bat1990
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Post by bat1990 on Sept 24, 2015 12:04:23 GMT -5
Holy s**t!!!! This album held my attention while doing work, it's that captivating.
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seaguy27
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Post by seaguy27 on Sept 24, 2015 13:50:53 GMT -5
The Blackest Day is far and away the song of the album for me. So much brilliance to dissect there. Those verses, that pre-chorus, that post-chorus, that post-post chorus, that bridge, that alternate post-chourus... to quote Lana on the song, "oh my god!" It's like each aspect of the song structure is its own sovereign slice of perfection all unto itself. But then they somehow all manage to unite for something truly epic. Her vocals and lyrics convey the tone so effortlessly. A career high point for sure. Those 6 minutes just fly by every time. I could not agree more with what you said!
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anafan
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Post by anafan on Sept 24, 2015 21:44:34 GMT -5
Another good album from her, but I think Ultraviolence is a bit better overall.
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popbox
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Post by popbox on Sept 25, 2015 0:08:06 GMT -5
Another good album from her, but I think Ultraviolence is a bit better overall. Probably. That album has such an enticing atmosphere to it that I find irresistible. If you added Black Beauty and Florida Kilos to the standard and relegated Fucked My Way Up to the Top and The Other Woman to bonus tracks, it would literally be a perfect album to me. I'm loving HM to pieces right now, but I'm not sure I will come back to it as much and as long as I have UV. I think HM is more of a "certain-kind-of-mood" album on the whole.
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cufan7
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Post by cufan7 on Sept 25, 2015 0:18:17 GMT -5
Update since my 1st listening session whilst intoxicated in a Dunkin' Donuts: Song-for-song, I think that I like Honeymoon more that Ultraviolence. I think her vocals on Honeymoon are easily the best recorded vocals from her so far (probably helps that they are more prominent in the production). I'm not sure that I like any of the songs quite as much as "Cruel World" or "West Coast", but I'll give them a couple more weeks of listening to be definitive with that statement. Considering the different styles that Lana explores on Honeymoon, I feel that it is impressive how cohesive the album seems for me. It just flows so nicely. I don't know why, but with Ultraviolence the first 5 tracks always seemed like a separate album from tracks 6-14. Right now, "24" and "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" are the only songs on Honeymoon that I don't care for.
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popbox
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Post by popbox on Sept 25, 2015 1:08:49 GMT -5
I do agree her albums are getting more cohesive with every release, and this is definitely her most cohesive one. It's interesting because I think BTD and Paradise are more about individual standout tracks and less about the album as a whole, whereas I feel the opposite is true for both UV and HM. Especially HM. The only true "standouts" for me are The Blackest Day and Salvatore, and most of the rest of the album is neck and neck in quality for me. 24 and DLMBM are also the only two I'm not that into right now, though they aren't bad either.
To me she's kind of hitting less song highs with each release, but delivering more focused and tight albums. Though I think that's also why I like UV the best still. It's kind of the happy medium between the BTD/Paradise and Honeymoon albums. The first five songs and BB are all huge standouts on their own, and then the rest of the album has the cohesively good distinction that HM possesses throughout.
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Active Aggressive
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Post by Active Aggressive on Sept 25, 2015 7:15:05 GMT -5
If you added Black Beauty and Florida Kilos to the standard and relegated f**ked My Way Up to the Top and The Other Woman to bonus tracks, it would literally be a perfect album to me. f**ked My Way To The Top reminds me the most of BTD out of all the songs from Ultraviolence so it is one of my favorites because that is the sound that made me fall in love with her in the first place - those unique vocals atop hard beats. The Other Woman is beautiful and fragile and draws from personal experience so again, I love it. Black Beauty is nice but Florida Kilos...nah. It should have just been put on the Spring Breakers soundtrack instead. I am legit OBSESSED with Honeymoon. I have to hear it every day in full, which never happened with Ultraviolence. I really appreciate that album but I never have a craving for it. I agree with critics that this is her best album as it is everything great about Lana and nothing grating or bad. I still have a soft spot in my heart for BTD, as I think it's one of the best debut albums in history and was my album of the year. Plus, it has zero burn rate for me. But, Honeymoon is next level.
