Girl from The Sun

It started with "Summertime Sadness." I didn't know it was a remix but I didn't care. Those lyrics and that voice; I was hooked. Lana del Rey is bringing originality to mainstream music. I love my repetitive, dirty, stupid pop music. But that stuff is like the process food of mainstream music.

Born to Die, del Rey's latest album, is good from beginning to end. Her words are like well-balanced IPA beer. It's got a hoppy bite;  raw, fresh, and a taste you can't easily get out of your mouth - nor would you want to. It is description, storytelling, and straight up wordsmithing the hell out of the English language:

My old man is a tough man. 
But he got a soul as sweet as blood red jam
And he shows me he knows me, every inch of my tar black soul 

Sweet lord, yes.

Her lyrics also remind me of some of rap's better artists. The expletives and seedy situations that feel essential rather than glib and authentic rather than contrived. Musically, she has a mix of classic rap too. Think dirty trash can drum sounds like Beastie Boys and Run DMC. And then there is an unmistakeable sound of The Western Frontier. The music of Aaron Copland would have you imagining Montana and the Dakotas... Expansive skies, rolling plains, mountains. Born to Die is deserted and reverberant. It emotes loneliness, deep, rusty colors, and long shadows of shanty towns at dusk. It's beautiful.

Lana del Rey's voice is my favorite aspect of her music. And, even though it is unique, it is reminiscent of one of my favorite singers of all time: Karen Carpenter. Lana has a chest voice that, when I close my eyes, sounds just like Carpenter. The way they slide to different notes, the way they pronounce words, the timbre too. The semblance is at times chilling. Just listen to the first five words of the album's first song also called "Born to Die." If you can't hear it, you might be crazy. Also listen to "Off to the Races" and "Video Games."

Besides her ghostly offerings, she invokes many other vocal styles: Gwen Stefani, wiry-voiced cabaret singers. And there's even something secretive and devious in a voice del Rey uses often on the album that reminds me of Marilyn Monroe singing "I Wanna Be Loved By You."

The girl has pipes and she's got the style to know how to use them.

Listen. Now.

Buddy Holly, A Torah, and Four Vampires Walk Into a Room...

On the recommendation of one of my very best friends (Brandon Murray), I listened to Vampire

Weekend for the first time in my life. Their new album, Modern Vampires of the City, is an aural collage so awesomely constructed of old things from many parts of the world. It is a masterpiece. It uses  music and religious concepts to create an entirely unique sound, vibe, and experience for the listener. To be clear, it is not a religious work, for those of you who are not familiar with Vampire Weekend. I've separated all these different sounds into separate talking points on this blog. But the truth is that these concepts all appear in endlessly exciting combinations throughout the album. It's almost overstimulating to listen to.

Some of the song titles are reference the Torah (Old Testament) with names like Don't Lie and Ya Hey (a play on the Hebrew title for God, Yahweh), while others have more subtle religious allusions (e.g. Everlasting Arms, Unbelievers, and Worship You). Given that the lead singer Ezra Koenig identifies strongly with the Jewish faith, it is not so surprising.

What I found more surprising was the musical and textual content of the album. In songs like Obvious Bicycle and Young Lion there are some strong similarities between the vocals and chant associated with ascetic ritual of some religions. In these songs the vocal lines stretch out syllables in slow melismatic contours. Combined with a lot of reverb and (sometimes) subtle choral accompaniment, suddenly you feel like you're in a great cathedral, temple, or synagogue. It's beautiful. Textually, Ya Hey is full of religious allusion, "Zion doesn't love you... Babylon don't love you." "I am that I am" is repeated in the chorus numerous times; this is a verse from Exodus 3:14 that Moses spoke to God. In the second verse, Ezra addresses God directly (is he supposed to be Moses?):

Oh, good God

The faithless they don't love you

The zealous hearts don't love you

And that's not gonna change

There's more stuff like like this all throughout the album. Clearly I find it fascinating but I won't go on being a geek. 

Well except for this: A blatant Baroque aesthetic shows up on the third track entitled Step. Pachelbel's famous Canon in D sequence serves as the harmonic foundation of the song even though Step transposes the sequence so that it is in B flat Major. The song is accompanied by choral voices (as are many in the album) and a harpsichord. There are also several songs heavily coated in the 50s rock tradition. Elements that put you in the mind of Buddy Holly and the Crickets (Peggy Sue). And of course, I mean the sound is more similar instrumentally than it is in vocal style. Diane Young and Finger Back are great examples of Vampire Weekend's eloquent stylistic quotations. There are some cool jazzy bass lines that you can find hidden in Hudson. And there are some songs hinting at drinking song/Gaelic folk, reggae, and something that just reminds me of Michael Jackson (like PYT Michael, not Thriller Michael).

Super cool.

This is a supreme example of artistry to me. Now, I've gotta go back to see what I've missed from these guys' past projects.