Lana Del Rey - Norman F***ing Rockwell (sixth album)

What a great result for the reigning queen of art pop.
 
Hmmm. I've read that review and somewhere in the middle between @Jark and @VoR. I wouldn't call the article a 'takedown' by any stretch of the imagination but it's full of back-handed complements and snide patronising remarks which are frankly unnecessary in 2019. I'm not here for that sort of thing. It just goes to show why I stopped bothering with reviews and critics years ago. The concept of 'critical acclaim' is outdated anyway, so in a way I'm kind of surprised that Lana went in on her like this but anyway... we digress.
 
The Next Best American Record is a fucking excellent song.

That delicately warm chorus, the strangely self confident lyrics, the glass smashing sound into the final post chorus, "Topanga's hot tonight"... the section from Cinnamon Girl to American Record is life itself.
 
She covered "Break up with Your Girlfriend..." by Ariana on BBC Live Lounge:



She also performed her cover of "Doin' Time" that is slightly plagued by some sound issues:

 
This has potential to be my favourite album she’s done. Everything just WORKS. its surely going to be her magnum opus.

08 Norman fucking Rockwell
10 Mariners Apartment Complex
09 Venice Bitch
07 Fuck it I Love You
10 Doin Time
10 Love Song
10 Cinnamon Girl
08 How to Disappear
08 California
10 The Next Best American Record
09 The Greatest
08 Bartender
08 Happiness is a butterfly
09 hope is a dangerous thing
 
#3 debut in the US with combined sales of 104,000 (66,000 pure sales):

Lana Del Rey's Norman f**king Rockwell! debuts at No. 3 with 104,000 equivalent album units (with 66,000 of that sum in album sales). Norman f**king Rockwell! tallies Del Rey her sixth top 10 effort. Her last album, 2017's Lust for Life, opened at No. 1 with 107,000 units (with 80,000 of that in album sales).
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Also, "Doin' Time" debuts at #59 on the Hot 100 (first song from this album to chart on the Hot 100). It also hits #1 in Rock Airplay.
 
Logic? said:
This has potential to be my favourite album she’s done. Everything just WORKS. its surely going to be her magnum opus.

08 Norman fucking Rockwell
10 Mariners Apartment Complex
09 Venice Bitch
07 Fuck it I Love You
10 Doin Time
10 Love Song
10 Cinnamon Girl
08 How to Disappear
08 California
10 The Next Best American Record
09 The Greatest
08 Bartender
08 Happiness is a butterfly
09 hope is a dangerous thing
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I think it's become my favourite. It's so consistent, more than any other of her albums. I love every song and I can't imagine a time I'd want to skip any! And the highlights are just amazing.
 
Yeah the sound was a total disaster at Radio 1. What a shame, cos what you can hear of her vocals she's really going for it in places.
 
Love Song is starting to knock on the door of this record's top 3 - it's beyond stunning. That outro...
 
i'm strangely more interested in the npr rant/review than the album.

i tend to lag with liking stuff by lana so i'll hold off with the ameraal verdict but the singles haven't set my world alight (i actually like mariners aparatment complex less after reading about the inspiration behind it) and i almost love california but am really not crazy about her vocal/inflections.

she just a bit confused to me i guess.
 
I've not spent as much time with this as I'd have liked which is partly work commitments and partly being flattened by the Ezra Furman album....but that's part of its thing; it's a through listen, you need to set that hour and a bit aside to immerse yrself in the whole. It's not a grab-bag. Brave to do that in 2019.
 
Well I've been cherry picking QUITE HAPPILY when I don't have a full hour for it so I beg to differ!
 
This Instagram livestream was nice. Triple video for "Norman", "Bartender" and "Hope..." is out next month:

 
scores now

09 Norman fucking Rockwell
08 Mariners Apartment Complex
07 Venice Bitch
08 Fuck it I Love You
10 Doin Time
10 Love Song
10 Cinnamon Girl
09 How to Disappear
11 California
10 The Next Best American Record
09 The Greatest
06 Bartender
08 Happiness is a butterfly
08 hope is a dangerous thing
 
The post-chorus of "California" is officially my favourite musical moment of 2019. Her voice is utterly beguiling.

We'll do whatever you want, travel wherever how far, we'll hit up all the old places...
I'll pick up all of your folks and all of your Rolling Stones, your favourite liquor off the top shelf

Updated top 10ish

1. West Coast
2. California
3. Born to Die
4. Ride
5. Next Best American Record
6. Change
7. Video Games
8. National Anthem
9. Black Beauty
10. Cinnamon Girl
11. 13 Beaches
12. Old Money
 
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That moment in California is SUCH a thrill. It's so rare to hear her give a vocal performance so... whatever the opposite of languid is. Urgent I suppose.

