Lana Del Rey - Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd (New Studio Album)

To be clearer, “Stan-ning” is a reference to that song, but the colloquial usage is loving an artist, possibly to the point of irrationality, but mainly just standing by them no matter what.

Personally, I don’t think that’s what @NightGoatToCairo was doing.

 

I only know through my sister's love of BTS. She's unashamedly a Stan!

 

You just put a like under this comment

“The thing is, this one need to be played at a slightly lower volume than usual to avoid a certain glare”


So I will try just that,

before jumping into this thread again

I promise

 

He did not actually, but he should because it's true. It's probably down to a mastering issue. Happy listening to you.

 

I've been listening this album on and off since Friday's release. I really enjoyed the album as a whole. Some beautiful songs and touching voice. The interludes? Ahm, I guess I like them when listening to the whole album for the first time, but I would definitely skip them from now on. So far, listening on Spotify (AirPods Pro), Apple Music (ATV 4K) and Qobuz (Mac mini). Loved them all.

 

I have the black vinyl and it has several very serious skips / pops on side A and B. Makes it pretty unlistenable.

 

Played again on the Orbe and first track on side 1 is noisy with the At33SA. Most of it is missed with the AT95SH. Cheaper cartridge has the advantage here. Partly explains why they get away with some of these noisy pressings. Probably plays perfect on a Crosley apart from skips. This is the only sub par pressing I have had for quite a while with the exception of a Mo-Fi one step. Anyone bought the HMV dark pink exclusive vinyl?

 

Jon Batiste Interlude is actually really awesome. Though maybe better sequenced toward the end of the record...Hope they collaborate again.

 

Also, he has the best laugh

 

I got the return and it's pretty much the same, but all the non fill is on one track on this one, The Grants, and it's slightly louder. I'm going to stick with my first copy which has as much and on more tracks, but is quieter and only a split second at a time. It goes on for about five revolutions on my second copy, just after the first 'Do you think about heaven?' which is the exact spot it's in, but much lesser, on my first copy. I think a lot of these will be affected. It's crap but I think it's not worth chasing a perfect one up over and over. Going by here and the Discogs reviews they seem to barely exist. Also, as you say, how many people who are claiming perfect are discerning? Especially away from here.

I think the second disc is better on my replacement one but can't be sure yet. I haven't cleaned it.

 

Played sides 3 and 4. There is some surface static but this record is quiet to begin with so naturally there are some crackles but nothing to warrant a return in my case. If you are in SoCal try BN who knows maybe some good ones came in on the jet from Europe lol. Mine is a keeper.

I'm using a Shure M55e with a conical stylus on a Denon VL12 table with a Pluto U-Turn phono pre-amp. The amp is a Decware SEU84UFO driving Klipsch Epic CF-3s.

 

Just listening on stream but somehow all the instruments sound like they are bleached of color. Much like the cover art. Might be a grower for me.

 

Streamed this one and I think it has some of her best tracks to date. I also enjoyed the interludes as they added a vibe of unpredictability that was also present in the music. In fact the record as a whole reminded me of Exile on Main St in the way that it all sounds like it might fall apart at any moment.

However I don’t think it quite sticks the landing as the last three tracks didn’t really hit for me and so it felt like it kind of meandered to the end. I will try the Atmos mix on my AirPods soon, maybe a second listen will bring it all together.

 

Lotta boobs in the white vinyl pressing.

but yeah, the vinyl is much quieter than the pink.

 

A handful of listens in, I do think there are a few songs that seem just kind of there, but the good songs here are really excellent.

The Grants
The title track
A&W
Candy Necklace
Paris, Texas
Grandfather, Please Stand...
Let the Light In

Big fan of all of these thus far. I can't get enough of these songs.

 

it does.

 

nothing in that song sounds like John Denver. The lyric just references him. I have no idea what melody you think is being lifted here.

 

Play John Denver’s Rocky Mountain High a few times and I am sure you will spot what I am getting at

 

I’m keeping my white copy sealed but I just played my pink Amazon copy for first time (after hammering it on streaming since Friday.)

This is possibly the worst record I have ever had the misfortune of owning. Even after cleaning it is chock full of pops and clicks and hiss. It really pisses me off as this was £38 as it totally distracts from the music.

The positive news is that when I reported it to Amazon they refunded in full immediately and said I don’t need to return which saves the messing about.

I don’t even want to know what the white copy sounds like…I’ll need to get a black listening copy now and hope that’s better.

As far as the actual music is concerned, I think there are some great songs and some terrible ones. A lot of people seem to think this is the best thing she’s done or the worst. I’d guess I’d sit somewhere in the middle.

 

Correct, there is no melody lifted. The Rocky Mountain High line has tiny remnants of the original, but is just different enough to sound like an homage, not a lift, and the fact that she references him by name right after just reinforces this.

 

my pink had a minimum of surface noise and I cleaned it twice and got a pretty pop/ crackle free spin. The white had no surface noise. I was surprised.
Reports are the black is pretty bad.

 

The more I keep reading all these complaints everytime a new record comes out (and everything it has to be done to listen to the music in a decent way, like sending back multiple copies, several cleanings etc etc), the more I think vinyl in 2023 is a very expensive and unfortunate joke.

 

I wish she gave herself a 45-minute limit, the album doesn't need this many songs to present the vibe she was going for. I really like some of the tracks (George Co-Stanza gives a good summary a few posts above), but I agree it does "meander" a bit.

No pops, clicks, etc in streaming, so yay for bit-perfect digital sound distribution and reproduction.

 

I’m thinking the same. Makes me wonder why I spend about £500 a month on records yet end up listening on stream as it’s less stressful….

 

It is behind a firewall but here are a few quotes from today's Washington Post rave review of "Tunnel".
Album albums — the kind with loads of songs that form a sequential arc while obeying a dominant mood, and they’re filled with enough instant satisfactions and intriguing ambiguities to make you want to listen to the whole thing 17 times in a row, even when the track list is nearly 80 minutes long, which is exactly the case with her ninth album, “Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd.”
Entirely at its own pace, this album gets weirdly sweet, weirdly sour, weirdly beautiful, weirdly harrowing.
These aeriform songs rarely involve drums, which makes them feel timeless, at least in the short term. Listening to Lana sing for a few moments can feel like hours, which is probably the highest praise anyone’s distracted brain tissue can heap upon a singer in too-fast times. Something about the patience in her phrasing and the delicacy of her sibilation always turns the clock into vapor.