#I’ve had multiple people say she sounds like Lana Del Rey

[alleged-golden-retriever-bf]

From Portland, Oregan Alexandra Savior makes haunting sounding Desert Rock/Indie Rock/Dream Pop style music.

I first discovered her music back in 2017 or 2018 when going through that years SXSW music line up. I was giving listens to whichever bands shared genres I was interested in to find new music. She’s grown in popularity since then which has been great to see and I’m excited for potentially a third album coming soon. Despite her gain in popularity over the years the only people I’ve known that also know her music are people I put on to her music to begin with so thought I’d try to share her music more so on here.

Attached are my favorite songs from each album. MTME has a moment where Alexandra lets out quite the shriek but at first I didn’t realize it was actually her doing that (thought it was a sample or something? Idk) let alone was I expecting her to replicate it during her live performances which was really neat. Howl just has some really nice synths going on that are easy to get lost in and disappointing to hear come to an end.

Fun fact: If you happen to be familiar with the band Brick + Mortar I also put them on Alexandra Savior by suggesting the music to them on Instagram (If you’re unfamiliar give them a listen too! I’ll maybe make another post for them)

[domesticblisss]

Canvas

Jay White x Female Reader Rating: PG-13 Word Count: 1337 Warnings: Flufflity, fluffy, fluff. Sexual innuendos, cursing, friends to fwb to lovers, mutual pining. Summary: Jay is super tired after his flight back from Japan. A/N: Yeah, yeah, another one inspired by another Lana Del Rey song, what about it??? Again, doesn’t have much to do about the lyrics, it’s much more related to the vibes it gives off to me.

Jay uses the spare keys she gave him to get into her home. The house looked exactly the same from the previous times he visited: tidy, plants scattered around, the green foliage she loves so much taking space in every room. The colourful throw over blanket she kept on her cream couch was neatly folded and placed on its back rest. The house smelled like lavender and fresh baked cookies, and just like he suspected, a still warm batch of chocolate chip cookies waited for them on her kitchen counter. Things were too quiet though; he couldn’t hear the radio playing and her characteristic singing. He roamed around her one store home, looking for her. The bedroom? Empty. Bathroom? Empty. The laundry room? Empty, but the washer was working and still, nothing, no sign of her and her two dogs. 

He ran her schedule in his head. Saturday. 01:30pm. She probably already had lunch and would be watching something on Netflix or reading, maybe painting. Then it clicked, it is a sunny summer day. Go to the patio, Jay. 

There she was. In a loose t-shirt that she cut off the sleeves, jeans shorts, hair up in a messy up-do that knowing her like he did, was made in an angry state. She had a canvas in front of her, a brush in one hand and a paint palette in the other, softly stroking the canvas with a mint green paint. 

Bonnie and Clyde, her two italian greyhounds came running to him, their tails happily wagging. 

“Hello, children. I’ve missed you too. Let’s not make any noise, I wanna surprise your mother.” he crouched to greet them, and noticed she was wearing her airpods, probably lost in her own world with whatever song she was listening to. 

He kept looking at her, and the same thought he always had whenever he came back home from Japan ran through his head: “I’m a coward.”

See, to the eyes of a stranger, they could easily pass as a couple. Hell, even some of their closest friends thought they were a couple. 

They met during their ROH days, Jay, of course, a rising wrestler and her, a backstage interviewer. They hit it off instantly, turning into best friends in no time. One night after a few drinks in, some flirting happened, and that flirting turned into a kiss, that turned into mind-blowing sex. In the next morning, after a long conversation, they decided to become friends with benefits, since both of them had busy schedules, Jay now spending most of his time in Japan and her now a NXT backstage interviewer, they didn’t feel like getting into serious relationships, and what’s better than fucking their best friend, right? An easy going, drama free relationship that only benefited the them both and they could pursue other people if they wanted to. Win/win situation. 

The thing is, Jay was already head over heels for her and it only made his feelings grow bigger, but he decided to bury them deep, thinking it wasn’t reciprocated.

Spoiler alert: it was. 

He sets Clyde back down on the patio floor and slowly makes his way to her, being careful not make any sound to not ruin his surprise. 

“Hello, love.” he murmurs to her neck as he snakes his arms around waist, making her shriek and push him away. 

“What the fuck, Jay?! You scared me.” she tells him, pulling her airpods off. 

He laughs at her pained expression, holding one of her hands to her chest. 

“I’m sorry, darling, I wanted to surprise you.” he makes his way to her. 

“Colour me surprised, bastard.” she says and kiss him. “When did you arrive? I thought you were coming home tomorrow.”

“Well, pulled some strings and changed my flight, landed around 4am so I went straight to my place. Just got here though.”

“You look so tired.” she noticed the black circles around his eyes, a sign of multiple days of wrestling nonstop, a long flight and a probably poorly slept night. 

“Yeah, I woke up around 8:30 and couldn’t sleep anymore so I went to the gym. What are you doing over there?” he motions at the canvas. 

“You know this is not healthy, you should’ve had slept a bit before coming here. And I don’t know what I am doing. I was trying to just let it come to me but all I got is this sea of mint green.”

“It looks nice, calming. And I knew you could tire me up enough to knock me out.”

“Jay, seriously?” he laughed at her reaction, sitting down on the big, padded bench that they shared and slept on together several times before. 

She looked at him, really looked him. The beard was longer than the last time they saw each other, his hair had grown so much that the black had faded, and his greyish blonde roots were showing. He positioned his elbows on his knees, holding his head on his hands, with a tired, but satisfied look on his face. He looked almost childish, and she loved that this was a side of Jay the only her got to see. 

“I got an idea.” she suddenly said, grabbing some paint and a few brushes. “Take your shirt off and lie down on your stomach.”

“You know you don’t need to plot if you want to see me naked, just ask.”

She stopped what she was doing, looking him dead in the eyes. “Jay, lie down with your back facing up, please.”

“Fine. What are you doing?”

“You’re my canvas now.” she told him as she sat on his butt, positioning her legs on his sides. 

“You are painting me?”

“Yeah, I had a friend from the art course, and she would always do this to me when I had trouble sleeping or when my anxiety was off the roof. It’s very soothing.”

“Well, this feels very sexual. Fuck, that’s cold.” he exclaimed when he felt the first stroke down his back. 

“Sorry! But yeah, not gonna lie we did have sex a couple times after it.”

“You with a girl huh?”

“Don’t be gross, Jay.”

“Sorry, I’ll shut up now.”

He did and not even ten minutes later, he fell asleep. It took her a while to get the work done on his rather large back. She kept her strokes soft, as light as possible to not disturb him. Almost an hour later and his back was covered in blues, oranges, blacks, and yellows. She made sure to get off of him as slow as possible, to not wake him from his deep slumber. She gave him a few more minutes and got inside, to check in on her cookies and to take her clothes from the dryer. 

She got back to him about thirty minutes later, caressing his hair and calling his name to wake him up. 

“Are you done?” he asked. 

“Mhm.”

“How long was I out?”

“I don’t know, probably over one and a half hours.”

