NOW Posted June 13 Posted June 13 Original album release thread: https://classic.atrl.net/forums/showthread.php?t=563394 1
NOW Posted June 13 Author Posted June 13 High up in the Hollywood hills, crushing violet pills You've been trying to write a novel about your cheap thrills You think you're Hunter S. Thompson I think you're ******* crazy as the day's long https://music.apple.com/us/album/ultraviolence-deluxe/1440818509 Lana's Track by Track Commentary Spoiler Music Videos Spoiler
NOW Posted June 13 Author Posted June 13 "I wish I was dead already," Lana Del Rey says, catching me off guard. She has been talking about the heroes she and her boyfriend share – Amy Winehouse and Kurt Cobain among them – when I point out that what links them is death and ask if she sees an early death as glamorous. Quote "They were like: 'None of these songs are good for radio and now you're slowing them down when they should be speeded up.' But for me, my life was feeling murky, and that sense of disconnectedness from the streets is part of that." https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/jun/12/lana-del-rey-ultraviolence-album Quote Del Rey's co-manager, Ben Mawson, warned her that she'd have to answer for some of the new album's lyrics, particularly the title track, which quotes the old girl-group line "He hit me and it felt like a kiss," then adds, "He hurt me but it felt like true love," just in case she hadn't made her point. She's vague on whether this theme might be autobiographical: "I guess I would say, like, I'm definitely drawn to people with a strong physicality," she says with a shrug, "with more of a dominant personality." https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/lana-del-rey-the-saddest-baddest-diva-in-rock-179412/ Quote "For me, the issue of feminism is just not an interesting concept," she says. "I'm more interested in, you know, SpaceX and Tesla, what's going to happen with our intergalactic possibilities. Whenever people bring up feminism, I'm like, god. I'm just not really that interested." Fortunately, her ambivalence about politics doesn't undo any subversiveness that may be embedded in her work (though, nor does it excuse any ill it may cause). When pressed, she adds, more illuminatingly, "My idea of a true feminist is a woman who feels free enough to do whatever she wants." https://www.thefader.com/2014/06/04/cover-story-lana-del-rey-is-anyone-she-wants-to-be "I wouldn't really know how to shape myself as an icon," she said earnestly. Quote The angry responses to "Born to Die" left scars. "Carl Jung said that inevitably what other people think of you becomes a small facet of your psyche, whether you want it to or not," she said. Her new album includes a retort: "Money, Power, Glory," which claims, with deep sarcasm, that those are what she's after. https://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/15/arts/music/lana-del-rey-still-stirs-things-up-with-ultraviolence.html Quote There are a few different ways to take your song "****** My Way Up to the Top." Is it about people not wanting to give you credit for your success? Or is it about ******* people to get to the top? It's commentary, like, "I know what you think of me," and I'm alluding to that. You know, I have slept with a lot of guys in the industry, but none of them helped me get my record deals. Which is annoying. https://www.complex.com/covers/lana-del-rey-interview-against-the-grain-2014-cover-story/ Quote "It was never about the music for them. My public story is more a story about journalism; like a commentary on how modern-day journalism works. None of the stuff is ever really about me, because I didn't even give that many interviews. Most of the stuff written was unsolicited or creative writing, and a lot of it was just wrong. I mean, there were pictures that had been f*cked with to look different. It was very weird." https://www.clashmusic.com/features/american-dreamer-lana-del-rey-interviewed/ 3
NOW Posted June 13 Author Posted June 13 Ultraviolence is bold, it's aggressive, it's violent, sadistic and brutal in places. It burned everything to the ground and salted the earth so nothing could grow again. Because only when you reach the bottom, can you build something new, something better, from the ashes of what came before. Quote It's now more or less agreed that Lana is one of the most talented songwriters of her generation. This title, never in doubt by fans, was initially bestowed upon her by the critics and press during the cycle for her breezy and authoritative sixth album Norman F*cking Rockwell! (another UK Number 1), which in many ways acts as a sister record to Ultraviolence. But everything that critics found so enticing about NFR! - its California-centric production, its lyrics that both decried the world and sought for a way to find harmony and peace amidst the chaos - were actually already present in Ultraviolence, but maybe people weren't ready to hear it yet. https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/why-lana-del-reys-ultraviolence-feels-more-relevant-than-ever/ Quote If "Born to Die" was forged from California dreams, "Ultraviolence" was conjured by L.A. nightmares. Songs like the hissing "West Coast" and jazzy "Shades of Cool" rank among her best, while "Pretty When You Cry" and, appropriately enough, "Sad Girl" are seminal emo-anthems. But the project also hinted at the twists and turns to come with a stunning Nina Simone cover, the confronting "****** My Way Up to the Top," and frankly unhinged "Brooklyn Baby." It might not as be as impactful as her debut or finely calibrated as "Norman ******* Rockwell," but for sheer audacity and emotional sway, it's hard to beat. https://variety.com/lists/lana-del-rey-best-albums-ranked/ Quote In replacing the hip-hop drums and vocal samples that dominated Born To Die with laidback basslines and