Monday, January 30, 2012

A Land of Lost Critics

I'm really torn on Lana Del Rey. Yes, I immediately snarled when I saw an overtly beautiful singer with several big budget videos before she even released an album. It didn't help when she signed a major label record deal although her music is specifically targeted to independent music fans.

I don't know about you, but if I'm going to enjoy an artist that takes whore-y photos like this I want it from naive pop-stars that aren't aware their sex appeal is being used to further the interests of record exec's that have never discovered any talent in their life.

However, it disturbs me that Lana's SNL performance from a few weeks ago is being panned uniformly even though there's nothing offensive about the performance or Lana in general.



Sure she's shaky but to even react is unnecessary considering it's exactly what I'd expect her to sound like live. Not to mention there hasn't been a relevant musical performance on SNL since Kid A-era Radiohead had Johnny Greenwood plugging in wires like he was building the first supercomputer.



What I really don't understand is that the three main critics of the performance were by non-musicians Eliza Dushku, Brian Williams, and Juliette Lewis.

Yes, this Juliette Lewis:

It took me a long time to confirm that her outfit is not a joke. She actually picked it out or agreed to wear it.

Juliette tweeted: "Wow, watching this 'singer' on SNL is like watching a 12-year-old in their bedroom when they're pretending to sing and perform #signofourtimes."

When Juliette Lewis sarcastically calls someone else a 'singer' I wonder if there is any hope left for our world.


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1 comment:

  1. She has a beautiful voice, but her presence as a 'deep' and 'emotionally complex' singer is hard to take seriously because her career is so fabricated. I don't think there's anything wrong with changing your name or getting plastic surgery or pursuing music. There's nothing really 'wrong' with LDR. But she is not an artist, so I think most people who value the production and performance of music find her more of a gimmick than an idol. I don't admire that her father essentially bought her fame and recognition. She didn't earn anything. Maybe more than anything I am just confused about Lana because she's so emotionally detached from the world (and very obviously not the author of her songs.) Even more confused by the fact that I can't even tell if I care whether or not she writes her own songs or has a bizarre and distant relationship with the universe.

    She's just.. Weird.
    Juliette Lewis. Just as weird.

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