“What did you paint?” he asked turning his head trying to see what decorated his back now. 

“Look.” she showed him the picture she took on her phone. 

“You painted The Scream?!” his voice reaching that high pitched tone he used on his promos. 

“Yeah! It’s a beautiful Edvard Munch painting. And, you scream a lot so it’s very fitting.”

“I scream a lot? You think that I scream a lot?!” his tone rising up in a joking tone, as he pulled her to his lap, both of them laughing. 

His hands cradled her face and pulled her in, kissing her with all the love he could muster, hoping he would tell her everything he felt through his kiss. She’s the one to pull away, resting her forehead in his. 

“I love you.” he whispers, afraid of her reaction.

“I love you too.”

“I know we have an agreement and our schedules are crazy and–“

“It’s okay, Jay. We will figure it out.”

[scullyy]

Two Sides Of The Same Street /Chapter Three

Title: Two Sides of the Same Street   Chapter One / Chapter Two / Chapter Three

Pairing: Clementine x Louis

Word Count: 1645

Summary: Louis and Clem have some fun in this cold weather.

A/N: This is probably the fluffiest piece I’ve written so far, enjoy :)

-

Clementine took another sip of her peppermint tea, basking in the warmth it provided. “Does it usually get this cold during winter?” The snow fell gracefully from the dark sky, blanketing the town in a white sheet.

“Unfortunately yeah. But it makes for some killer snowball fights,” Louis munched down onto his croissant. Goddamn Omar never failed to amaze him. “Marlon and I get really into it, I stand as the champion.”

“You do have other friends, right?” She questioned. Louis only ever talked about his wacky adventures with Marlon, the boy seemed almost as mad as Lou. Probably why they were so close.

Louis scoffed. “Of course, everyone loves me. Omar is my friend too, right dude?”

Omar turned from a happy customer and his gentle smile shifted to a glare, directed specifically at Louis. “Run while you still can.” He whispered to Clem.

Clementine hid her snicker behind her large mug as Louis threw one of Clem’s chips at Omid’s back. “He secretly loves me.”

“Right,” Her tone gave away her lack of belief and her annoyance at missing a chip. “Anyways, who’s turn was it?”

“I believe it was mine. What is the last song you listened to?”

Their bus ride game had somehow made it’s way to their lunch break, the third lunch break they had shared together that week. Surprisingly, Clementine found it to be fun. “Young and Beautiful by Lana Del Rey. I was listening to it on the ride to work this morning.”

Louis tipped his cup of lemonade to her. “Good choice, so your car got fixed then?” Another piece of croissant flew into his mouth, it was addicting!

Clementine giggled at how Louis ate his food. Why was it so cute? “Yes finally. No offence to the bus. So, What is your worst customer story?”

It was a juicy question. Louis’s ears perked up as a devilish smile grew. “I have the best one. I had only been working at the shop for a couple of months when this family of three walks in one day. As the parents are checking stuff out their kid goes batshit crazy, he’s running around, touching everything, trying to take stuff off the walls and his parents aren’t doing anything! I tell him to stop multiple times but he won’t listen, so I got both of my keen eyes on this little dude until the old manager calls me into the back so I can unbox some CDs we ordered. As I’m back there, we hear this fucking banshee-like scream, turns out this kid had climbed the top of one of our drum sets, jumped off and landed on his spine on our spare snare drum stand we have sitting nearby.”

Clementine’s jaw was hanging wide open like a fish.

“It gets worse. The mom marches up to me and starts going off at me, saying that I should have been watching her child. She starts talking to the manager about how incompetent I am meanwhile I’m standing there like an idiot. But my manager says to her how it’s not my job to watch her child and how she should have told him to be more careful. Eventually, the family stormed out. Sometimes I wish the shop was idiot-proof.”

“Oh my god,” She threw a hand over her mouth, trying to repress the laughter. “That sucks.”

Louis brushed it off. “It was, but it’s funny to think about now,” His water helped to clear the scratch at the back of his throat. “I wanna hear your story now. Any customers you wanted to beat over the head?”

“Mine isn’t as exciting. It was a few days ago, this guy comes in wanting to return this antique Royal Doulton vase but it was way past the return date. He starts screaming but then he takes the vase and tries to throw it at Lee! Luckily he dodged it and threw the guy out.”

Now it was Louis’s turn to look shocked. “Fuck...did you use your overly expensive spoons to attack him?”

“They are not expensive!” She took a piece of his croissant and threw it at his nose, time for him to lose his own food. “Dork.”

Louis dramatically placed a hand over his heart, squeezing his dark blue shirt. “Dork? That is a declaration of love if I’ve ever heard one.”

“Since when?”

He shrugged. “Y’know, it goes alongside things like ‘less than three’ and ‘Rawr XD. That’s just how life works, so you love me.” Louis wiggled his fine eyebrows.

Clementine rolled her eyes at his gesture. “Don’t flatter yourself.”

“That’s all I do,” He pushed his plate to the side and dusted off his hands of crumbs. “We still have fifteen minutes left of our break, anything else you wanted to do?”

Clementine wiped her mouth clean. “Maybe we can just go for a walk in the snow?”

That’s so fucking romantic. Louis, you marry this girl right now-

“Sounds like fun!” Louis waved at one of the waiters, getting him to come to their table. “Give my compliments to Chef Omar, tell him he has a lovely smile. Thank you!” He left the man a tip before waving at Omar. Begrudgingly, he waved back. Louis somehow manages to make his day better.

Clementine picked up a palm full of snow and threw it into the air, twirling as it fell around her. “Despite how cold it gets, I do enjoy the snow.” She looked like a winter fairy with those adorable earmuffs on.

Louis smirked as he picked up a handful of snow. “Oh really?” He hummed, his batting arm pegged the snowball at the back of her head, exploding all over her hair. Louis erupted in laughter as Clementine froze, the snow was making its cold descent down her back.

She slowly turned around, shooting daggers at Louis. “You asshole.” She quickly scooped up her own snowball and planted it right in his face, snickering at how his nose scrunched. Those baseball lessons really paid off.

He wiped the excess snow from his eyes. “This means war.” Clementine ran down the pavement as Louis chased her with handfuls of snow, their laughter filling the ears of those who were forced to dodge them.

He made an attempt to throw a snowball at her back but missed when she ran around a corner. “Just hold still!” He called out to her.

“We’re enemies now! I will never surrender!” Clementine crafted an extra large snowball just for him. She turned on her heels in one swift movement and ran back at him, slamming the ball atop his head. Amongst the collision, Clem had lost her footing and tumbled down alongside Louis.

Except she didn’t land on the snow.

The warm presence beneath her was comforting, she couldn’t help but melt into it.

“Clem?” Clementine raised her head and pushed away some loose curls from her eyes. Below her own head was Louis, at very close proximity. “I love your eyes.” He stated.

The heat radiating from her cheeks could melt the snow. “What?”

It was the first moment he could truly appreciate them. There were brown specks in them, a pool of honey and Earth. “It’s just, your eyes are the colour of gold people spend lifetimes trying to find.” He whispered only for her.