Doing a top 10 is basically too hard and I don't know where the new songs will settle (very highly I imagine) but let's give it a go

01 Ride
02 The Blackest Day
03 West Coast
04 Summertime Sadness
05 Video Games
06 California
07 Love Song
08 When The World Was At War We Kept Dancing
09 Cinnamon Girl
10 Tomorrow Never Came
 
Norman Rockwell is such a mood piece for me, I just couldn't rank the individual tracks.

And that's pretty much how I feel about Lana in general.
 
And all of my peaches
ARE RUINED :oi:

01 Ride - I’m tired of feeling like I’m fucking crazy. I’m tired of driving ‘til I see stars in my eyes :disco::disco::disco:
02 13 Beaches - I don’t belong in the world, that’s what it is... :(
03 White Mustang - Everybody said you’re a killer :shock:
04 Swan Song - With just one wave, it goes away...
05 West Coast - Obviously ALL about the chorus :weed:
06 Ultraviolence - ‘Cause I was filled with poison but blessed with beauty and rage
07 The Blackest Day - It’s not easy for me to talk about a half-life in lost dreams :(
08 Freak
09 Heroin - I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t SICK OF IT
10 Cinnamon Girl - If you hold me without hurting me, you’ll be THE FIRST WHO EVER DID

Jesus fuck this woman is :(:disco::weed: INCARNATE!
 
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Feeling inspired by Yvonne's top ten and top moments/inflections within them, here's my top ten:

1. Ride (I'm tired of feeling like I'm fucking crazy... I'm tired of driving till I see stars in my eyes)
2. American (You make me crazy, you make me wiiild, just like baby, spin me round like a CHIIIIIIIILD...)
3. West Coast (His parliament's on fire and his hands are up; on the balcony, and I'm singin ooh baby ooh baby I'M IN LOOOVE *synth explosion*...)
4. Ultraviolence (I can hear sirens sirens, he hit me and it felt like a kiss; I can hear violins violins, give me all of that ultra-violence)
5. Old Money (If you call, i'll run run run, if you change your mind, i'll come...)
6. Shades of Cool (When he calls, he calls for me and not for you; But I can't help him, can't make him better, and I can't do nothing about... his strange weather)
7. Cinnamon Girl (There's things I want to say to you but I'll just let you live; like, if you hold me without hurting me you'll be the first who ever did...)
8. Bel Air (Gargoyles standing at the front of your gate trying to tell me to wait, but I can't wait to see you, so I run, like I'm mad, to heaven's door...)
9. The Blackest Day (I got you where I want you now, I got you, I got you, I GOT YOU WHERE I WANT YOU NOW; I'm on my own agaaiiiiiiin, I'm on my own agaiiiiin)
TIE 10. Heroin (I'm flying to the moon again, dreaming about marzipan, taking all my medicine to take my thoughts away....)
TIE 10. 13 Beaches (I'd be lying if I kept hiding the fact that I can't deal...)
 
Wow, a Sunday morning is just PERFECT for listening to NFR, what a record!


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Setlist from the first night of the tour

Norman Fucking Rockwell
Bartender
Chelsea Hotel (with Adam Cohen)
Born to Die
White Mustang
Pretty When You Cry
Blue Jeans
Cherry
Black Beauty\Change\Young & Beautiful (Medley)
Tomorrow Never Came (with Sean Lennon)
Summertime Sadness
Ride
Video Games
Off To The Races
Doin' Time
Shades Of Cool
Venice Bitch
FOUR songs from the album? Including fucking Bartender? I think maybe I won't bother getting tickets after all.

Doing six songs off Born To Die still is absolutely absurd.
 
Jark said:
Setlist from the first night of the tour

Norman Fucking Rockwell
Bartender
Chelsea Hotel (with Adam Cohen)
Born to Die
White Mustang
Pretty When You Cry
Blue Jeans
Cherry
Black Beauty\Change\Young & Beautiful (Medley)
Tomorrow Never Came (with Sean Lennon)
Summertime Sadness
Ride
Video Games
Off To The Races
Doin' Time
Shades Of Cool
Venice Bitch
FOUR songs from the album? Including fucking Bartender? I think maybe I won't bother getting tickets after all.

Doing six songs off Born To Die still is absolutely absurd.
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I'm guessing she might add more NFR as the tour goes on? Hopefully?
 
is anything she's done not a reference?

sorry, i still can't get into this and it's a bit frustrating.

(no, not even california)
 
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