02/lana del rey/shades of cool
that melancholic opening.
the slow burn of the opening verse, and the verses in general.
the builds and the swells, and the loud and the quiet.
the darkness that gives way to sunshine during the doo wop sway of the chorus.
the coming together of all things lana: sex, drugs, boys. love, heartbreak, and yearning.
everything she is and intends to be, exquisitely performed and presented.
the control in the vocals - lolita-esque coo here, sultry low register there, falsettos breaking through like the sun.
the love hangover that is the bridge, where a fiesty guitar solo fights to be heard at the same time as lana's evocative wailing.
the imagery it conjures.
the chills it sends down your spine.
how it plays like the classic it knows it is or wants to be.
how she steps in the shoes of a torch singer and they fit her oh so well.
the confidence and the sincerity, and how you never doubt or question her emotions or intent as it plays.
its a long stare at someone you love a little too much; a love that almost scares you, as he or she focuses or looks at something else.
it's visceral.
a lit cigarette that's barely being touched or smoked.
it's lana fully formed, beyond the pastiche.
a true successor to the greatness that is video games, several months after the fact.
it is,
simply put,
the cool.
so many hues and glimpses and shades of,
the cool.
03/ariel pink/put your number in my phone
04/run the jewels feat. zack de la rocha/close your eyes (and count to fuck)
05/beyonce feat. jay z/drunk in love
06/chris brown, usher, and rick ross/new flame
07/todd terje feat. bryan ferry/johnny & mary
08/parquet courts/ducking and dodging
09/lady gaga/g.u.y.
10/ilovemakonnen feat. drake/tuesday
11/haim/if i could change your mind
12/sisyphus/rhythm of devotion
13/tweedy/high as hello
14/black lips/boys in the wood
15/julian casablancas + the voidz/take me in your army
16/sbtrkt & ezra koenig/new dorp. new york
17/banks/this is what it feels like
18/avey tare's slasher flicks/little fang
19/metronomy/love letters
20/st. vincent/birth in reverse
21/the black keys/turn blue
22/death from above 1979/right on, frankenstein!
23/fka twigs/lights on
24/jessie ware/you & i (forever)
25/jenny lewis/just one of the guys
No comments:
Post a Comment