Clementine found herself brushing the snow away from his freckled cheek, they looked like beautiful constellations. She gently grabbed ahold of the collar on his thick coat and closed the gap between them.

And suddenly everything made sense.

Her heart opened like a butterfly taking flight, the fact he was kissing her had her mind reeling. An explosion went off in Louis’s own heart when he saw Clementine’s flushed cheeks as she pulled away. It was official, he had died and gone to heaven.

“You’re..uh..really pretty.” He stuttered like the smooth criminal he is.

She giggled. “You’re pretty too. Sorry if I took you by surprise, I just-”

“-no it’s great! I’m glad you did that. I’ve always wanted to kiss a cute girl whilst freezing my ass off in the snow in the middle of a busy street.” He teased.

She raised an eyebrow at him. “How specific.” Clementine moved away and got back to her feet, her legs almost becoming jelly. Louis followed her and dusted the snow off his coat.

“What can I say? I’m a hopeless romantic,” His eyes lingered on her hands, her light purple gloves made him smile for some reason. Cuteness perhaps? Everything about her was cute.”Is it okay if I hold your hand?”

Clementine snaked her fingers amongst his own. “I like you a lot Lou.”

“As do I Clemster,” He brought her hand up and kissed her fuzzy gloves. “And if we don’t leave now we’ll be super later for work.”

“Oh shit.”

She and Louis ran like the wind down the crowded street, swerving between the judging stares of the people beside them. Clementine let go of his hand as she made her way across the street, desperate to get out of the growing winds. “I’ll catch you later Clem!” He called out, his hand waving through the air furiously.

“Run you clever boy!”

Louis stopped dead in his tracks, his shoes skidding along the snow. His head whipped up in time to catch her suave wink. With a smile that radiated good energy, he headed back into the store, punching the air once he knew he was safe from prying eyes. 

“What the hell is wrong with you?”

Okay, maybe he wasn’t so safe.

Marlon chucked the damp towel into the bucket. “Why do you look so...crazy?”

Louis shrugged his coat off and chucked it over the counter, sending fragments of snow flying onto the floor. “I got to know a pretty face and electric soul.”

[jungdrizzydraco]

An O.C. for Your Asses!!!

I wanna see if the characters are legit before I move forward with this short story im working on (I'm a character first kinda guy, so I work inside-out) leave any form of constructive critique you wish, they are still works in progress, thanks!!

Augustine Harriet Andersson

Age:22

Sign: Gemini (sun) Cancer (moon) Virgo (rising)

Height: 5'8

Eye Color: Formerly dark-brown, bleached to a pastel-hazel because of some dark magic fuckery

Hair Color/Cut: dark-brown,q shifting variations of a fade, whose design changes somewhat based on his thoughts and emotions (yes, this is an enchanted fade)

Build: lean, lightly muscled from years lifting cauldrons in his grandfather's potion shop

Notable Features: Dimples; left-dimple is deeper than right, multiple piercings on each ear, artificial left eye (looks organic but to magical eyes, it looks otherwise)

"Have you ever been like...fundamentally angry? I feel that way...like at my core, there's this rage that seethes and coils at the pit of my stomach, everyday, like a python that can't quite squeeze his prey all the way to death. Everytime I think I've grown up, forgiven something or someone or myself, there's this anger that tightens right back up all over again...like it's reminding me of something. Somedays...I feel like that feeling will petrify everything I've ever loved about myself, and I'll just be another slave to outrage and ego and pain...just like everyone else...haha, then I'll really be a normie."  -August Andersson, on his depression and internal anger issues.

Augustine Andersson is a witch-boy. But you could probably already tell that from looking at him: the way his eyes are almost constantly fixed towards some unseeable infinity, the way air molecules hum with fresh, manic energy around him, how he seems to absorb sunlight and the way his brown skin would filter the glow as a result of his connection to the natural...it was all very off putting to others around him for most of his young adult life. And as we all know, no one likes a freak, so such years had a hand in building his current trust issues, feelings of great anger and inadequacy, and all the tics and tricks he uses to keep such feelings at bay. He's not at a total loss; at his core he is a humanitarian, deeply compassionate and available to those who have managed to capture his heart, as well as wild and humorous. However, he keeps a tight lid on his darkest feelings and insecurities, out of fear that they may be too much for those around him (also, he might accidentally call forth a vile arch-daemon on accident, but that's neither here nor there.) After finally having had enough of his mundane time amongst the humans, he vanishes from his college campus one day and takes to the open road, hoping that like the many young, angsty teens in the movies he loves, he will find himself in his own solitude. But the best way to deal with oneself is when confronting someone else, and after a close-call with a reckless (and very cute) motorcycle rider on an interstate, August will be forced to deal with every single part of himself, the good, the bad, and the strange...

A few more things about him...

1. His father is Afro-swedish, hence his last name.

2. Loves to travel and is nomadic by nature.

3. He gets a special kind of warmth out of being moderately petty at all times.

4. He loves open spaces and bodies of water, as well as hikes through mountains (ok so he only went once in Vegas, so sue him, he really liked it!)

5. Surprisingly low maintenance, really just likes being around people that are happy, and the feeling easily rubs off on him.

6. Both positive and negative emotions easily rub off on him.

7. Can get caught up in moments of warm content, given his unstable interior life, and can get lost in wasting/spending time.

8. Gets restless easily.

9. Budding film buff, faves include Kill Bill vol. 1&2, Her, Moonrise Kingdom, Gone Girl, Blue is the Warmest Color, Moonlight, & Mean Girls.

10. August's father is very engaged with politics and civil rights, so in honor of that, he decided that his son's middle name would belong to one of the greatest figures of the civil rights movement: Harriet Tubman.

11. Favorite new movie is The Favourite.

12. Due to a lack of acceptance of his full self and the full spectrum of his sexuality, he is judgemental of others and holds them to the same near-impossible standards he holds for himself. 

13. Things he expects from others: To read his mind and conjure what he wants without saying, to have his needs and boundaries respected without actually stating so, for others to fit in whatever box he thinks they should be in, for everyone's intellect to be slightly lower than his own, but high enough not to annoy him with silly questions, ect.

14. Listens to Lorde, J. Cole, Rex Orange County, Frank Ocean, Lana Del Rey, Tyler the Creator, Young Thug and assorted film soundtracks.

15. Enjoys playing into his double-sided nature when it suits him, and has a secret glee in melding into different roles depending on who's around him.

16. Is attracted to more eccentric personalities in platonic and romantic relationships

17. Smokes weed to escape boredom. (and his problems)

18. Smokes weed because he likes the feeling.

19. Is secretly a little ratchet, but he'll kill you if you say so, it'll fuck up his reputation as the quasi-sociopathic erudite.

