Lorde

[OverYourHead 6,269]

The way mood ring is the only good song though

[vrtvie 2,264]

15 hours ago, PeroxidePrincess said:

I feel bad for her because she definitely didn't want to make a bad album in order to spite us. In the emails I could feel her passion for the project

This happens often when artists make a boring album but they needed to do release them personally. Same happened with Love + Fear that had the most basic sounds and straightforward lyrics in Marina's career but she felt she needed to release it and stated that writing 'easier' lyrics is a sign of happiness and the majority of the fandom was disappointed. She was so excited that she even said it was her best album ever and after everyone dragged her she had to repost tweets about feeling confident no matter what and that she had feelings too et cetera et cetera. The thing is, artists doing such a move have a right to do so but need to acknowledge that their fans might be annoyed and they need to decide if it's a risk they're willing to take. Lorde seems to have done so. Still, the album is pretentious and so cliche'd both thematically and sonically (it feels like a very long, long Venice Bitch) that it is almost ridiculous.

 

However, when we're at this comparison with Marina, she still sang about things most people could find relatable; trying to find happiness, loving someone, being afraid of love, finding life strange, connecting with nature, vulnerability, and human emotions in general. Personal songs of Lorde's about smoking marijuana or saying no to the Californian stardom life is not something that an average listener is gonna relate to and without interesting or catchy sonical background it makes listening harder/worthless. I understand the decision to dedicate an album to healing in nature, but she could experiment more with the production and go more Bjork/iamamiwhoami route instead of another Jack Antonoff boring guitar-filled stuff.

 

I have finished listening and I can say that I like Fallen Fruit and Mood Ring but that's it. Also the intro of The Path is cute. Had she released it in 2017 or so, perhaps it would've been groundbreaking.

[Rocket0212 2,056]

This is such a random hate. I understand gays hating it, cause there are no bops, but critics? St. Vincent's HORRIBLE boring album got 85 on Metacritic ( when it's 65 at best), COCC sitting pretty with 81 while having second laziest album section (Wanderlust to For Free) in Lana's discography ( just behind In My Feelings to Tomorrow Never Came). Somehow the only album to get backlash for Jack's production is SP. I feel sorry for Ella. I actually think that it works better as an album than COCC, to be honest. Yeah, the highs are not as good, but I just like the whole vibe better.

Her fans deserved this, though. The way they are still living in 2013 tumblr world and hating Lana for no reason. Some rat said that Lana is THE worst songwriter ever, while praising Nail Salon. The irony.

[PatentLeatherDoOver 25,783]

My opinions could certainly change after a few more listens of the album, but..
 

While this is definitely my least favorite release from Lorde, I really enjoyed how well the production evoked this summery haze to center the record around. 
 

The melodies mirrored the slow sprawling of the instrumentation by sometimes drifting outside of the song’s scale. Though this created really interesting melodies at times, they (personally) often felt overly undefined, and that lack of definition made several of the tracks less than memorable for me. 

Lyrically, there are moments where you really appreciate her use of satire (like in Mood Ring) and the frank, irreverent expression of self running throughout the record. That being said, I sometimes felt that lyrics across different tracks unintentionally mimicked cliches and could be oddly vague as well. 
 

Vocally, I like that she experimented with her voice a bit more, especially in her higher register. There were several instances of breathy vocal layerings that gave the tracks more fullness, and some of those layerings reminded me a bit of Lana’s music as well. 
 

Overall, I’m pretty letdown, but the album just came out, so I’ll give it time

 

 

[alexspears 512]

i'm so blessed to have had very little preconceived ideas of this album

which allows me to be really enjoying it right now!!!!!

 

i'm loving dominoes, helen of troy, leader of a new regime and secrets from a girl!

 

this is the best lana del rey album lorde has ever released!!!!!!! (jk but i see what yall are saying)

into this

[x VB 12,508]

1 hour ago, Charlottexseax said:

That 6.8 looks SO good bestie ? 

Gurl you’re obsessed  

[whiteroses 860]

the only tracks i'm not sold on are Oceanic Feeling, The Path and Helen of Troy

 

the rest i love or are growing

[Moon River 2,365]

The Path is fucking amazing. 

[5adboy 5,015]

Cute album but no sign of artistic growth. Melodrama remains her peak and we can all agree on that

[GeminiLanaFan 49,051]

I finally got to listen to it and here are my thoughts (I didn’t hear the bonus tracks yet). She did say that the album was a mix of 2000 pop and hippie 60s-70s folk. And it becomes an excellent summer album. And the album works best when the two meet perfectly: Path, Fallen Fruit, Oceanic (very mellow and smooth, though the lyrics are a bit all over the place on first listen), Mood Ring and even Solar Power. But the album also lacks something when a song relies too much on one influence: secrets sounds like a B-side song from a Natacha Bedingfield record (only the Robyn cameo makes the song cute) and many songs mid-way feel like unfinished demos (hell,

stoned sounds like a lyrical finished masterpiece in comparison). And Man with an Axe is way too heavy for a summer album…

 

Lorde has three problems against her with this album : 

• Her 4 year hiatus;
• The lyrical genius of PH and MD;
• She gets lost in too many themes not necessarily well developed (summer, emotional baggage, fame) that Lana developed better on Norman and Chemtrails. 

So not a bad album, but a 6-song EP would have been perfect. 

