songs are only about abusive relationships I don’t think you’re paying attention to them. Her music has always been about those topics, it’s the lyrical style that people don’t enjoy

I didn't mean to say her older songs are only about abusive relationships. The main issue I have is that people just keep repeating "world-building" and "less universal" ad nauseam without bothering to further explain. I can see the stories in the newer lyrics too, so I am just failing to grasp what people mean when they keep on mentioning those same phrases over and over. If someone can be gracious enough to actually explain what they mean more clearly, I will gladly concede.