Am I the only person here who kind of likes this?
Lorde - Royals
- Davey the Fat Boy
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Lorde - Royals
“Remember I have said good things about benevolent despots before.” - Jimbo
- der nister
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Re: Lorde - Royals
beautifully shot
hard to tell how well she can sing
hard to tell how well she can sing
It's kinda depressing for a music forum to be proud of not knowing musicians.
- never/ever
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Re: Lorde - Royals
It's not bad. Her full album Pure Heroine came out this week and even if it is not setting the world alight, she has written a couple of catchy tunes on it.
kath wrote:i do not wanna buy the world a fucquin gotdamn coke.
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Re: Lorde - Royals
I think it's brilliant. Theres a bit of Lana Del Rey on a budget in there, which is a good thing. She certainly upset the Miley Cyrus fans when she beat Wrecking Ball (in itself not an entirely bad song) to #1 in the US. Which is also a good thing
Wadesmith wrote:Why is it that when there's a 'What do you think of this?' post, it's always absolute cobblers?
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Re: Lorde - Royals
I really like it. The proudction is super-sparse, but the main hook is strong enough to carry it, the vocal is wry and surprisingly knowing, while the lyrical concerns are spot-on, I like the fact it veers between being dismissive of all the trappings of glamour and fame, and realising that when you're young, that's still what you want ("That kinda 'lux just ain't for us", "You can be my queen bee").
The story behind her is fascinating- a 16-year old girl from Takapuna High School in Auckland NZ, who has been working with youngish producer Joel Little (he's now 30, he used to belong to an awful punk-pop band Goodnight Nurse) at their studio in Morningside. Sure, she's been on a major since she was 12, but there's a sense that there is something different here. Her interviews betray someone who is ridiculously self-aware and very mature in both her outlook and tastes.
Pure Heroine is a really good pop record, but it's interesting in that all of the songs (and at 10tracks/37 minutes, it's the perfect length), could be read about either being about the trappings of fame, or merely being a teenager trying to fit in- certain liines and sonic touches jump out, whether it's the rumbling base that leads into the opening line of "Tennis Court" ("Don't you think it's boring how people talk"), or the gleaming synths that lead in the line "we're from cities you never see on screen" on "Team". The video for "Tennis Court" is simple but very striking. Sure, the "direct to camera" confessional is an old trope but it fits the tone of the song.
"Buzzcut Season" might be my favourite on the LP. I love the sonics engulf her voice yet it somehow gets really big without changing in tone. It's brooding and gothic in a way teen-pop should be.
Not all of the record works, and the closing track is woefully self-pitying, but there's a lot going on there to suggest this is just the beginning as well as being a record that stands up in its own right. It just seems to anticipate something...
The story behind her is fascinating- a 16-year old girl from Takapuna High School in Auckland NZ, who has been working with youngish producer Joel Little (he's now 30, he used to belong to an awful punk-pop band Goodnight Nurse) at their studio in Morningside. Sure, she's been on a major since she was 12, but there's a sense that there is something different here. Her interviews betray someone who is ridiculously self-aware and very mature in both her outlook and tastes.
Pure Heroine is a really good pop record, but it's interesting in that all of the songs (and at 10tracks/37 minutes, it's the perfect length), could be read about either being about the trappings of fame, or merely being a teenager trying to fit in- certain liines and sonic touches jump out, whether it's the rumbling base that leads into the opening line of "Tennis Court" ("Don't you think it's boring how people talk"), or the gleaming synths that lead in the line "we're from cities you never see on screen" on "Team". The video for "Tennis Court" is simple but very striking. Sure, the "direct to camera" confessional is an old trope but it fits the tone of the song.
"Buzzcut Season" might be my favourite on the LP. I love the sonics engulf her voice yet it somehow gets really big without changing in tone. It's brooding and gothic in a way teen-pop should be.
Not all of the record works, and the closing track is woefully self-pitying, but there's a lot going on there to suggest this is just the beginning as well as being a record that stands up in its own right. It just seems to anticipate something...
It's before my time but I've been told, he never came back from Karangahape Road.
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Re: Lorde - Royals
As you can guess, she's massive news in NZ. But I'm struck by how well she seems to have it together as a person. This op-ed published in the Sunday Star-Times suggests someone who already knows her place, and where she can go next. And I've received confirmation from people who work there, that yes, did actually write this, and the only alterations were the usual subbing for spelling and grammar that you have to do with proper journos!
Incidentally, I'm glad you started this thread Davey, as I was going to do so if someone didn't!
Incidentally, I'm glad you started this thread Davey, as I was going to do so if someone didn't!
It's before my time but I've been told, he never came back from Karangahape Road.
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Re: Lorde - Royals
Thanks Matt, I might go and buy it now, I was umming and ahhing this morning
That op-ed was superb by the way. Wise beyond her years.
That op-ed was superb by the way. Wise beyond her years.
Wadesmith wrote:Why is it that when there's a 'What do you think of this?' post, it's always absolute cobblers?
- never/ever
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Re: Lorde - Royals
The new Haim-album came out too- and Chvrches released a pretty good CD as well!
kath wrote:i do not wanna buy the world a fucquin gotdamn coke.
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Re: Lorde - Royals
I voted like. Better than anything else on Top 40 radio (though "Applause" isn't bad, eh?). It's nice to see proper bridges in those two...the one in "Royals" has some inspired, necessary lyrics...I think the way she says "we're driving Cadillacs in our dreams" gets at the dichotomy The Write Profile talks about. Shoutout to the wolflike background vocals at the end of the hook. The song really should end after the 2nd playing of the chorus though, going out with the end of the drum pattern at about 2:22.
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Re: Lorde - Royals
Loved this since the first time I heard it.
My friends and I – we've cracked the code.
We count our dollars on the train to the party.
And everyone who knows us knows that we're fine with this,
We didn't come from money.
My friends and I – we've cracked the code.
We count our dollars on the train to the party.
And everyone who knows us knows that we're fine with this,
We didn't come from money.
king of the divan
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Re: Lorde - Royals
Can't get royals out of my head, brilliant. Half Irish too don't ya know.
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Re: Lorde - Royals
Okay, I've been playing her latest album Melodrama recently, and obviously "Green Light" is the standout- wound-up, uptight, yet euphoric. Most of the tracks seem to deal with a relationship breakdown, some of them with more wit and elan than others. The stronger tracks- "The Louvre" and "Writer in the Dark" suggest a new direction for her: romantic, melodramatic and witty.Moreover, her singing has improved markedly from her debut and really manages to reach the right notes in the "clubby" numbers. Other tracks- such as "Homemade Dynamite"- lack the sense of space and minimalism of her debut and instead are overwrought and crowded.
Yet despite the occasional slipup, this is a confident record, which does suggest a way forward from her debut, even if it does pull in multiple directions. As records dealing with newfound fame and the trappings of it, this has a reasonably deft touch. Much like her debut, it doesn't outstay its welcome (11 tracks/40 minutes) and more importantly isn't overburdened with pointless guest appearances or spoken-word "interludes", the bane of the modern pop album. It is all about her. I have been surprised by the gushing reviews however- I didn't think it would click with critics as much as it has.
It's before my time but I've been told, he never came back from Karangahape Road.