Did you know that there's a tunnel under Ocean Blvd - Post-Release Discussion Thread + Poll

[Make me your Dream Life 87,809]

Million dollar man to then candy necklace is like a new york night balcony trip

[Crimson and Clover 22,505]

As her festival dates get closer, I’m still curious how she’ll approach VB and Taco Truck on tour (hopefully she’ll include it still). Also, did I read somewhere that she plans on The Grants being the closer for her concerts or did I just make that up?? 
 

I can see a few options. Maybe beginning as Taco Truck and then transitioning to the regular VB. She might just completely ditch the trap version too. I’d be open for a mashup between the two though, I can see that being amazing live. It would also be a great pre-closer. Having it in the middle of her setlist would be pretty cool too, maybe to transition the concert to one atmosphere to another. 

[Honeyyoung 17,096]

7 minutes ago, Crimson and Clover said:

As her festival dates get closer, I’m still curious how she’ll approach VB and Taco Truck on tour (hopefully she’ll include it still). Also, did I read somewhere that she plans on The Grants being the closer for her concerts or did I just make that up?? 
 

I can see a few options. Maybe beginning as Taco Truck and then transitioning to the regular VB. She might just completely ditch the trap version too. I’d be open for a mashup between the two though, I can see that being amazing live. It would also be a great pre-closer. Having it in the middle of her setlist would be pretty cool too, maybe to transition the concert to one atmosphere to another. 

i was thinking just the taco truck part in the middle, then pre-closing with venice bitch, then transitioning to the taco truck vb remix as the closer

[Americen Whore 10,132]

25 minutes ago, Crimson and Clover said:

Also, did I read somewhere that she plans on The Grants being the closer for her concerts or did I just make that up?? 

Yes she said it herself in that radio interview & also that she’ll have to shorten the songs and do mashups

[mlittle11 12,214]

this might be a hot take but does anyone else feel like all the references/samples of her past work are a little lazy? i swear i hear a new one everyday 

[longtimeman 8,918]

10 minutes ago, mlittle11 said:

this might be a hot take but does anyone else feel like all the references/samples of her past work are a little lazy? i swear i hear a new one everyday 

No.

Unfortunately, the way most education systems work these days, if you want to get a solid B+ on an essay, it's enough to recognise where something comes from, and you don't have to work out why a reference is actually being used. None of the references/callbacks, to her own work or to the work of others, are done just for the hell of it.

[West Coast 45,793]

Taco Truck is hitting especially hard tonight, really wish she had made it its own song, it would've been a top 3 contender. 

[mlittle11 12,214]

1 minute ago, longtimeman said:

No.

Unfortunately, the way most education systems work these days, if you want to get a solid B+ on an essay, it's enough to recognise where something comes from, and you don't have to work out why a reference is actually being used. None of the references/callbacks, to her own work or to the work of others, are done just for the hell of it.

there’s literally no reason to insult someone’s intelligence lmao…… im not saying they serve no purpose however, there are so many melodies, lyrics, samples, and literally an entire song that were taken from her past work on this album. a reference here n there is cute but i mean… the sheer amount of references is taking away from this albums originality. 

[West Coast 45,793]

35 minutes ago, mlittle11 said:

this might be a hot take but does anyone else feel like all the references/samples of her past work are a little lazy? i swear i hear a new one everyday 

I personally find it odd that she sampled songs that were released/recorded like 2-3 years ago? Not sure if that's laziness/artistic laziness, or the result of working with more or less the same team for four albums in a row, but the album is just very sample heavy.

 

My main complaint is that she completely botched the closing track and did the song a disservice. Like Venice Bitch on its own is a career highlight, but the remix just sounded cheap/corny to me. Taco Truck, even though it goes back to your comment about Lana heavily sampling in her own/past work on this record, started off amazing and could've been a remarkable song on its own, but the song has this mod podged feeling to it and not in a good way.

 

In hindsight, all these insiders saying the album sounded fresh and like nothing we had heard before, well that was kind of a half-truth, as you can clearly hear a lot of her past work (and especially the recent one) in these new songs.

 

The album is still good though.

[redsangrias 652]

7 minutes ago, West Coast said:

I personally find it odd that she sampled songs that were released/recorded like 2-3 years ago? Not sure if that's laziness/artistic laziness, or the result of working with more or less the same team for four albums in a row, but the album is just very sample heavy.

 

My main complaint is that she completely botched the closing track and did the song a disservice. Like Venice Bitch on its own is a career highlight, but the remix just sounded cheap/corny to me. Taco Truck, even though it goes back to your comment about Lana heavily sampling in her own/past work on this record, started off amazing and could've been a remarkable song on its own, but the song has this mod podged feeling to it and not in a good way.

 

In hindsight, all these insiders saying the album sounded fresh and like nothing we had heard before, well that was kind of a half-truth, as you can clearly hear a lot of her past work (and especially the recent one) in these new songs.