Magic House-Thoth

Augustine is a member of the Sacred House of Life, witches whose magic is passed down from the Egyptian Gods themselves. August himself is a descendant of an African slave-witch, once known as Ashe. She was taken to Egypt as a typical piece of cargo from zealot raiders, and was sentenced to a life of building the pyramids. Or so she would have thought: Thoth, the God of Magic and Knowledge, took pity upon her and beguiled her to follow an invisible force into the desert one night. He then revealed himself to her in his ibis-headed brilliance and bestowed upon her a set of choices: he could free her now and set her loose across the desert with all the things she would need for survival, or he could give her secrets and wisdoms unknown to man at the time, but she would have to frequently return to him for lessons. Ashe always prized knowledge and growth over any material thing, or even something such as freedom (I prefer to disagree myself). And secrets from a God must count for that much more, right? She indulged in option two. Thoth grinned and whispered to her the mysteries of life, the secrets of the stars, and the riddles of worlds lost and intangible, he spoke magick into her very soul. She would then use her newfound knowledge to fool her captors, freed any slave that would believe in her, and with her wits about them, guided them across the desert to build a library-like sanctuary, in honor of Thoth. The former slaves then learned from the god's teachings, passed through Ashe, and became witches and educators in their own right, and Ashe came to lead this new coven of magi. This is how the House of Thoth became to be. 

Magick: As a member of house of Thoth, August has the ability to manipulate various aspects of the moon, writing, hieroglyphics, knowledge and sciences, and the progression of time. His particular specialty is the creation of Moon Dust, a substance used as a medium for most of his spells. By gathering various quantities of mineral, be it: crystal, rocks, pearls, aluminum, or even silvers and golds, he can channel his magic into them and break down and rearrange their atomic components into a corrosive, abrasive substance that also tends to stick to objects due to an electric charge. This dust is also dangerous to breathe in. He tends to carry around a pouch or two on his person, as trying to create some on the fly is nearly impossible given how much time and intricacy is needed to create the substance. (I mean, working with just a pile of plain old rocks would take a couple of hours to convert, let alone harder or more distilled substances.) Spells that he has mastered so far include...

Spell of Refraction: A spell in which the moondust bonds to whomever or whatever August desires (sans the harmful effects, it's enchanted in this state) and whatever is enveloped in dust turns invisible via light refraction.

Spell of Revelations: He can spread his moondust over an area and have the pieces cling to imprints of negative emotion or dark magick. A spell used for forensic work.

Spell of Retribution: An offensive spell that uses moondust to its fullest offensive powers and creates small funnels of dust to ravage the opponent. The largest funnel made could surround a fully grown man.

Golemancy:  Can create golems out of the moon dust he has formed, usually no larger than a human toddler. They tend to take form roughly resembling lego-men (he was a big fan of the Lego Expanded Universe as a child), but one can easily be fooled by their size: each golem has the strength of three men, and can combine to further power themselves up.

There are a few spells that don't require the moon dust...

-The Veil: A surface-level illusion layered directly over the skin. This allows the caster to look like whatever he wants to look like and sound however he wants, but can be broken if struck with bad intentions (like a slap from an offended woman on the street)

 -Somnus: A very old, yet practical spell. Also one that does not require moondust, this handy spell induces sleep.  Those affected by this spell will not remember being forced to sleep, but they will have active and vivid dreams for distraction. Also necessary for Dream Diving.

-Dream Diving:  A skill Augustine has yet to master, this allows the caster to astral project into one's consciousness for complete access to the afflicted parties mind, if the brain is distracted by dreams. August has gotten stuck in several public nude dreams, and it takes long hours to remove oneself from another's mind.

-Illusion Casting 

-Temporary Madness Inducement

-Script Magick: By writing down a word or phrase on any surface that can be sufficiently marked on, whatever has been written manifests somehow, just so long as it is within his power. He can't create miracles with it though.

Top 10 Roadtrip Songs

Sobriety- Sza

No Role Moldelz-J. Cole

Sacrifices -Dreamville, assorted artists

Grown Up Fairy Tails- Chance the Rapper, Taylor Bennett 

My Boy-Billie Eilish

U.N.I.T.Y.- Frank Ocean

West Coast: Lana Del Rey

Cruise Ship-Young Thug

400 Lux-Lorde

Let Em Know- Bryson Tiller

[caucasianbuttslut]

The Losers x Music Taste

Richie

Arctic Monkeys, Led Zeppelin, Cage the Elephant, New Order, Pixies, classic rock in general

also loves classic gangsta rap like Biggie, Tupac, Snoop Dogg, and Juicy J

knows all the words to “Slob on My Knob” and embarasses Eddie by screaming it in the car while they drive

always listening to music so loud you can hear it through his earbuds, and wears bright metallic rose gold Beats everywhere like an asshole

hates music that plays on the radio

Eddie

Amy Winehouse, Lana Del Rey, Marina and The Diamonds, old school Lily Allen, Tori Amos, Fiona Apple, and One of the Boys era Katy Perry 

has a lot of feelings, okay? 

make Spotify playlists for very specific moods

an't stand when Richie blasts music

Britney Spears slut and has given Richie a drunken lap dance to “Womanizer”

never liked Melanie Martinez but had a Halsey phase at one point

Beverly

Richie says she likes “white people rap” and it makes Mike roll his eyes

very mainstream taste in Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar, and Drake

hardcore into Blackbear and Logic

knows all the words to every Nicki and Cardi song

will never admit it, but unironically stanned Iggy Azalea at one point in her life

obsessed with One Direction as a teen and once cried cause Harry Styles looked at her during a concert

likes Rihanna more than Beyoncé

Mike

Soundcloud rappers

can listen to anything and his Soundcloud playlists all sounds like you put the entire website on shuffle

thinks it’s stupid to pay for Spotify or Apple Music

owns Tyler the Creator merch

appreciates classic rock but has super basic tastes

cried when Aaliyah died and wants Beyoncé and Jay-Z tickets for his birthday

Bill

gets nostalgic over classical music due to growing up with a piano teacher mom

likes accoustic guitar and low-fi hip hop that he can play in the background while writing

Cuco, potsu, and Cigarettes After Sex soothe his soul

can talk for hours about Amy Winehouse with Eddie, and they watch Amy together and sob like big babies

listens to Lana Del Rey on vinyl while he smokes and rereads his writing

Ben

80s and showtunes whore

will play K-Pop if you pass him the aux cord, and so the Losers never let him have it

wants to feel as sexy as Madonna in the “Like A Virgin” music video

Madonna, New Kids on the Block, Cyndi Lauper, George Michael, Taylor Dane, Toto, Whitney Houston and unironic Rick Astley

would sell his soul for Mama Mia tickets

knows the words to every song Judy Garland has ever sung

has read multiple biographies on Lesley Gore and outbids people on Etsy for her original vinyls

sobs to Dirty Dancing and wants “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” playing at his wedding

Stan

sospisticated indie taste

had an emo phase, and Panic! at the Disco, My Chemical Romance, and Linkin Park are his secret guilty pleasures

still buys CDs

country Taylor Swift

“Stan what the fuck are you listening to?”

hides his music tastes cause it’s just that weird

[alexisbundy1-blog]

[this post is just for kicks]

ok so i have a playlist called junior (go follow it) that contains almost all the songs i have discovered this year. here are some of my favourites:

“Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)” - Kate Bush I first discovered Kate Bush the summer before freshman year. I don’t remember how, but it most definitely links back to having the knowledge that she had a song entitled “Wuthering Heights.” (Sound familiar?) Afterwards, the words “Kate Bush” became a part of my music vocabulary. Did you know she wrote “Wuthering Heights” at 18 years old, became the first woman to ever have a number-one hit in the UK, AND was only 19 when the song hit the charts? When I’m 19, my biggest accomplishment will be doing my own laundry. ANYWAY - so after two years of being a Kate Bush fan, I noticed that her acclaimed album Hounds of Love was finally on Spotify and decided to give it a listen. Her artist page showed that this one song was one of her most popular, so I gave it a go. Not to be hyperbolic, but this song rocked my world. I mean, I knew Kate Bush was one of the coolest people ever, but this song just took her radness to a new level. The synths, the power of her vocals, the lyrics, the video(!!!). Kate Bush is just a tour de force. I love her, and so should you. And also she should have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year. Just saying.

