Entertainment For Lively Minds
Roll over GaGa..There would seem to be a new talent..
Posted by Lenny Law on 13 November 2011 - 1:39am.
Lana Del Rey.
The single Video Games is everywhere and on very heavy rotation. Radios 1&2, 6Music, ILR.. it hits every button, it ticks every box.
She has a voice of beauty like few others, she is super-cool, she is stunningly beautiful, she has long, long legs, she has flowing auburn locks..
It's like Florence Welch was the Beta Version and here is the ultimate, debugged Pop Icon for the new decade.
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Subject of a couple of blog entries already,
http://www.wordmagazine.co.uk/content/lana-del-ray
one of which was by me mainly around the hype surrounding her.
http://www.wordmagazine.co.uk/content/dont-believe-internet-hype
Her music isn't to my taste at all (and to be fair, isn't aimed at me either) but I'm intrigued by the complexity of the marketing exercise...which is being played out very carefullly and deliberately and is trying to 'play' the internet..treading the fine line between word of mouth spreading/viral marketing and direct, old school shove-it-right-down-their-throats hype.
She's symptomatic of an industry desperate to find another Adele (who despite the fact she still can't tour due to the old vocal chords playing up, sells actual CDs, never mind downloads...in the millions).
Lana did her first ever UK gig in Manchester, here is NME dissecting the gig. She's 'work in progress' by all accounts. Handle with care...we don't want another Amy Winehouse do we?
http://www.nme.com/blog/index.php?blog=10&p=11433&title=five_things_we_l...
I am more than happy to shell out for Adele
because the songs are very regularly on the playlist afterwards.
I can't imagine ever listening to this girl again, let alone paying for the privilege.
Nice looking girl
In a generic kinda way, turgid song tho.
First time I've seen or heard her sing.
I imagine she's aimed at first year University students; the girls will want her apparent sophistication, empathise with the angst and all that, and the boys, well, obviously, will want to be her special friend.
But then, I'm not in marketing, I'm not a meerkat, and I haven't a clue about these things. What I do know however is that the song, and in particular this arrangement of it, is bloody awful.
I've heard a lot about her.
I'll have to hear some more, but I'm not grabbed by that. Good voice. Very attractive. Nice look, which is uniqueish at the mo.
But that song's just a load of piano-in-a-white-room yawnery, of a type that pushes not one of my buttons. Not a million miles from "Angels" (boak) but without a decent chorus.
Don't get it at all...
When I first heard about it, thought it'd probably be right up my alley, but it's just a bit dull. Like Dr V, I'm fascinated by the marketing campaign though.
People kept sending links to me assuming I'd love it, but I forgot it about five minutes after I heard it every time. Mind you, people told me I'd like the Pierces when I've had toenail cutting sessions more interesting than their music. I obviously need to adjust my public persona.
Has the Lana Del Ray actually come out yet? If so, I assume it went straight to No 1?
I really don't get the Gaga thing.
They couldn't be less alike on that evidence, apart from they're both women that people seem to want to talk about a great deal.
Video Games is her first single, and is entirely dull to my ears. Gaga's first single was this:
(Which, needless to say, is better than every single record released in the year 1971, and was created purely to make Richard Thompson cry.)
But anyway, how are the two women even supposed to be comparable, except that they're both talked-about pop singers?
They are comparable...
...because they both have vaginas. Adele also has a vagina.
Whilst we're on a feminist tip...
...isn't it depressing to see so many comments about an artist's appearance? You wouldn't see it with a male act.
Oh come on,
Spartacus. It's a fact that women are usually fit but not that talented or fat or ugly but talented.
You get the odd few who are LUCKY enough to be quite good-looking and be able to play music and there is even the odd gorgeous woman playing music. Those ones really have it all and I hope everyone is dropping to their knees for the amazing god-given miracle of being musical AND good-looking.
Not to the same extent...
...but I don't know that male artists don't also live and die by their appearances. Coldplay wouldn't have ever moved off Fierce Panda if Chris Martin looked like Peter Kay. The Vaccines and The Strokes and god knows who else were tarred with the skinny-pretty-boy thing.