 

The album is still good though.

Hard disagree. Venice Bitch is my favourite song (by any artist) and Taco Truck is clearly not an attempt to improve on it. It’s a revisit, a new version, an alternate reality.

 

The perfection of Venice Bitch already exists as Venice Bitch the song. Taco Truck reminds me of White Mustang in that the entire song hooks you in less than two minutes, if you want to hear it again, just replay it. You can say the same for A&W: “why didn’t she make Jimmy a whole song” well guess what Mimi… she didn’t. So suck it up and live with it! 

 

The album IS sample heavy (the two instrumentals, the Tommy Genesis sample. But nothing new for Lana. She has sang over existing instrumentals for her unreleased.) She doesn’t have to prove that she can write new melodies and fresh music, her strength is in her lyricism; so what if the instrumentals already existed?

 

I don’t think the album sounds “fresh” however it is refreshing to hear Lana try out new things such as sampling, interludes and remixes. It’s fresh in the Lanaverse for sure..

 

[West Coast 45,793]

34 minutes ago, redsangrias said:

Hard disagree. Venice Bitch is my favourite song (by any artist) and Taco Truck is clearly not an attempt to improve on it. It’s a revisit, a new version, an alternate reality.

 

The perfection of Venice Bitch already exists as Venice Bitch the song. Taco Truck reminds me of White Mustang in that the entire song hooks you in less than two minutes, if you want to hear it again, just replay it. You can say the same for A&W: “why didn’t she make Jimmy a whole song” well guess what Mimi… she didn’t. So suck it up and live with it! 

 

The album IS sample heavy (the two instrumentals, the Tommy Genesis sample. But nothing new for Lana. She has sang over existing instrumentals for her unreleased.) She doesn’t have to prove that she can write new melodies and fresh music, her strength is in her lyricism; so what if the instrumentals already existed?

 

I don’t think the album sounds “fresh” however it is refreshing to hear Lana try out new things such as sampling, interludes and remixes. It’s fresh in the Lanaverse for sure..

 

Okay love that for you then, but let's agree to disagree miss Mimi Imfurst. I think Venice Bitch is an amazing song on its own and it already existed in its own unique and iconique way prior to this album coming out.

 

Taco Truck would've been an amazing song on its own as well. She didn't elevate either songs, reusing something that was already perfect, choices were made. I've been seeing a lot of Tik Tok edits switching VB for Radio and I actually think this would've been a better fit, harkening us back to her BTD days. 
 

A&W worked for me, because they were both fresh pieces of music mashed together, but they tried to repeat this feat on the same album with a different song we had already heard prior, and I don't think it worked as well.

 

I find that it was a "cheap" way to close a seemingly great album. To each is own.

 

[mlittle11 12,214]

21 minutes ago, West Coast said:

I personally find it odd that she sampled songs that were released/recorded like 2-3 years ago? Not sure if that's laziness/artistic laziness, or the result of working with more or less the same team for four albums in a row, but the album is just very sample heavy.

 

My main complaint is that she completely botched the closing track and did the song a disservice. Like Venice Bitch on its own is a career highlight, but the remix just sounded cheap/corny to me. Taco Truck, even though it goes back to your comment about Lana heavily sampling in her own/past work on this record, started off amazing and could've been a remarkable song on its own, but the song has this mod podged feeling to it and not in a good way.

 

In hindsight, all these insiders saying the album sounded fresh and like nothing we had heard before, well that was kind of a half-truth, as you can clearly hear a lot of her past work (and especially the recent one) in these new songs.

 

The album is still good though.

yes theres so much sampling from recent work. even in taco truck the “caribbean blue in sweater weather” sounds like a reference to “youre in the wind im in the water” from cocc. taco truck shouldve definitely been a full song, leaving off VB. also, like someone pointed out earlier, the bartender melody in fingertips. 

 

yeah im not sure if laziness is the right word but its just odd. parts of the album sound fresh and others sound like a carbon copy of what we’ve heard before. i know lanas capable of creating new things so its not a testament to her talent but maybe her level of effort?

 

i still think the album is good and i come back to some songs but yeah… this realization im having is making me feel a bit differently about the album. 

[HighbytheSea 4,790]

30 minutes ago, West Coast said:

I personally find it odd that she sampled songs that were released/recorded like 2-3 years ago? Not sure if that's laziness/artistic laziness, or the result of working with more or less the same team for four albums in a row, but the album is just very sample heavy.

 

My main complaint is that she completely botched the closing track and did the song a disservice. Like Venice Bitch on its own is a career highlight, but the remix just sounded cheap/corny to me. Taco Truck, even though it goes back to your comment about Lana heavily sampling in her own/past work on this record, started off amazing and could've been a remarkable song on its own, but the song has this mod podged feeling to it and not in a good way.