“Personal Jesus” - Depeche Mode So technically I first heard this song over the summer but...who cares...I was technically a junior. First of all, this song goes HARD. Between the bassline and the sporadic interjections of synth, “Personal Jesus” is just simply a tune. It makes you feel badass, even if the lyrics don’t really align with that feeling, and I wish I could provide some more persuasive evidence as to why it’s so good, but you have to listen to it yourself. It’s just...a tune. That’s all.

“Edge of Seventeen” - Stevie Nicks Okay so I’m relatively embarrassed to say that I only heard this song in July...and it initially struck me because it shared the same bassline as a Destiny’s Child song...sorry, Stevie. But it’s such a good song!!!! Fun fact: the title comes from a discussion Stevie had with the late, great Tom Petty’s wife, who said she had been in love with Tom since she was the age of seventeen; however, she had a southern drawl, so it sounded as though she was saying “edge of seventeen.” And the rest is history. And you should listen to this song if you haven’t already. Another badass song with a wobbling bassline and cool female vocals.

“Praying” - Kesha No offense to Madison, but I’ve been the Kesha fan from day one. Don’t even @ me. Like, Kesha posters everywhere in my room, buying Kesha albums in secret (my mother wasn’t a fan), knowing all the words to her songs - the works. So when Kesha released this TUNE in late July/August, not only was the world shook - I was so shaken. I was like, “Is this Miss Ke-dollar sign-ha???? Is this Kesha Rose Sebert???” First of all, I was literally in pieces when Kesha’s court case ruling came out, and then she dropped this song and I was like “Adios.” I always knew Kesha was a ~talented songstress~ but her vocals on this song...I cry every time. WHY DIDN’T IT WIN A GRAMMY.

“God Bless America - and All the Beautiful Women In It” - Lana Del Rey No offense....but Lana Del Rey dropped the best album of the year (tied w/ DAMN. again don’t @ me) and it is also the best album of her career. There are a lot of fabulous songs on this album but this is my favourite. It’s so subtly political yet so ethereal. The vocals and guitar on this song just soar. I love Lana so much <3

basically Dua Lipa’s whole debut album - Dua Lipa I’ve been a Dua fan since summer 2016 and when she dropped this album she also drop-kicked me to another planet. Prior to the album’s release, she released hit after hit and I was over here like “Thank u Dua for blessing us with ur killer vocals and ur mega tunes” and THEN she had the AUDACITY to just rock my world with this album. Is it Dark Side of the Moon? No. Is it still a great pop album?? Yes. And do the songs go hard?? They go hard. No offense but every song on this album - even the bad ones (*cough* “Room for 2″) - are better than “Shape of You” and YET who won the Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Performance?? Not Dua Lipa the true winner. Anyway if you have a chance just listen to the whole album. My favourite songs are-jk I love them all. Except for “Room for 2″ just ignore that one.

“Bodak Yellow” - Cardi B ....do i really need to speak on this one...

“Go Gina” - SZA I am still so offended that the Recording Academy snubbed SZA’s debut album but WHATEVER IT’S FINE. This song is about halfway through the album, and it serves as a slight interlude. But it’s my favourite. It’s succinct, it’s gorgeous, it references Martin. SZA is so talented and deserves the world.

“Raspberry Beret” - Prince I first heard this song on the last episode of She’s Gotta Have It, the TV reincarnation of the Spike Lee film. I was a Prince fan, but this song just gave me a new respect for him. It’s not necessarily in the lyrics, but the music is just insane. There’s a combination of Prince’s signature guitar-and-synth combo, but then there’s a harmonica-type instrument as well that ties into Prince’s ventures to an abandoned farm/barn. This is a good memory of Prince. 

“Best Friend” - Sofi Tukker Can I just say...this song deserves better. I know a lot of people have heard it in iPhone ads and whatnot, but Sofi Tukker is just such an amazing group and this was the first song I heard by them and they are so talented. This song just truly goes hard. I’m upset I don’t hear it more often. The wobble of such a strong bassline adds so much energy to an already enthusiastic song. It’s a great mainstream introduction to Sofi Tukker.

the entire Black Panther soundtrack again...do i really need to speak on this....

every song on the Call Me By Your Name soundtrack but especially the Sufjan Stevens songs ok so it’s common knowledge that this movie has damaged me forever, but you know what else damaged me? the soundtrack. who else gets away with intertwining classical piano music and euro eighties hits and sufjan stevens songs? no one except for luca guadagnino. so let’s briefly discuss,,,,first of all i had actually never listened to a psychedelic furs song before and i feel like that’s embarrassing especially for me so “love my way” was just such a wow moment for me. great pop song with great lyrics that truly pertain to the movie. excellent choice. also my new favourite song “paris latino” by bandolero is just so campy and european and eighties. what a tune. and the opening song, “hallelujah junction” by john adams, is just so gorgeous. it’s such a fabulous opener. now lets talk about sufjan stevens....we’re first introduced to his music in the movie with a remix of his song “futile devices.” this remix is so ethereal and stunning; it fits so perfectly within the movie. then there’s the happy little ditty “mystery of love” that basically should have won the oscar but then i saw coco and “remember me” made me cry so i wasn’t too mad. not much to say about this one because it speaks for itself. great song. now,,..,.,.,.”visions of gideon”.....,.,.,this song is so offensive. every time i listen to it i want to sit in front of a fire place for the whole duration of the song and CRY over my lover who is getting married and teaches at columbia. it’s so delicate and haunting. it just makes me cry.

“Lemon” - N.E.R.D & Rihanna idk about you guys but i heard this on the radio like once and i was so offended by how little airplay it received because this song is just so amazing. like pharrell + rihanna = modern musical genius. this was all the world needed. 