I'm not saying the way women in showbusiness aren't judged more on appearances than men, or that those judgements aren't often considerably more unpleasant and/or patronising. But I don't think it's right to say that blokes in the same position don't also have to trade on their looks.
Totally agree...
...looks and image are part of it for everyone, and pretty boys get tarred with the 'just pretty not talented' brush almost as often as women (not as much though).
But no-one has ever said there's no room for Chris Martin because The Vaccines exist, or move over Van Morrison, Aloe Blacc has arrived.
Oh, how did I end up here making this point AGAIN on a Sunday evening?
Procrastination, that's how.
Nothing to argue with there.
*world wobbles on axis*
:-)
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
...thinks about rising to bait of weedy attempt to bag some cheap cred from long established artist for laughable underwear act
...decide it's actually a complement to RT that he is chosen for such trollist juxtaposition given implied acceptance of his entire continents of credibility
...can't be arsed, but good go, Bob. Next time, promise.
...realise it is time to set off for Karine Polwart gig
...moves on
Alternative interpretation:
It was a joke.
(Your joke, in fact. I was playing along with the one you cracked in the Congrats Mark Ellen thread.)
Did Richard Thompson release a single in 1971?
I'm not sure he did, did he?
Anyway, don't use 1971 as your 'annus mirrabilis'.
David Hepworth does.
He's wrong.
You've got to go further back than that.
This may
be my favourite pop song that I've heard all year - i don't know if it's from her new work, or dates from her 2008 stuff when she was known as Lizzy Grant (it's not on her terrific debut album Nevada).
Lana Del Rey - Lolyta
Personally I'm going to continue to judge her on how good the music is, rather than the marketing, and I really like what I've heard so far.
This one is more convincing than the first one in the thread
which is dreadful to be honest.
The Lolita thing isn't going to work for her so I hope she has more in the locker than that. Speaking as a middle aged man she is not attractive at all but I would be happy to buy her an ice cream and take her to the zoo.
Eh? Isn't she well into her twenties?
good looking girl but
i've heard that sort of voice before - Stevie Nicks, Cyndi Lauper, Joni Mitchell, Tori Amos and Lucinda Williams etc.
her long legs and face will sell a few records though so good luck to her.
maybe she'll do an album with Lou Reed at some stage.
Good-looking, half-decent voice
They're two components of greatness often found together, but hardly its be- or, indeed it's end-all.
That tune would fit..
..seamlessly into a scene in a David Lynch fillum, and she would too, (even the name is perfect for the job). I like that a lot.
Video Games
I'm surprised by the comparisons to GaGa and Adele (she's nothing like either IMHO) but even more surprised at the criticism of Video Games, which I think is a beautiful record.
The accompanying promo vid is great too.
Good song...
...but a little too long. Especially on that Jools Holland clip.
Stunning woman, and yes quite unlike Adele/GaGa, she reminded me of Carla Bruni when I first heard it.
I am very much not a fan
She sings like her mouth is closed and someone has replaced her teeth with bees.
I was quite taken with Lana Del Ray...
...when she was on Later, but my current obsession is with Agnes Obel, a Danish singer-songwriter, who I discovered via a KCRW Morning Becomes Eclectic session: http://www.kcrw.com/media-player/mediaPlayer2.html?type=video&id=mb11060...
Beautifully played songs in a minimalistic classical style (piano and cello in the main). Her album "Philharmonics" is fantastic and here is a track from it:
Glad to hear
Someone else enjoying that Obel record.
It's a cracker, isn't it?
Absolutely gorgeous!
Absolutely gorgeous!
That is very good
I could certainly imagine paying money for that
Paying money? For records?
Get with it, grandad! That is soooo old!
I feel sorry...
... for all the fat, ugly girls who make brilliant music that no one's ever going to hear.
What like...
Adele? ;-)
Or are going to hear but not see
when someone else is roped in to mime in the video. As has been done in the past (and probably the present and future too).
Fraser,
you may need to bring back the down arrows for this, but I like it
Kasabian "Video Games" (introduced by Fearne Cotton)
the fella in the orange
is a fat ol' fucker inne? Wouldn't.
I think it's an excellent song
An instant moden classic - and she has an alluring image. Promising but promise is not always fulfilled. A star is born? Maybe. Just may be...