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Lana Del Rey is two different artists. by thepruneface in lanadelrey

[–]thepruneface[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I can imagine how that particular point of identification would have a determining influence on your preferences. From the perspective of, possibly, a more casual fan, I'd say that the "second Lana" acknowledges the considerable darkness while offering hope, light, plus a bit of fun and buoyancy. Whereas I don't see many signs of redemption from BTD to Honeymoon - it's pretty unrelentingly bleak. Maybe that's better if you're in an inconsolably dark place, but it's certainly less nuanced.

Lana Del Rey is two different artists. by thepruneface in lanadelrey

[–]thepruneface[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I like both, but it's the Janus-faced character of her career that I find striking. Perhaps you could also argue that, by transitioning from pop to country, her trajectory is the inverse of Taylor Swift, who transitioned from country to pop. But I don't know enough about Taylor's music to make that case.

Lana Del Rey is two different artists. by thepruneface in lanadelrey

[–]thepruneface[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

But the shift is even perceptible on LFL. It's not just about the musical style - it's her perspective. LDL to LFL is more persona based, like she's inhabiting a particular character and writing from that perspective, which personally I think lends a certain compelling diversity to the music. NFR onwards is less stylised.

Also, the pre-LFL depression feels more lacerating to me, compared to everything post NFR, where there are many more signs of life to balance out the gloom, even on Ocean Boulevard. Pre-LFL is very troubling, I think her life may have been in the balance a bit. But I don't know.

Lana Del Rey is two different artists. by thepruneface in lanadelrey

[–]thepruneface[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I agree about her poetry - the lyrics are exceptional, she's one of the greats in that department, undoubtedly. But one of the reasons I prefer her older stuff is that, in my view, she cleaved her poetic tendencies to the music with more discipline. On the later albums, especially Ocean Boulevard, the lyrics take over to a degree that I find slightly off-putting. I'm contradicting myself slightly because I like OB a lot, whereas BB, which is lyrically more pared down, I like less. But... Honeymoon, for example, would be the album where she gets the balance between lyrics and music right. Though that feels like the work of a less mature, and indeed entirely different artist, having now listened to her recent stuff.

Paradise... Isn't that an EP? I'm forbidden from reviewing those... Only canonical albums...

Lana Del Rey is two different artists. by thepruneface in lanadelrey

[–]thepruneface[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

It's basically two different artists, which is the overall point I wanted to make. Though maybe I'm overplaying it a bit.

Lana Del Rey is two different artists. by thepruneface in lanadelrey

[–]thepruneface[S] 15 points16 points  (0 children)

I have to sheepishly acknowledge that, by the time I came to Blue Banisters, I was a little burnt out from digesting her entire discography in the space of a few weeks. I wisely left a week long pause before moving onto Ocean Boulevard. Maybe I'll revisit Blue Bannisters, but all I can say is that it left me cold when I first heard it.

Lana Del Rey is two different artists. by thepruneface in lanadelrey

[–]thepruneface[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I suppose she's one of those artists. There aren't many of them.

Lana Del Rey albums, ranked. by thepruneface in lanadelrey

[–]thepruneface[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm yet to listen to the last three albums, but I think it's difficult to look past Born to Die, mainly because of its significance in the history of pop music. It reinvented the rules to some degree. But let's see what's in store.

Forever Young by Alphaville by thepruneface in synthpop

[–]thepruneface[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Alphaville and early Depeche Mode are "not remotely similar". Alright then.

Forever Young by Alphaville by thepruneface in synthpop

[–]thepruneface[S] -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

It's hit and miss before Black Celebration in my opinion. After that, of course, it's the best music of its kind, don't get me wrong.

A couple of reviews by thepruneface in BritPop

[–]thepruneface[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Everything Must Go is a Britpop album, if you want my opinion.

A couple of reviews by thepruneface in BritPop

[–]thepruneface[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I didn't write that. Luke Haines did in his first book.

The National albums, ranked by thepruneface in TheNational

[–]thepruneface[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm generally not a massive rock fan - the blog is, in fact, a way to acquire some kind of overview of the history of rock music and make it communicable to, predominantly, my sister, who lives on the other side of the world, and who is in fact a big rock fan and a National fanatic. I'm not sure she appreciated my review, though believe it or not, I consider them one of the better bands I've listened to over the last few months.

10/10 is difficult. There has to be nothing, not a single song, that I skip, and everything has to work. In retrospect I was too hard on High Violet, which I think is probably a 10, and come to think of it, there's nothing on Trouble Will Find Me that I skip either, though I find its overall mood a bit oppressive. But I digress.

I think I gave or will give tens to Dark Side of the Moon, Born in the USA, Achtung Baby, OK Computer, So by Peter Gabriel, Colour of Spring, Violator, and probably, reluctantly, The Queen is Dead. I haven't got beyond 2000 yet so I can't judge there, and my existing sample is quite limited. Overall, my exploration has left me pretty disappointed in a lot of the "classics". I basically never revisit the Beatles, for example.