“This is America” - Childish Gambino I know literally the entire population of Earth is talking about this song but I think the visuals are the more intriguing part (obviously). Like on its own, the song is great, but the music video adds way more to it, in my opinion. As it has been said numerous times, you really have to watch the video multiple times to catch everything, but it’s such a stunning video that really forces you to think and comprehend everything going on. Props to you, Donald Glover. Even though you have been slightly problematic in the past.

so obviously i could have like a gazillion songs listed here but a) some of them are hard to explain b) i don’t want to offend anyone and c) i tried to make it seem like my taste in music is both good and slightly mainstream so people can #relate. i also discovered a lot of bruce springsteen within this period and i am proud of myself for doing so. okay, well i hope it’s noted that i did this just for fun and would obviously not like to be graded on it i just kind of wanted to have something to reflect on the year! unlike my actual blog post for this month. and i just wanted to have a platform to talk about music and get people to listen to my playlist. ok see you!! go read my real blog post!!

[lanadelreyfiles-blog]

Lana Del Rey: “I've burned all the bridges for music” Teenager, Lana Del Rey was a daredevil. She remembers it on Lust for Life, a new album where her sovereign voice offers the widest gap, an intense collaboration with The Weeknd to a peaceful ballad with Sean Lennon. Interview by JD Beauvallet.

— You haven’t released anything since Honeymoon in 2015. How do you know or feel when you are ready for a new album? My problem is not to begin, it is to stop. Even when I think I am done with an album I continue to create, I always want to add one more song, and again one more. If I am not occupied with mixing in the end of the creation of an album, I continue to write. For example, two songs from the new album were composed during the finalizing of the predecessor. I can’t stop myself from working, I adore being in the studio, it makes me feel good. It has been like that for five years in the same place, in Los Angeles, where I work with the same small equipment at the studio of producer Rick Nowels. We spend our life there, as a gang. — So this means you have never known the fear of a blank sheet? It was a fear which overwhelmed me before I started to record real records. It was very present during the period before my success when I recorded simply for my own pleasure, when I wrote only for myself. I had the certainty that inspiration was gonna slip away and it was like that regularly, sometimes I was incapable of composing for six months.  But for 10 years now, I find inspiration easily – or it finds me. I have learned to be stimulated by it. Especially refusing to be lonely, I meet friends, I observe what is happening without any stress. I use my phone non-stope in the dictation mode, I have recorded countless melodies and words… It’s a bit scary, I must have 700 rough drafts of songs on my phone. I know the experience when a melody pops up in my head, I run towards my phone to record it, even if it is in the middle of the night. A good melody does not knock twice on your door. If you don’t welcome it, it’s gonna show up at another door. For example, during the recordings of Honeymoon, I always heard a melody inside my head which tortured me and which I did not capture. It sounded like the music of the Renaissance… I hummed this melody for months before it ultimately became ‘Terrence Loves You’ (Sings for a long time). — Teenager, you have the reputation of being a dare-devil. How does this express itself nowadays? My challenges are not physical, I take different risks. When I was 18, I drove like I was crazy, I was on sprees for days and nights without sleeping. I was more free, more spontaneous, I didn’t care much for the consequences… I have a lot of responsibilities today, towards my relatives, my partners… I am obligated to, for example, be on time. In the past, I had enough work to do with myself, just to maintain a living, before I could find time to occupy mself with others. In 2017, the risks I take is the level of melodies, my musical choices. But I think I have passed the dare-devil part and I am more of a nerd now (laughs). — What do you mean by ‘musical risks’? The co-existence of different songs on the same album, like the very complex ‘Lust For Life’ with the desert-like ‘Yosemite’, it is not very reasonable. One tries to put me off, one tells me the contrast is too extrem, but I love the two songs too much to exclude one because of the other one. These are the songs which make me life, and more than that, as well: they have some experience. — Have you become more patient the older you got? I did. I allow myself much more free-time nowadays. I can go to the studio at any time, I don’t have the pressure of a deadline anymore. Of the blow, I have let myself go a little with the song ‘Lust For Life’… I have worked on it on multiple days a week for one and a half year. It has passed every stage, it has started with a futuristic and dark vein like Blade Runner. Also, I have decided to return to a radiant Shangri-La like style… After working for some months, Abel (The Weeknd) joined to add his part. This song became my baby, an unmanageable and maleficent baby which made me crazy. I quickly understood that this album would sound like a trip, a mix. — Working with The Weeknd, did you learn new methods to work in the studio? I already once learned that I love to play with the buttons, the reverb, I feel more and more comfortable on the other side of the window. I can pass hours with a sound, it captivated me. Also, I spend time with the console in the studio, it doesn’t seem like working; it’s fun, exciting. I even read technical reviews, I’m a true geek (laughs)… Technically, nowadays, I would be capable of producing for other artists. The real question is, however: Even if I can, should I? Often when I jam with my friends, I can hear how the studio version would sound like. Maybe that’s my future. There is a serious lack of female producers in the music industry! — Your last two albums, ‘Ultraviolence’ and ‘Honeymoon’, were made on the West Coast and were influenced by it. How about ‘Lust For Life’? Four songs on the album reference Los Angeles, but the mood and aesthetic are definitely not West Coast like. I drove myself to remove this blurry, dreamy atmosphere. Songs like ‘Tomorrow Never Came’ and ‘Yosemite’ pick up the sounds of 70s folk, and if I would have to create an album concept in a day, it would surround the legendary Laurel Canyon particularly.   — One of the strong songs on the album is called ‘God Bless America’. How do you feel about the US nowadays? Around me, in the artistic milieu, we all share the same feeling of uncertainty, of fear, and the talk which arises. Women the subject of this song, are the most affected, the most referred to by the arrival of Trump. I have written this song prior to the big marches which seemed inevitable to happen. This rhetorical hate is not dignified for a head of state. The day after the elections was one of the hardest days in my life. I went to the studio nonetheless, to talk to the others. I want to be informed by reading everything, and see if I can get anything at all. Unfortunately, I can’t find anything that convinces me. — You have tweeted magical recipes to get rid of Trump… It was a joke. I read how witches of the entire world tried to federate at these dates and times to put a spell on Trump, I just relayed. But what is true is that my new videos contain references to magic and occult science. With the more cheerful, less dark side. I know people who converse with what is beyond. My music is in relation to ghosts. But without me.   — Recently, you have re-entered the scene with the festival SXSW. Did you need something after two years in the studio? I’ve played for an hour, it did me good. I feel more comfortable in a small bar in Texas, like on that day, than in a big stadium. It was the best way to start again after leaving the studio. For the first time in ages, I have played the guitar, to Yayo. It was one of my first songs, composed on the guitar back when I wasn’t Lana Del Rey (she got published, without any success, with the name Lizzy Grant in 2008). It’s a piece loaded with my emotions, it threw me back to this period, sent me back how I fantasized, how I felt. I was 20 years old, it was an amazing time in my life, I’ve discovered new people, love, New York… At the same time, I’ve studied philosophy at university, but in my head, it was always: “I am gonna be a singer”. I religiously followed the counsel of the book ‘Think And Grow Rich’ by Napoleon Hill, I have burned all the bridges to engulf in music. Yet, doing the studies of philosophy, I didn’t let myself offer many career possibilities (chuckles)… But it allowed me to ask many questions, which I could not find answers to. However, I’ve met people who are on the same wave-length as me. The philosopher Josiah Royce talked about the clusters of spirit, with their fundamental importance for your fulfillment. Those were the music fans who welcomed me, in the cafes of New York. — Who taught you how to play the guitar? I’ve been obsessed with music, with singing, but I have been very limited in going any further because I couldn’t play any instrument. Before going to university, I’ve taken a gap year and I have gone – by foot -  to my aunt and my uncle Tom at Cold Spring Harbor, a village on Long Island. Tom has showed me seven chords on the guitar. He had a marvelous voice, like James Taylor, but he worked on the Wall Street. Everybody told him he was wasting his talent. Thanks to him and his nylon-guitar course, I’ve finally had a plan for life. He gifted me with freedom… So, following this, I used to go to East-Village or Brooklyn one evening a week to play in the cafes, open-mics, at Sidewalk Café or Lay Lo Lounge… Without really knowing what I was doing, I played one of my songs in public. It was Yayo or a cover of ‘Buckets Of Rain’ by Bob Dylan (she sings loudly)… I’ve had only one reason to go on stage, to say “Listen to me.” — Have you been a disciplined student to your uncle? I have been very studious and disciplined. However, I didn’t make any real progress ever (laughs)… It was truly frustrating for me. It took me so much effort… But I didn’t have any visible talent. — But you already had your voice. I had one of my voices, the low-pitched one. The higher one, I am still working on. For example, on ‘Yosemite’, I sing with a very perched voice, which I haven’t used in years. I was really afraid of leaving this passage in, that my voice was too fragile, that it revealed too much of me… On Honeymoon, I’ve changed the key of four songs because I found them too high and it would’ve forced me to show my vulnerability. Henceforth, depending on how I use my voice, I can take that away or I show it, it offers an enormous liberty. The concert at SXSW, it really was a revelation for me, it allowed me to ask me certain questions. “What kind of genre do I sing? Which family do I belong to? Do I have the right to take some vocal risks onstage?” That was, on that stage in Texas, when I realized that my roots were the pure songwriting, the storytelling. On a smaller scale I have crossed paths with Joan Baez, with her taste for risks. Perhaps for the first time, I didn’t consider what could be expected of me. My songs have too often been a catharsis live…  I couldn’t do more than singing “I, I, I”… It only took me ten years to reach it (laughs). — How do you live the commercial aspect of music? I absolutely trust in my team, who always protect me which makes me feel comfortable. But regarding my debut, from where I came, I’ve lived the marketing like a sacrilege. But nowadays, I am much more relaxed. For example, even if that smile is ironic, I have never openly smiled like in the video of ‘Love’… This smile, it’s a mix of sincere joy and relief… And, well, irony. — Your music is ideal for “cruising” by car. Do you have any memories of long travels with your family and with music which goes along? My dad used to listen constantly to the Beach Boys in the car, to the point where he always wore a Hawaii-shirt, even in December! When I was very little, my parents moved away from New York to live in the mountains of Adirondacks, six hours north of the city. Twice a year, we made a long trip down to Florida, three days by car. I hated the cold of the Adirondacks, I’ve loved this trip, it’s rooted in me. I loved the heat which grew stronger and stronger while we drove through the two Carolina states (North & South Carolina). I remember how my little sister and I snuggled in the back, I dreamed what we would do together once we arrived in Florida. I can still see the restaurants in service stations, the waitresses and the warmth. Once arrived, during these weeks, I never left the ocean. — You drive there still? Since I can’t blend in with the crowd, I don’t go to the women’s demonstrations against Trump. But I am the cab driver for my sister, who otherwise doesn’t have one. I drive a Jaguar Sedan, which is completely crazy. A car from the mother of the easy-family, not necessarily sexy (laughs). The next one is probably going to be a Tesla. I had the chance to meet one of the founders of the company, Elon Music. With my sister, he invited us to visit the seat of SpaceX, I’ve already touched one of these rockets…. But to take off into outerspace, I’ll wait until Elon is on board – the final proof that this technology is safe. I am excited for what we still have to discover. — Speaking of creatures coming from another planet, you recently collaborated with Alex Turner and Miles Kane of the Last Shadow Puppets… (She bursts into laugher and claps her hands) They are truly hilarious, two madmen. They do not live far away from me, in Los Angeles.  I’ve begun to train two evenings a week in the studio of Miles, in the neighborhood of Los Feliz, to play with no goals with the Last Shadow Puppets. Then we go eat dinner together with their girlfriends in ‘La Poubelle’ What a squad! I can’t count the amount of times I’ve ended up on the ground because I was laughing so hard. They are capable of speaking to one another by singing, with improvised lyrics. For example, one evening, I’ve told Miles about the concert of Joan Baez which I attended. He has never heard about her. Alex made up a song on the spot “Miles doesn’t know who Joan Baez is” (she screams)… None is ever safe of their twisted humor. When I first met them, I did have the impression that I met musicians who only live for the music, whose only thoughts are about music. Singing with them is truly invigorating, there is no need to repeat anything, they always find a continuation. — With Miles Kane, can you speak with him about your passion for Liverpool FC? I think my manager Ben would rip my head off if I wouldn’t! Each match is about life or death for him. He took me to the Anfield Stadium, I was really amused on that day… — You told us a few years ago that you spend “a lot of time in (your) head”. Is that still the case? I have opened up to others. But most of the time, I still have that inner dialogue with myself. However, I feel less apart, less different than the others nowadays. I have the impression that I have finally connected to the world. It’s comforting. I have analyzed my life since I was a teenager, with enough detachment. — Do you still have your tattoo on your hand which reads “Trust no one”? (She shows it) I still do, but I am thinking about having it removed. Only because it is very identifying and I aspire to finally melt into the masses. It’s not about the message. Deep inside, I still agree with the message. Lust for Life out July 21st.

