urbannoize 1,596 Posted April 11, 2017 Lana went from stone cold stares to all smiles, beaming with life through the progression of her album covers leading up to Lust For Life. http://imgur.com/a/t1Tos 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
terusama 4,429 Posted April 11, 2017 Here is my analysis reposted. Strap in kiddos, here's my graham4anything style analysis of the covers BTD and LFL. BtD vs LfL Cover Analysis Album Titles As it's been discussed previously, Lust for Life is probably a play on Born to Die. Both titles feature a verb (if you take "lust" to be an imperative verb rather than a noun), its preposition, and the object of that preposition. Born in order to Die. Lusting in pursuit of Life. There is also a clear semantic contrast between "die" and "life". They're opposites and highlight an opposing focus to ones ideological outlook on life- Am I living just to die, so that my focus is on death? Or am I living for the sake of life, so that my focus in on life? These contrasts probably inform us a bit about the direction Lana is going to take in this album. Covers in Comparison A few comparisons can be made which lead me to believe that the LFL cover is an intentional harkening to the BTD cover. They both feature Lana standing forward, facing and looking into the camera, in front of a car. Other users here have pointed out that the car appears to be a similar kind to the one on the BTD cover. In both covers she takes up about the same amount of space. Both covers also feature a similar color scheme, with Lana in white, against a blue background. To me these similarities make it clear that she is trying to evoke BTD for a purpose which we will further explore. Covers in Contrast Styling In the BTD cover, we see Lana in a clean, buttoned up white blouse, perfectly styled hair, large earrings and reddened lips. These details give Lana a clean, manicured look. In contrast, the LFL cover features a lace dress, a more neutral lip, and daisies in the hair, which are placed asymmetrically. This creates a less crisp look, more organic and inviting, less cool and composed. Besides the daisies, the LFL cover features no ornamentation either (like jewelry). In contrast with the large shining earrings on the BTD cover, this would signal a turn away from opulence (which hasn't really been a theme since UV). Lighting In the BTD cover, the photographer relied on natural lighting for the shoot. Natural lighting creates heavier shadows, putting a good portion of Lanas face in shadow. A shadowed face appears more mysterious. In contrast, on the LFL cover Lana's face has been fully illuminated, and there is little shadowing anywhere on her face. This makes her appear less mysterious, more open, more "transparent" (perhaps a response to years of journalists badgering about "the MYSTERY of lana del rey"). Font The BTD cover makes use of what we've come to know as "her" font, the tall, unadorned, statuesque trademark font. The font is very utilitarian- it has no flourishes at all. It appears cold and uninviting. Contrast with the LFL font which is full of flourishes and personality. This adds a more personal touch to the cover, and makes it appear more genuine and inviting. Tone In the BTD cover, Lana looks directly into the camera, impressively unexpressive. There is no indication of emotion on her face, so we rely on other cues to determine the tone of the cover- the heavy shadows, the tight styling, etc. On the LFL cover, Lana looks right into the camera and smiles. This very obvious indicator of emotion causes us to look to her to determine the tone of the cover- which would appear to be a happy one. In Conclusion The comparisons between these covers give us the impression of an evocation of a previous era, but more importantly, the contrasts inform us as to what this evocation means. I believe that Lana intends to give us an album that is antithetical to Born to Die, with an emphasis on life rather than death, on purpose versus futility. Styling and tone choices lead me to believe that this album will attempt to be more genuine, less manicured, and more approachable than previous works. Why the border? My theory on the border is that it's supposed to look like a polaroid or like we're looking into a television screen, but I'm honestly not sure. 20 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
velveteen 362 Posted April 11, 2017 It's not horrible, but I gotta admit that this must the the first Lana cover that I really don't like. Glad that she looks happy though. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Flowerbomb 65,594 Posted April 11, 2017 Seriously, this particular cover will look so good on vinyl, I'm saving up my coins as we speak! 4 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rem 2,392 Posted April 11, 2017 Chuck??? Omg get rid of her already 10 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Thunder Revenant 20,943 Posted April 11, 2017 It's weak compared to her other covers but it's adorable and I love the BtD references. 1 Quote Just do it. Just do it - don't wait! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
annedauphine 35,889 Posted April 11, 2017 This is basically the UO HM cover so I wonder how the actual UO cover will look like, if there's one, but I expect there will be 5 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
velveteen 362 Posted April 11, 2017 On another note, is it just me or does something seem really off? IDK, something just really looks strange to me. But still, it's kinda cute, not my favorite though. 5 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AKASAKA SAWAYAMA 7,885 Posted April 11, 2017 On another note, is it just me or does something seem really off? IDK, something just really looks strange to me. But still, it's kinda cute, not my favorite though. same same sameeee. there is SOMETHING and it annoys me, that's why i don't like the cover but idk what is that 5 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sad girl 163 Posted April 11, 2017 She looks so beautiful :air: I'm not sure about the design but I can feel myself loving it 0 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Flowerbomb 65,594 Posted April 11, 2017 same same sameeee. there is SOMETHING and it annoys me, that's why i don't like the cover but idk what is that Although I love it, I think it looks as if someone took a png picture of Lana and photoshopped it onto the background image.. Cause Lana herself looks flawless and kinda airbrushed but the background of the truck looks rustic and unpolished... 4 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
velveteen 362 Posted April 11, 2017 same same sameeee. there is SOMETHING and it annoys me, that's why i don't like the cover but idk what is that Ugh I won't be able to sleep for weeks if I won't find out soon what's bothering me haha 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hounds Of Love 2,097 Posted April 11, 2017 On another note, is it just me or does something seem really off? IDK, something just really looks strange to me. But still, it's kinda cute, not my favorite though. same same sameeee. there is SOMETHING and it annoys me, that's why i don't like the cover but idk what is that It's her face, looks photoshopped 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Harpunn 399 Posted April 11, 2017 I like how she used the older Lana font for the title of the album plus for her very name. Here's to a prodigious era. 4 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AKASAKA SAWAYAMA 7,885 Posted April 11, 2017 Ugh I won't be able to sleep for weeks if I won't find out soon what's bothering me haha well there's answers and i think they are right Although I love it, I think it looks as if someone took a png picture of Lana and photoshopped it onto the background image.. Cause Lana herself looks flawless and kinda airbrushed but the background of the truck looks rustic and unpolished... It's her face, looks photoshopped 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sad girl 163 Posted April 11, 2017 What bothers me is the way the text fits over the border 4 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
norwegianwoodland 256 Posted April 11, 2017 okayyyyyy.... Lans looks beautiful but tbh I am not feeling her joyous/happy/positive era I am happy that she is happy....but a bitch needs some more depressing anthems from my queen It just seems odd to me comparing to her other albums. I like her concept of this time in America and it is her artistic duty to revel in what is happening....but it seems so forced. Like if she had given into the critics who always call her a moody, depressed, lonely sad girl; and she suddenly changed her whole aesthetic. Other than that I am looking forward to the album. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
singintheblues 935 Posted April 11, 2017 I'm the only that doesn't like that truck?! 0 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bounce 1,420 Posted April 11, 2017 ICONIC 0 Quote i used to be casady Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sugar Venom 9,658 Posted April 11, 2017 same same sameeee. there is SOMETHING and it annoys me, that's why i don't like the cover but idk what is that i thought this at first with the love video, i think she's just getting older lol 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