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Ling-Ling
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Post by Ling-Ling on Sept 25, 2015 7:23:55 GMT -5
UV is musical sludge to me, I can't handle 2/3rds of that album. Thank goodness she got it back on track with this one. I am loving so much of this, it feels like a natural progression from Paradise to me, the one she should have made in the first place. I have no idea what that UV detour was all about, but aside from three or four tracks, I'm going to pretend it never happened.
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SHOOTER
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Post by SHOOTER on Sept 25, 2015 13:16:50 GMT -5
#2 with 110k (121k SPS) per HITS.
Born to Die debuted at #2 with 77k (1.1m to date).
Paradise debuted at #10 with 67k (350k to date).
Ultraviolence debuted at #1 with 182k (509k to date).
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 25, 2015 15:55:12 GMT -5
UV is musical sludge to me, I can't handle 2/3rds of that album. Thank goodness she got it back on track with this one. I am loving so much of this, it feels like a natural progression from Paradise to me, the one she should have made in the first place. I have no idea what that UV detour was all about, but aside from three or four tracks, I'm going to pretend it never happened. I mean... yes. I don't understand the near-universal acclaim for Ultraviolence. It's one big, hour-long, accidental lullaby.
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seaguy27
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Post by seaguy27 on Sept 25, 2015 19:39:07 GMT -5
Ultraviolence was a fantastic album which is why it got praise and guess what so is Honeymoon! Lana has not put out a bad album yet and has built a discography that I keep going back to and each album offers a little something different!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 25, 2015 19:43:51 GMT -5
Ultraviolence was a fantastic album which is why it got praise and guess what so is Honeymoon! Lana has not put out a bad album yet and has built a discography that I keep going back to and each album offers a little something different! That's great and all but I still think that album is ass.
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Ling-Ling
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Post by Ling-Ling on Sept 25, 2015 19:48:46 GMT -5
Haha, yeah, glad you like it. But it's just not good at all IMO. I'm just happy she released this one so quickly and washed the bad taste of that album out of my mouth.
JESUS MARY AND JOSEPH what kind of gorgeousness is "The Blackest Day?" I can't stop listening to it.
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seaguy27
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Post by seaguy27 on Sept 25, 2015 20:45:52 GMT -5
Haha, yeah, glad you like it. But it's just not good at all IMO. I'm just happy she released this one so quickly and washed the bad taste of that album out of my mouth. JESUS MARY AND JOSEPH what kind of gorgeousness is "The Blackest Day?" I can't stop listening to it. Blackest Day is my favorite....I have a friend that likes the album and could care less about it and I want so bad to just tell him what the hell is wrong with you! Different strokes I suppose!
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popbox
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Post by popbox on Sept 25, 2015 23:44:59 GMT -5
I will never understand the UV hate for the life of me. It is a dark and depressing, glorious and revelatory, dichotomous piece of art. I feel like Lana truly let us glimpse into her soul on that one. It also showed her artistic maturation over the BTD/Paradise era and I guarantee HM could not exist without the strides she took on UV. It patched up some of the more juvenile remnants from her debut eras and is where she really honed her sound into what we hear on HM.
In other news, The Blackest Day is reaching dangerous levels of obsession for me. It seriously may be the new crown jewel of her entire catalog for me. I kid you not, I've spent all of the time I haven't been listening to it today basically singing the whole thing in my head. I think when Chandelier came out was the last time I was so hopelessly addicted to a song.
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Snowbeast
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Post by Snowbeast on Sept 26, 2015 0:09:31 GMT -5
I'm extremely stoned and listening to this with a glass of wine. Thoughts: phenomenal Salvatore? Amazing. I can't even handle The Blackest Day. This album is her lyrical best.
