Lana Del Rey - Chemtrails over the Country Club

[Jackson]

Probably the biggest release of the year so far. Initial reception is seems more mixed than for NFR. I haven't listened yet - what does everyone think?

[Schüttelbirne]

I did like Norman Fucking Rockwell!, but this is bad.
Like not mediocre or lacking in certain regards, but actually bad.

I wasn't a fan of the singles because they drag extremely, but they belong to the better stuff here.
The instrumentation is very stripped back, so the focus is on her vocals but most of the time she just sounds bored, except for the opener "White Dress" where she either tries to sing completely out of her range or fails to do metal vocals in a pop song (yes, it sounds horrible). The contrast to Weyes Blood's vocals on the closer is enormous and she's probably the only reason that that song is my favorite on the album.
Might be my least favorite album I've heard this year.
But don't let me scare you off; I've been well known to disagree with other people's opinions.

[Holden]

Well I certainly liked it more than Schüttelbirne. This is actually the first 2021 album I've heard so far. I'd say White Dress is probably my favorite track on the album, I enjoy her vocals on there. The title track is a close second. As for the bored vocals, that's sort of what you get with Lana Del Rey, so not a negative to me. The album sort of feels exploratory of the types of songs that Lana Del Rey has made in the past, and the highlights aside from the first two tracks are the ones where she harkens back to her trip hop inspired debut Born to Die. Other than those tracks, a couple feel like cuts from Norman Fucking Rockwell! which isn't really a problem, but this album is certainly less cohesive. Overall, the highs outweigh the negatives.

Oddly, I'd say that critics are being nicer to this album than NFR! relative to its quality. NFR! is one of the best albums of the decade, but critics seemed to shy away from giving that album perfect scores, while this album really sticks out as deserving a 3.5 or 4.0 out of 5.0, but I've seen a lot of really generous scores.

[Jackson]

I listened to it and didn't like it at all. Why has she gone completely away from making anything up-tempo or with varied production? Some of these flaws were present in NFR! too, but that album had an engaging atmosphere and some clever songwriting, particularly on its better songs. This one just dragged for me. I was looking forward to the track with Weyes Blood at the end (2019's two AMF favorites united), but even that didn't deliver.

[Nick]

I liked it a good deal, but yeah, it's not NFR! level. However, expecting it to be NFR! level is probably the wrong way to go about things. I like it for what it is. It's very cohesive and atmospheric, and probably the worst thing I could say about it is that nothing on it REALLY grabs me melodically.

[StyleItTakes]

I've always liked Lana, ever since hearing the title track from her exceptional 2012 album Born To Die. Her breakthrough hit, Video Games, which blew up the internet in 2011, was captivating. Ultraviolence was my favourite record of hers up until the release of her universally accepted masterpiece Norman Fucking Rockwell! An album of breathtaking beauty, and one of the best of the decade. A perfect record.

Obviously Chemtrails over the Country Club had a difficult task, Norman Fucking Rockwell! was a hard act to follow. I'm a little surprised and disappointed that all the comments about the record have been largely negative. I'm going to assume no one who has commented has listened to it more than once. The album has only been out for a day. Any work of art needs time to sink in with its audience, so there's no reason to jump the gun and be unnecessarily critical.

There are moments on the new album that sound like an extension of Norman Fucking Rockwell! I'm excited to listen to the record for a second and a third time in order for the melodies to bloom. Chemtrails over the Country Club is an album that will reveal more of itself and the world it inhabits with each subsequent listen. (8/10)

[Listyguy]

This is definitely the weakest Lana Del Rey album that I've heard (but I haven't listened to her albums that are generally considered "bad"), but it's still fine. The singles that I'd heard before the album's release, "Let Me Love You Like a Woman" and "Chemtrails Over the Country Club," didn't excite me all that much. I did enjoy the likes of "White Dress" and "Yosemite" quite a bit, and I do like the overall sound here if even it's not as strong as Ultraviolence, for example.

[Holden]

Apparently Lana announced a new album with a June 1 release already.

[Nick]

Apparently Lana announced a new album with a June 1 release already.