[Kimi 227]

This should have never been released. Period.

[Furor Poeticus 16,359]

2 minutes ago, GeminiLanaFan said:

So not a bad album, but a 6-song EP would have been perfect

Yeah or maybe a short album format of 8-10 songs.

 

With that said, what songs would y'all keep? I'd choose The Path, Solar Power (maybe), California, Fallen Fruit, Mood Ring, Oceanic Feeling, 2 bonuses and maybe 2 songs from the rest

[American Whore 51,342]

I just listened and I think it's kind of annoying tbh. The entire album sounds like Solar Power which is kind of disappointing bc Solar Power is annoying and makes me think it super market music. The production on her voice, what was Jack thinking?? Did he auto tune her or triple layer her voice the entire album? It... doesn't sound great. As far as the lyrics, a lot of it just sounds like random thoughts that are never finished. the instrumental for The Path sounds like it's trying to be an unreleased Moody Blues song which I like, but the problem are the lyrics that are just boring. Who cares about you carrying a fork in your purse? I don't. And that song is really what makes me think she's struggling and trying too hard to keep her songwriting above par but she misses the mark on almost every track. California... is just weird. It's not weird on a good level it just feels like something i've heard a million times on the radio. 

 

I prolly won't be listening again to this. I have PH and Melodrama and those interest me more. Sadly I can't say this is more of the same, but it's more something, and not a good look coming after a 4 year hiatus. If this is what COCC sounded like to non-Lana stans, I'm so sorry 

[ChaoticLipster 24,618]

This album is so polarising wow

[GeminiLanaFan 49,051]

54 minutes ago, PeroxidePrincess said:

Yeah or maybe a short album format of 8-10 songs.

 

With that said, what songs would y'all keep? I'd choose The Path, Solar Power (maybe), California, Fallen Fruit, Mood Ring, Oceanic Feeling, 2 bonuses and maybe 2 songs from the rest

You summed it up. I’d keep Stoned for the acoustic side, but the rest could have been on a different album. 

7 minutes ago, Hydroponic Weeds said:

I just listened and I think it's kind of annoying tbh. The entire album sounds like Solar Power which is kind of disappointing bc Solar Power is annoying and makes me think it super market music. The production on her voice, what was Jack thinking?? Did he auto tune her or triple layer her voice the entire album? It... doesn't sound great. As far as the lyrics, a lot of it just sounds like random thoughts that are never finished. the instrumental for The Path sounds like it's trying to be an unreleased Moody Blues song which I like, but the problem are the lyrics that are just boring. Who cares about you carrying a fork in your purse? I don't. And that song is really what makes me think she's struggling and trying too hard to keep her songwriting above par but she misses the mark on almost every track. California... is just weird. It's not weird on a good level it just feels like something i've heard a million times on the radio. 

 

I prolly won't be listening again to this. I have PH and Melodrama and those interest me more. Sadly I can't say this is more of the same, but it's more something, and not a good look coming after a 4 year hiatus. If this is what COCC sounded like to non-Lana stans, I'm so sorry 

If she had released just and EP after her 4-year break, we would be all over it. But the middle part of the album seems unfinished sadly. 

[Rorman Nockwell 56,771]

17 minutes ago, Hydroponic Weeds said:

As far as the lyrics, a lot of it just sounds like random thoughts that are never finished. 

Agreed.

This album sounds like she stumbled into Jack's studio after suffering sunstroke and rambled into a microphone about forks, crystals and her hypothetical daughter for 30 odd minutes. 

Big yikes. 

 

Turns out that going to Antarctica to find inspiration for a summer album is, in fact, a terrible idea. 

[yayoop 4,607]

13 minutes ago, Rorman Nockwell said:

This album sounds like she stumbled into Jack's studio after suffering sunstroke and rambled into a microphone about forks, crystals and her hypothetical daughter for 30 odd minutes. 

 

Turns out that going to Antarctica to find inspiration for a summer album is, in fact, a terrible idea. 

I cackled, oh my Lorde

[Moon River 2,365]

I think the album is pretty nice, I really like the mellow summer vibes and the hazy production throughout. A few more poppy songs like Mood Ring would have been cool but it is what it is. Big Star is a career highlight. My deluxe vinyl looks spectacular. 

 

I'm already really excited to see how all of this is going to translate to a live show.

[rightofjupiter 16,622]

1 hour ago, PeroxidePrincess said:

With that said, what songs would y'all keep? I'd choose The Path, Solar Power (maybe), California, Fallen Fruit, Mood Ring, Oceanic Feeling, 2 bonuses and maybe 2 songs from the rest

 

the path, california, leader of the new regime, oceanic feeling, mood ring, SATNS, helen of troy, and like you said maybe solar power. having a hard time with the others due to lack of discernible/engaging vocal melody. that said i'm gonna keep listening– sometimes things do grow on you!– and then will make a shortened playlist out of my fav songs.

 

i will say that whenever her next album comes i will be VERY interested to hear where she goes from here. i appreciate that she didn't try to make an album that mimicked either of her previous two in any way– she's obvs trying to move the needle on the direction of her career. interested to see what her live show set up will be, and if she'll rework the sound of older songs to match SP's acoustic vibes.

[xxmissdaytonaxx 30,078]

i haven't listened yet because i have class first but i'm wondering if she's gonna add the deluxe tracks to streaming