dreamy guitar riffs, Ultraviolence emerged as a more stripped-back, simpler album than its predecessor. Exceptionally produced dream-pop at its finest, there isn't one individual standout song on its 11 tracks – rather, Ultraviolence is an atmospheric work designed to be listened to in its entirety, engulfing you in its beautifully dark, cinematic mood. https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/ultraviolence-lana-del-rey-album/ Quote Neither the coolness of her vocal timbre nor the malaise of her delivery can quite disguise the fact that she's a pop singer almost without peer in her generation, assisted by producer Dan Auerbach's dreamy minimalism and the ghosts of jazz and '70s pop. Del Rey chronicles the failure of a kind of American dream that only persists in sepia-toned commercials and Death of a Salesman productions. https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/every-lana-del-rey-album-ranked/ Quote From the start, voices of opposition have been raised against Del Rey. Some people saw her glamourised Tumblr aesthetics as anti-feminist or attempted to attach her to the Republican party due to her use of heavily Americanised imagery. However, when it came to her sophomore album, Ultraviolence, the negativity ramped up. "He hit me and it felt like a kiss," she sings on the album's title track. While referencing The Crystal's controversial song, Del Rey was met with the same criticism that they were. People believed she was dangerously romanticising domestic violence by singing about abuse in a seductive love song. https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/connection-lana-del-rey-and-a-clockwork-orange/ Quote Is "Ultraviolence" a confessional or utter bullshit? As a piece of art, it doesn't really matter. What does matter is that hundreds of thousands of curious listeners are picking up a copy this week to parse through the truth and lies, and other artists will take notice of those numbers. Del Rey is changing the game in real time, without letting her followers fully into her world. More than anything else, it feels as if "Ultraviolence" is the first step toward pop obscurity in the age of over-sharing. https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/lana-del-rey-ultraviolence-pop-influence-6128764/ 14th Most Acclaimed Album of 2014 Rolling Stone - 100 Best Albums of the 2010s NME - Greatest Albums of the 2010s Cracked - The Top 100 Albums of the Decade Consequence of Sound - The Top 100 Albums of the 2010s Consequence of Sound - The Top 25 Pop Albums of the 2010s #1 debut in 12 countries Certified Gold or higher in 12 countries 3 tracks certified Platinum Currently her 2nd most streamed album on Spotify with 3.4B+ streams Currently the most streamed female album of 2014 daily on Spotify (2nd most steamed daily overall) All tracks on the standard tracklist (besides Cruel World at 98M+ streams) have hit 100M+ Spotify streams Zero collaborations on the album Zero songs pushed to Top 40 Pop radio Zero songs performed on television and award shows Zero Grammy nominations 1
May Posted June 13 Posted June 13 tbh it's kinda her magnum opus if you REALLY think about it .. yall keep demanding BTD Lana back but we need another UV!! 2 6
TedMiracle Posted June 13 Posted June 13 Still as perfect, gorgeous, sad, depressive, a whole mood, as when it debuted.
Blue Monday Posted June 13 Posted June 13 Masterpiece that's only gotten better with time. This is the album that put me on to Lana 1
Cannon Posted June 13 Posted June 13 It's a good album, not as easy to get into as BtD but a lot of the songs hold up very well.
Onyxmage Posted June 13 Posted June 13 Her third best album after Honeymoon and BTD. However its the only album of hers that gave us a 1-2-3-4-5 punch of immaculate songs. 1
JoeAg Posted June 13 Posted June 13 omg I haven't given this album a full listen in like 3 years, lemme get to it then I'll tell y'all my story about it WHEW 1
Kh-Loud Posted June 13 Posted June 13 WEST COAST is top 5 best songsof ALL TIME.... argue with the neon wall of brick if you don't share the same sentiment! 1
dirrtydiana Posted June 13 Posted June 13 WC and the "Jim taught me that…" harmomies in UV remain completely unmatched 1
Gorjesspazze9 Posted June 13 Posted June 13 Amazing Album. I took a vacation to south Florida and would blast Florida Kilos. Felt like I was in a Movie. That song still slaps to this day 1
G.U.Y_Del_Rey Posted June 13 Posted June 13 I wish she did another album with prominent electric guitars like UV. 1
Anvarie Posted June 13 Posted June 13 I'm listening to it right now, Black Beauty. It's a classic, it's aged like fine wine, it's one of the best albums of the millennia, it's true art, many artists will never come close to creating something as ethereal 1
TouchinFree Posted June 13 Posted June 13 One of the best pop albums of all time. Her second best to BTD probably. I kiss when she made impecceble albums
UnusualBoy Posted June 13 Posted June 13 The album has aged like wine. The title track and West Coast are masterpieces and beyond! 1
CottageHore Posted June 13 Posted June 13 Her best album to date. It's sonically unexpected yet timeless, boundary pushing, provocative and self-aware, snarky yet still poetic, not too pretentious, and literally just so atmospheric. Ultraviolence is it's own world. Godraviolence, you will always be that girl
CottageHore Posted June 13 Posted June 13 15 minutes ago, TouchinFree said: One of the best pop albums of all time. Her second best to BTD probably. I kiss when she made impecceble albums Babe COTCC was and still is impeccable
Loca Posted June 13 Posted June 13 The album lacks some of her usual finesse to be truly great, but the great songs are some of her best. The bridge of Pretty When You Cry is still one of her best moments.
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