 

In hindsight, all these insiders saying the album sounded fresh and like nothing we had heard before, well that was kind of a half-truth, as you can clearly hear a lot of her past work (and especially the recent one) in these new songs.

 

The album is still good though.

I've been taking Taco Truck x VB as a reclamation of the song. She's taken it back from the NFR days (mostly Sean) and it's sexier now; better, hotter, and happier than she was then. It's me your little Venice bitch. But not YOURS.

[Eugene 26,669]

That's why they call me Lanita 

[West Coast 45,793]

4 minutes ago, HighbytheSea said:

I've been taking Taco Truck x VB as a reclamation of the song. She's taken it back from the NFR days (mostly Sean) and it's sexier now; better, hotter, and happier than she was then. It's me your little Venice bitch. But not YOURS.

That's an interesting take, don't think she was with that man when she recorded the song in 2018, but anyway. Not sure what there was to reclaim, pretty sure she just wanted to put it out there how Venice Bitch initially/could've sounded like. If you love it, you love it.

 

I reckon that a full Taco Truck song would've been awesome.

[mlittle11 12,214]

3 minutes ago, HighbytheSea said:

I've been taking Taco Truck x VB as a reclamation of the song. She's taken it back from the NFR days (mostly Sean) and it's sexier now; better, hotter, and happier than she was then. It's me your little Venice bitch. But not YOURS.

i dont think VB was about sean

[honeybadger 40,620]

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[mlittle11 12,214]

4 minutes ago, honeybadger said:

 

not saying you're wrong or your opinion is wrong at all in any way, i get it if x VB doesn't land or if you don't enjoy the references, but she's been pretty self-referential and referential of recent work AND older work forever & in most of her albums–

 

  Reveal hidden contents

candles in the wind, lights camera accion, little red party dress, "i'm crazy", "you're up i'm down, you're blind i see" / "i can see but once i was blind", "i think we're like the wind and sea" / "you're in the wind i'm in the water" / (and if you feel like it fits "caribbean blue in sweater weather", "is the sun in your eyes easy rider" / "sun reflecting in your eyes like an easy rider" / "sun reflecting in your eyes", "nothing gold can stay" in MTWBT and VB, "i'm in my party dress, he say you're such a mess" / "in my party dress, i'm a fucking mess", the similar melodies of "take off, take off" (LFL) and "hello hello" (without you), "i need you, i breathe you" / "need you baby like i breathe you baby", etc etc etc

 

i think this album does have a lot of references but it feels thematically relevant to me  and also in line with what she's been doing for a long time – and although that as a technique could be seen as lazy i don't think it particularly is, especially given the fact they went as far back as to pull an obscure lyric reference from an old unleaked song (earthquakes)

i definitely see this and agree with you. maybe shes trying to create new *classic* references within her work? im not sure. however, something about these references feel different to me but maybe im biased. 

[West Coast 45,793]

17 minutes ago, honeybadger said:

 

not saying you're wrong or your opinion is wrong at all in any way, i get it if x VB doesn't land or if you don't enjoy the references, but she's been pretty self-referential and referential of recent work AND older work forever & in most of her albums–

 

  Reveal hidden contents

candles in the wind, lights camera accion, little red party dress, "i'm crazy", "you're up i'm down, you're blind i see" / "i can see but once i was blind", "i think we're like the wind and sea" / "you're in the wind i'm in the water" / (and if you feel like it fits "caribbean blue in sweater weather", "is the sun in your eyes easy rider" / "sun reflecting in your eyes like an easy rider" / "sun reflecting in your eyes", "nothing gold can stay" in MTWBT and VB, "i'm in my party dress, he say you're such a mess" / "in my party dress, i'm a fucking mess", the similar melodies of "take off, take off" (LFL) and "hello hello" (without you), "i need you, i breathe you" / "need you baby like i breathe you baby", etc etc etc

 

i think this album does have a lot of references but it feels thematically relevant to me  and also in line with what she's been doing for a long time – and with the NFR lyric references .. nfr was released 4 years ago, it's like having hm references in nfr, and to me that seems pretty disconnected if i step back and think about it...?? and although self-reference as a technique could be seen as lazy i don't think it particularly is, especially given the fact they went as far back as to pull an obscure lyric reference from an old unleaked song (earthquakes).

I think that referencing past lyrics is different than reusing the same melodies, chord/vocal progressions, and I'm not saying I hate those on the new album, as in there is not a song that stands out as being particularly bad, but it kinda feels like "wait a minute I've heard this before on NFR & Chemtrails".

For instance, she did reference her red party dress a few times before (or the moonlight) but it was kinda cute, now she's like straight up reusing melodies, vocal/chord progression in plain sight. People gave her grief for How to disappear & Wild at Heart sounding very similar, but this time around it's just as obvious. I don't think it makes the music sound bad, or make her particularly lazy, but it's definitely there and it's a choice.

[honeybadger 40,620]

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