[pinupgalore-lanadelrey]

Lust For Life - so far

Cherry - (live / more) White Mustang (snippets) Summer Bummer - Ft A$AP Rocky (snippets) Groupie Love -  Ft A$AP Rocky (snippet) Change - (snippets) 

 “I wrote a song called, 13 Beaches which talks about how I do it, last summer, I had to go to 13 different beaches before I could find one without paparazzi, where I laid down with a book. But we can get used to anything. And then maybe it’s worth it. What I can’t get used to, is systematically finding my songs on the internet before they’re supposed to come out. It takes so much time to make a record… a year and a half! When leaving the studio, I always have to hope that they’re secure.”

I have a song that’s quite aware about the collective worry, about whether this is the end of an era. It’s called “When the World Was at War We Kept Dancing.” But I actually went back and forth about keeping it on the record, because I didn’t want it there if it would make people feel worse instead of better. It’s not apathetic. The tone of the production is very dark, and doesn’t lead to a fucking happy feeling. And the question it poses: Is this the end of America, of an era? Are we running out of time with this person at the helm of a ship? Will it crash? In my mind, the lyrics were a reminder not to shut down or shut off, or just don’t talk about things. It was more like stay vigilant and keep dancing. Stay awake. “God Bless America,” and another song called, “When the World Was at War We Just Kept Dancing,” which is about what we’ve been talking about: trying to stay positive, and just believing that things are going to be okay. And if it feels like they’re not going to be okay, we’ll try and make them okay individually and then together.”