Say what you will about LDR, but she sure is prolific. If she sticks with this release date, this will be her 8th studio album in 11 years, along with her 2012 EP Paradise and a book/audiobook of poetry (and supposedly a second poetry book/audiobook yet to come). Hard worker!

[Jackson]

I'm going to assume no one who has commented has listened to it more than once. The album has only been out for a day. Any work of art needs time to sink in with its audience, so there's no reason to jump the gun and be unnecessarily critical.

There are moments on the new album that sound like an extension of Norman Fucking Rockwell! I'm excited to listen to the record for a second and a third time in order for the melodies to bloom. Chemtrails over the Country Club is an album that will reveal more of itself and the world it inhabits with each subsequent listen. (8/10)

I agree with you that one's opinion of an album can change over time through multiple listens. That said, you admitted you haven't listened to it more than once either, yet you feel comfortable giving it a strong rating on the assumption that it will grow over time!

[StyleItTakes]

I'm going to assume no one who has commented has listened to it more than once. The album has only been out for a day. Any work of art needs time to sink in with its audience, so there's no reason to jump the gun and be unnecessarily critical.

There are moments on the new album that sound like an extension of Norman Fucking Rockwell! I'm excited to listen to the record for a second and a third time in order for the melodies to bloom. Chemtrails over the Country Club is an album that will reveal more of itself and the world it inhabits with each subsequent listen. (8/10)

I agree with you that one's opinion of an album can change over time through multiple listens. That said, you admitted you haven't listened to it more than once either, yet you feel comfortable giving it a strong rating on the assumption that it will grow over time!

I was waiting for someone to pull me up on that one! So, I think considering Lana has crossed over into general artistic acclaim, it's fairly safe to say her new album is going to land pretty well with its audience once people have become familiar with it. There is always a tendency for fans to react underwhelmingly upon listening to a new album for the first time by an artist who is coming off a masterpiece. We want another Norman Fucking Rockwell! And if what we hear doesn't measure up with our immediate expectations, we react accordingly. It's a psychological human condition. My gut instinct tells me this record is going to be right up there with some of the albums of the year once 2021 has been and gone.

[Holden]

If I had to make an early guess I’d say COTCC is hitting Top 15 EOY, but not much higher.

[Schüttelbirne]

I think the position of this album in the EOY lists will depend upon the reception of Rock Candy Sweet (if it is actually released this year ).
If it's massively better received, Chemtrails Over the Country Club won't make a big impact.
If critics deem it worse it might pull Chemtrails... down with it.
If the reception is about the same there might be vote-splitting leading to both of them not placing as high as each one on its own might.

I didn't listen to the entire album again, only to "White Dress" to see if the vocals are really as bad as I remember, and they are.
I wasn't really disappointed, because I'm not a fan and I'm okay with an artist having a blunder occassionally. But I don't see the value in listening to it again and again to maybe find some value in it because I will never love it and I can spend the time I would spend on listening to this, listening to stuff I actually enjoy. But that's just me...

[TheLastEnemy]

Wasn't she supposed to release a covers album on Christmas Day last year? Anyone know what happened to it?

[StyleItTakes]

If I had to make an early guess I’d say COTCC is hitting Top 15 EOY, but not much higher.

Top 15 would be a fantastic result! Norman Fucking Rockwell! was Acclaimed Music's number 1 album of 2019, which was an extraordinary result for her, but very few other publications that I have any respect for had her #1 (Q magazine did). MOJO had her #7 and UNCUT had her #5, and I thought both of those rankings were highly respectable. I'd be happy if Chemtrails over the Country Club was awarded a spot inside the top 30 of both magazines' 2021 End of Year lists. And if the album finds a place in the top 15 of Acclaimed Music's 2021 lists, I would be thrilled with that.

I didn't expects quite the same level of critical acclaim this time around for Lana, however, now that she has become a critical darling, I do expect her not to have to work quite so hard for a good review now and into the future.

[Rob]

I have only heard it once and will probably review it properly after more listens (which might take a while, as I have no time at all for it), but as the resident Lana Del Rey fan I can already share my first thoughts. The album is definitely good, continuing her style in a new way. It's her most stripped-back album as of yet, so not as lush as we have come to aspect and there is indeed not much up-tempo about it. That's not a problem for me, this sounds like an ideal late-night listening album that I definitely want to return to.