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popbox
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Post by popbox on Sept 26, 2015 0:16:18 GMT -5
Freak through The Blackest Day is just a flawless stretch. And what comes before is pretty great too. The last 3 are where the album kind of drags for me. Swan Song's chorus is fantastic, but I can't for the life of me ever remember how the rest of the song goes.
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Keelzit
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Post by Keelzit on Sept 26, 2015 1:50:58 GMT -5
I feel like a bad fan for not stanning for The Blackest Day. I enjoy it a lot but it's not even in my top 5 of the album. The tracks that have grown on me tremendously after not feeling them at first are Terrence (smart move from her to release it before the album dropped cause it wouldn't stand a chance if I had heard it for the first time along with the more instant songs) and Freak (that bridge + the devilishly spoken parts did it for me).
This is indeed her best album but there are no individual tracks that reach the heights of Born To Die, Blue Jeans, Diet Mountain Dew, Summertime Sadness, National Anthem, Ride, West Coast and Kill Kill. It's astonishing how she has managed to craft so many masterpieces in such a short amount of time.
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popbox
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Post by popbox on Sept 26, 2015 3:35:17 GMT -5
Diet Mountain Dew, now there's a Lana song I can't really get behind. Along with the dreadful Carmen, the only song in her whole catalog I actively dislike.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 26, 2015 10:38:37 GMT -5
'Diet Mountain Dew' may be my favorite Lana song. It came on the other day and I couldn't shake how much it almost reminded me of Dolly Parton. Weird, right?
The more I digest this album, the more I have a hard time picking out a favorite. 'Music To Watch Boys To' wasn't even in my top five at first but lately I can't leave it alone. There is something so mesmerizing about that chorus. My only complaint-- more or a request than that-- is that the chorus is written in such a way that this thing could be an absolute anthem with a bit of an edit. I'd love to hear an alternate take that brings in some throbbing percussion after the intro and really lights it up during the following choruses.
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Glove Slap
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Post by Glove Slap on Sept 26, 2015 10:45:54 GMT -5
I can get the dislike for Ultraviolence from some, but I'm surprised that people say that this album is a clear transition from Paradise. There's traces of Ultraviolence all over this.
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Post by balletgirlmom on Sept 26, 2015 12:05:01 GMT -5
I really love this album. Salvatore is my favorite today but that changes by the day.
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seaguy27
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Post by seaguy27 on Sept 26, 2015 12:48:24 GMT -5
I can get the dislike for Ultraviolence from some, but I'm surprised that people say that this album is a clear transition from Paradise. There's traces of Ultraviolence all over this. In total agreement...... in some ways the album has little bits of both of her previous albums and then brings something new as well!
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vipanonymous
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Post by vipanonymous on Sept 26, 2015 19:59:43 GMT -5
The only thing that sounds like Paradise is 'Freak'. Religion is the most UV-feel track.
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Ling-Ling
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Post by Ling-Ling on Sept 26, 2015 21:20:01 GMT -5
I've been listening to this non-stop all day. She really delivered this time, I'm beyond OBSESSED. Outside of the interlude and her cover of "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood," I don't dislike a single track. These are by far my favorites though.
The Blackest Day Terrence Loves You God Knows I Tried Salvatore 24 High By The Beach Religion Swan Song
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popbox
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Post by popbox on Sept 27, 2015 0:32:28 GMT -5
Yeah, this sounds much more like the evolution of UV than BTD or Paradise to me with the exception of Freak and Art Deco, the former of which would be right at home on Paradise and the latter on BTD. And back to UV influences, MTWBT's verses are basically Sad Girl's with new lyrics. But hey, ain't broken don't fix it.
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Post by balletgirlmom on Sept 27, 2015 8:36:13 GMT -5
I hope Lana gets a Grammy nomination for this album!