Tomorrow Never Came - ft. Sean Lennon Beyond the meta-awareness of the lyrics and rich instrumentation [Lennon added “acoustic six- and 12-string guitar, electric guitar, lap steel, upright bass, vibraphone, harpsichord, orchestra bells, drums, and Mellotron strings, and shaker”], a particularly resonant lyric repeats itself a handful of times: “You weren’t in the spot you said to wait.”  I ask Del Rey if there are running themes of stasis or waiting elsewhere on the record. “I think that’s why I felt that of anything on the record, that wasn’t my song,” she considers. “I didn’t feel like I was waiting for anything. It’s really not about anything personally, except that I love the sonics of it; the filters. I try to be as careful as I can that I’ll want to sing stuff on stage that I write. And that song will be an easy one to do because it doesn’t pull at any heartstrings or anything. And I know it’s special to Sean as well, because he’s his dad’s biggest fan. And so I like that, in a small way, they had a moment, in whatever surreal way that could happen. Notably, there is a track on Lust for Life, recorded with Sean Lennon, a layered and playful number that explores, among other things, John Lennon and Yoko Ono – a canonical deity of lust and artistry if ever there was – that sees Del Rey refreshingly step outside her own paradigm. “I felt like it belonged to someone else,” she says of the single, “Tomorrow Never Came.” “And I never feel that, because I like to keep everything for myself. I thought it might be strange for Sean to sing a song about John and Yoko as well. But I think the fact that I sing, ‘Isn’t life crazy now that I’m singing with Sean.’ It points to the fact that we’re both aware. I didn’t want it to come out exploitative in any fashion. Not that it would. Still, I wanted to be as careful as possible. I wanted it to come across layered with this sort of meta narrative mixed in. In a way it’s a song about a song.”  Sean Lennon - “I felt like it was my job to simply highlight and accentuate what was already there in her voice and melody, and in her lyrics.

Beautiful People, Beautiful Problems - where she trades verses and coalesces on the chorus with the one and only Stevie Nicks, “I didn’t know what to except or that I could even ask her, Del Rey remarks. “When I went through ideas of women that could really add something to the record, she was the one we kept coming back to.” - Lana   “That’s where “Beautiful People, Beautiful Problems” comes from, because we are trying to ride above all the problems and have hope in everything else, but it’s still a world filled with problems no matter how hard we try to change it.”  - Stevie Nicks  

“God Bless America,” an unbridled spanker of a song that’s title refrain is followed by, “And all the beautiful women in it.” “Yeah, I went there. It has some strong messaging. Some iconography, with Lady Liberty, fire escapes and the streets, and I do get a little New York feel when I listen back to it.” I tell her the song feels grandiose in production, anthemic in verse… very New York in fact. And while New York (and its banks) have churned out the free world leader and a boys club not so concerned about everyone therein being blessed, moreover the “beautiful women in it”—reminding us that grandiosity has its pitfalls—“God Bless America” could easily ascend the ladder as a 2017 rally cry. “Well, it’s the God word, but the phrase has wider meaning. It’s more of a sentiment. When I wrote it I didn’t feel like it was confined to a traditional portrait of the Lord, as some sects might see it. It was more like, ‘Fucking God bless us all and let’s hope we make it through this. When all the Women’s Marches were happening, I had already written this song, because I had been hearing a lot of things online. And I have a sister, and a lot of girlfriends, who had a lot of concerns about things that were being said in the media by some of our leaders. And I saw an instant reaction from women, and I was like, ‘Wow. There is no confusing how women are feeling about the state of the nation.’ And so without really trying to, I felt compelled to just write a song and say we are all concerned. And it really made me think about my relationship with women. And I felt proud of myself, because I do love the women in my life. And I take care of them, and I ask them what they think about music, and guys, and problems, and I thought it was so cool that I’m really right there in the same boat with them. And sometimes I’m not. Sometimes I feel like I’ve got my finger right on the pulse of what’s going on, and then some of my music comes out and it’s like, ‘Fuck, that was a miss. Fuck, that’s not what people feel, at all. But with this, I was right there with everyone.” In “God Bless America”… ‘Take me as I am, don’t see me for what I’m not… Only you can save me tonight.’ It’s about seeing people: what they’re actually doing. Who they actually are.”

Love - The last 16 months, things were kind of crazy in the US, and in London when I was there. I was just feeling like I wanted a song that made me feel a little more positive when I sang it. “ I knew that the first song I wanted to put out was “Love” because of everything you and I have been talking about so far. It’s just the age-old thing: love is all there is. And I really was feeling that way. I made a lot of records for myself, chronicling my own stories, and I’ve played so many shows now, I’ve seen all the same kind of kids and grown-ups coming to the shows, and I really wanted to make a record for them.” (x)

Lust For Life -  “I’ve been friends with Abel [Tesfaye] from The Weeknd for a long time, and I knew I wanted to put the title track, “Lust for Life,” out second because we have so many mutual fans and I knew they would love it.” “I love the new song, too. I’m glad it’s the first thing out. It doesn’t sound that retro, but I was listening to a lot of Shangri-Las and wanted to go back to a bigger, more mid-tempo, single-y sound.” “I have let myself go a little with the song ‘Lust For Life’… I have worked on it on multiple days a week for one and a half years. It has passed every stage, it started with a futuristic and dark vein like Blade Runner. Also, I decided to return to a radiant Shangri-La like style… After working for some months, Abel (The Weeknd) joined to add his part. This song became my baby, an unmanageable and maleficent baby which made me crazy. I quickly understood that this album would sound like a trip, a mix.” (x)

“I kinda want to dig into a little bit more of the acoustic side of the record. I have a track called ‘Yosemite’ which i really like, which is just a little bit more laid back, it’s kind of a love song that I did all in one take in the room.” The co-existence of different songs on the same album, like the very complex ‘Lust For Life’ with the desert-like ‘Yosemite’, it is not very reasonable. One tries to put me off, one tells me the contrast is too extreme, but I love the two songs too much to exclude one because of the other one. These are the songs which make me life, and more than that, as well: they have some experience.” “Songs like ‘Tomorrow Never Came’ and ‘Yosemite’ pick up the sounds of 70s folk, and if I would have to create an album concept in a day, it would surround the legendary Laurel Canyon particularly.” “ It just goes back to my favorite song on the record, “Yosemite,” and doing it for the right reasons.” “I think one of my favorite tracks on the record is called “Yosemite.” The chorus is [begins to sing] “We did it for fun, we did it for free, I did it for you, you did it for me, we did it for the right reasons.” -  possibly changed to Get Free

Coachella - Woodstock in My Mind - “I wrote on my way home from Coachella when things were getting hostile between North Korea and the U.S., and all those failed missile launches, which happened the day after the first night of the festival. I feel lucky to be able to speak my mind through music right in the present moment.”

Roses Bloom For You (Snippet) Architecture