On Acclaimed Music it is all okay and the critics are also positive, but on other outlets and forums the old and strange Lana Del Rey hatred has flared up again. See for example RateYourMusic. That was very prevalent before NFR, but I thought it had died down. It's not even related to any controversial statements about race she may have made, but just personal attacks. I don't know what it is that makes some people so particularly angry with Del Rey, but is always nasty.

[Maschine_Man]

I love me some Lana, as someone noted in the thread earlier, her prolific output is admirable - she is my top artist of the 2010s. I think this album once again scratches that itch going into the next decade. Is it her best? Probably not, but the album has been rewarding me with each subsequent listen - the first/last two tracks are the perfect starting/ending points.

The album cover once again continues the (surprisingly consistent) declining quality of her album art. I though NFR! would have been a low, but it seems not.

[starchman46]

Listened to it twice. First three tracks blow me away but none of the rest of the album threatens to return to that peak.

[starchman46]

I have only heard it once and will probably review it properly after more listens (which might take a while, as I have no time at all for it), but as the resident Lana Del Rey fan I can already share my first thoughts. The album is definitely good, continuing her style in a new way. It's her most stripped-back album as of yet, so not as lush as we have come to aspect and there is indeed not much up-tempo about it. That's not a problem for me, this sounds like an ideal late-night listening album that I definitely want to return to.

On Acclaimed Music it is all okay and the critics are also positive, but on other outlets and forums the old and strange Lana Del Rey hatred has flared up again. See for example RateYourMusic. That was very prevalent before NFR, but I thought it had died down. It's not even related to any controversial statements about race she may have made, but just personal attacks. I don't know what it is that makes some people so particularly angry with Del Rey, but is always nasty.

Might be something to do with her conventional attractiveness; people see her as emblematic of privilege.

[Holden]

I feel like I'm seeing a lot of buzz for "White Dress" specifically. I think it's looking like that may be the Critics' end of year song from this album.

[Jirin]

I’ll give it a fair listen but I hate the album title with a passion. It feels like easy pandering to young people who dislike both conspiracy theories and rich people.

[Nick]

I’ll give it a fair listen but I hate the album title with a passion. It feels like easy pandering to young people who dislike both conspiracy theories and rich people.

Really? I love the title. Knowing what I've read about your politics I'm kind of surprised that you dislike it.

The way I see it: Modern conservatism in the United States used to be synonymous with "country club" type Republicanism, the likes of which lead Reagan, Bush Sr., and Bush Jr. to the White House. The rank and file conservatives in, for example rural Ohio, who voted for these men may have not belonged to any such clubs, but for the bulk of the 20th century the centers of conservative power were located in high-class "country club" type establishments, like the editorial pages of the Wall Street Journal or the Heritage Foundation.

However, in recent years, that same conservative ethos has engaged with a weird parallel ethos of dangerous, absurd conspiracy theories (like Birtherism, "Stop the Steal", and QANON). While conservatism and conspiracies have always had an uneasy alliance in 20th century American politics (see: The John Birch Society, McCarthyism), it wasn't really until the rise of right-wing talk radio and Fox News in the 1990s that the subtext of conspiracy within conservatism became the text. And it should go without saying that the candidacy and subsequent presidency of Donald Trump elevated this text to an even greater state of prominence. Therefore, the title "Chemtrails Over the Country Club" serves as a damning indictment of modern day conservatism, complete with an excellent bit of alliteration.

[andyd1010]

I enjoyed it. My second favorite album of the year so far, behind Collapsed in Sunbeams, and pretty far ahead of everything else, though certainly not as good as NFR! The standout track for me is Dark but Just a Game, so it's interesting that that hasn't been mentioned at all. It has a fantastic chorus, and the final chorus is the highlight of the album for me. I see why White Dress has been the consensus choice, and it's one of my favorites, but I can also see why it's grating for some people. My biggest complaint is how many times she awkwardly rushes through "downatthemeninmusicbusinessconference."

After this album, she rose from 16th to 13th in my artist rankings.