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popbox
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Post by popbox on Sept 28, 2015 0:29:20 GMT -5
I hope Lana gets a Grammy nomination for this album! I could see it actually. I'd imagine they'd love this album.
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dbhmr
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Post by dbhmr on Sept 28, 2015 16:45:35 GMT -5
Ah yes, another fantastic album from Lana Del Rey. She is just such a refreshing change of pace, all the time. And her voice has really developed into one of the most emotive, transformative in the game. Who would have thought?
My first experience with every Lana album tends to be similar: a bit overwhelmed, a bit unsure, a bit hooked, and a bit sleepy. Her disinterest with anything above a moderate tempo is interesting, and one I was hoping she'd ditch a bit with this album, but ultimately, this is just as cohesive, mesmerizing, and successful as her previous efforts. I think what held me back from instantly loving this was the "Art Deco" through "Religion" tracks--coming just after the middle of a slow-sounding album, things started to feel like they were dragging. Not bad tracks, just...lacking a bit of the usual sparkle that comes with Lana's work.
There is, also, always one song that I fall in love with so instantly it pulls me through repeated listens of the album so I can fully appreciate the nuances found elsewhere. With Ultraviolence, it was "Brooklyn Baby"; here, it is "God Knows I Tried." She is so full of ache by the end of the track it's heartbreaking. Just a beautiful song that shows off everything she has to give, vocally. Also, I'd kill for Kelly Clarkson to cover it.
As with Ultraviolence, I find the cover pretty unnecessary, though I think this is a more successful cover than "The Other Woman" (which, actually, would have likely fit better with this album, and I think her vocal delivery would have been stronger now than it was then). It just feels tacked on; and how could she not make "Swan Song" the final track? That seems to be what it was designed for.
"High By The Beach" might still be my favorite track overall, just because it does offer some change of pace and is such an effortless, perfect slow-jam. But "God Knows I Tried" and "Blackest Day" (everything I could say about that has already been said--six minutes of uninterrupted bliss) are tight on its heels, as is the title track (what a perfect, mellifluous opener). "Freak" follows up "High By The Beach" well with another dose of pep (of the Del Rey variety, at least). "Salvatore"...it's fun, but it's also kind of...stupid. Which is an adjective that has maybe never befitted a Lana song before. Maybe I'm missing a reference? I just roll my eyes at her suggestion to eat soft ice cream (much as I enjoy doing so). "Music to Watch Boys To" has finally grabbed hold of me, as well—I just had very different (re: upbeat) expectations for that song, figuring it would take High By The Beach a notch or six up; but that chorus is hypnotizing.
Song rank (top five are basically perfect): 1. High By The Beach 2. God Knows I Tried 3. Music To Watch Boys To 4. Blackest Day 5. Honeymoon 6. Freak 7. Terrence Loves You 8. Swan Song 9. 24 10. Salvatore 11. Art Deco 12. Religion 13. Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood
Albums: 1. Born To Die - A 2. Ultraviolence - A 3. Honeymoon - A- 4. Paradise - B
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Keelzit
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Post by Keelzit on Sept 28, 2015 17:23:18 GMT -5
Maybe I'm missing a reference? I just roll my eyes at her suggestion to eat soft ice cream (much as I enjoy doing so). This is from genius.com In southern Italy, Salvatore is a name that means Savior. Lana Del Rey’s luscious love song with imagery of soft ice cream and passionate love depicts the singer and her lover in 1940’s Italy. Lana’s savior could possibly be a villain, with the big money and limousines. In southern Italy during the 40s, which Lana revealed as the plot for this song, this could relate to the rise of the U.S. military goods black market that came about in Sicily during that time – through relationships against the fascist regime. Whatever the reason for the uxry, she furthers her teasing charming love with a ballad about her dreams of being with him. Lana took a classic slow approach to the song, with a singing style similar to that of Frank Sinatra in the 1950s. In every way, Lana takes the setting to an old Italian town, full of summer love and cool soft ice cream.
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