(January 2024) Episode 544 is LANA DEL REY, another leap out of my comfort zone to explore a contemporary popular artist, one that my daughters would listen to. Not knowing her music, I did have a sense she was independent and a little saucy (as evidenced by the F-word in an album title) and not a corporate cookie-cutter pop star, which is something. And so she is. Lizzie Grant (her real name) has a great voice and is a talented songwriter, melodically and lyrically. What I had not expected was how consistently emo and languid her songs are. “Sadcore” I’ve seen it called. I don’t mind emo and languid in doses, but not full albums of it. On the recordings her voice is highly processed and layered, which I know is the way things are made now, but to me it erodes the authenticity that is otherwise central to the lyrical content.
Favorite album: Norman Fucking Rockwell
Favorite song: A&W
Compared to expectations: ↓
Recommendation: She’s got 52 million Spotify followers, so that tells you a lot. I’ll probably listen in to her new releases because she’s got the talent to do something unusual.
Opus Project 