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The temptation to read too deeply into the lyric When summers gone, where will we be?
Did he know more than he let on?
Did he know nothing?
Maybe everything we build is meant to break.
Maybe stability is a carrot dangling on a stick, driving us forward while dancing enticingly out of reach.
Lana Del Rey is a fascinating character, a composite sketch of ill-fated Hollywood starlets and freaked-out rock stars.
She weaponizes the imagery of Americana against itself.
She embodies both glamour and danger,sometimes in the same frame.
Its an achievement worthy of the constellation of classic rock gems it counts among its influences.
Rockwellcontains a few withering rejoinders to the bad-idea crushes of Video Games.
Muted pianos and gorgeous strings evoke wind and water.
Doin Time is a faithful cover of theSublime hitand the closest thing to a single the album dares.
Woozy pacing makes for more than just a bummer in the summer.
Mariners Apartment Complex tells the story of a beau who isnt trusting enough to open up.
Beneath the surface messaging,Rockwellis an encyclopedia of rock-and-roll legends, and often tragic ones.
Its not just fan service.
These are artists who went looking for America and found the dream lacking.
They were fucked then, as we are now.
Because Lana is a merciful hostess,Norman Fucking Rockwellsends us away with a glint of hope.
Our modern monsters may change, but our dreams dont.
