GRAMMY Nominees: Did you know that there's a tunnel under Ocean Blvd, Lana Del Rey

Lana Del Rey has had an underrated impact on the music industry, from popularizing "sad girl bops" to being one of those female artists who reinvents her sound over and over again. Lana has racked up her most GRAMMY nominations ever in 2024, with her second nod in the Album of the Year category (and side note: Lana not only is nominated herself in this category, but she serves as a featured artist on not one, but two other albums nominated in the Album of the Year category). Did you know that there's a tunnel under Ocean Blvd, her tenth studio album, is her most ambitious endeavor yet.

Stand-out tracks:"Did you know that there's a tunnel under Ocean Blvd" "Let The Light In (feat. Father John Misty)" "Taco Truck x VB"

My favorites: "Grandfather please stand on the shoulders of my father while he's deep-sea fishing (feat. RIOPY)" "Margaret (feat. Bleachers)" "Fishtail"

Opening track "The Grants" and title-track "Did you know that there's a tunnel under Ocean Blvd" shine with storytelling, stunning production, and the raw vocals that distinguish Lana Del Rey from any other artist. The vocal layering and instrumental production on the title-track is classic and simply stunning. The piano instrumental on "Sweet" is simple, resounding, and beautifully complementary to Lana's vocals reaching into ranges we don't often hear from her-- this one is understated, yet romantic.

"A&W" pulls back from the momentum of the beginning of the album, but it continues the album trademarks of stunning instrumentals, creative-yet-complementary production, and classic Lana Del Rey vocals. It also clocks in at a whopping seven minutes and 13 seconds, transitioning from slow-paced and whispery to synthy and boppy around the five and a half minute mark. If you didn't know by this point in the album, "Judah Smith Interlude" proves that this album is meant to tell a story and invoke a feeling, with its spoken sermon about the power of infatuation that is interspersed with Lana's commentary as if she were one of a crowd of listeners. This feels like the conclusion of the A-side of the album.

"Candy Necklace (feat. Jon Batiste)" enters the album's minor, darker-sounding part. If you've heard a track from Did you know that there's a tunnel under Ocean Blvd out in the world, it was likely this one. Fellow-Album of the Year nominee Jon Batiste provides a stunning, jazzy piano instrumental that pairs with Lana's vocal line singing the repeated "You've been actin' pretty restless/Dancin' like the young and restless/And I'm obsessed with it."

"Kintsugi" is a beautiful piano ballad that illustrates the desires of escapism in the face of challenges, with softly sung and incredibly effect repetitive "That's how the light gets in." "Paris, Texas (feat. SYML)" is another twinkly, simple piano track illustrating the conflicting emotions of leaving the place that you once called home.

The album thematically turns more hopeful and sonically opens a little wider with "Grandfather please stand on the shoulders of my father while he's deep sea fishing (feat. RIOPY)." This one is more alt-pop, imploring that Lana is searching for the light amongst the dark:"But I have good intentions if even I'm one of the last ones/If you don't believe me, my poetry and my melodies/Feel it in your bones." The following "Let the Light In (feat. Father John Misty)" continues the search for light and searches for the beauty of human moments ("Put The Beatles on, light the candles, go back to bed/'Cause I wanna, wanna, wanna want you") with plucky acoustics and supple drums that complement the vocal duet. The collaboration with producer Jack Antonoff's Bleachers for "Margaret (feat. Bleachers)" achieves one of the most personalized and heart-warming romantic love songs I've come across in recent years, which tends to be out of character for an artist like Lana.

"Fishtail" and "Peppers (feat. Tommy Genesis)" pick up the conclusion of Did you know that there's a tunnel under Ocean Blvd with clever hooks and beat-heavier instrumentals, before the credits roll with groovy "Taco Truck x VB." This is the perfect conclusion to the album, with that classic-yet-spiced-up-a-bit production, suburban romance lyrics (where Lana refers to herself as "your little Venice bitch" yet again, after naming a track on NFR! "Venice Bitch"), and that harmonious, reverberant sad-girl nuance we all know and love from Lana Del Rey.

GRAMMY for Album of the Year

Lana Del Rey is undoubtedly an artist who has made an impact on the music industry since her debut well over a decade ago. Did you know that there's a tunnel under Ocean Blvd is one of her most creative and unique albums to date, with classic-yet-modernized production, creative interludes, and lyrical themes of humanizing and personal storytelling. This album doesn't quite have the classic hits of albums like 2012's Born to Die or poppy addiction of album like 2019's Norman F***ing Rockwell! or classic-Tumblr-era sad-rock of 2014's Ultraviolence. It does lag a little bit in the middle, but in avoiding the classic album structure and constraints of genres, Lana Del Rey has created something experimental, honest, and completely original. It's success lies in its embrace of imperfection, which unfortunately takes it out of the race amongst the nominees for Album of the Year. However, I hope that Lana's long-standing influence on the Alternative genre and an incredible B-side of Did you know that there's a tunnel under Ocean Blvd results in her finally taking home her first GRAMMY with a win in the Alternative Album category.

AM I OBSESSED?

RATING: OBSESSED WITH SOME TRACKS

GRAMMY Nominees: GUTS, Olivia Rodrigo

With a grand total of 74 minutes of music at 21 years old, Olivia Rodrigo has chalked up a staggering 13 nominations and three wins already at the GRAMMY awards. With her sophomore album GUTS, Olivia Rodrigo came back with a bang, leaving behind the butterflies and heartbreak of her debut and crashing onto the scene with black nail polish, untouchable power vocals, and a badass attitude. I'll be honest, at first I was skeptical of GUTS and its distinctive departure from SOUR, but I've grown to love the cheek, messiness, and raw, overdramatic emotion across this compilation of stunning piano ballads and edgy pop-rock bangers that make Olivia a star in her own right.

Stand-out tracks: "all-american bitch" “get him back!” “the grudge”

My favorites: “making the bed” “love is embarrassing” “pretty isn’t pretty”

Don't be deceived by the simple guitar and soft vocals at the opening of "all-american bitch," GUTS is just getting started with its chaotic, overdramatic opening track. The juxtaposition between the skull-rattling chorus and lighthearted verses makes this another attention-grabber of an opening track for Olivia. And the chest-heaving screaming that immediately cuts into the "All the time/I'm grateful all the time/I'm sexy and I'm kind/I'm pretty when I cry" of the outro that also blends seamlessly into "bad idea right?" is absolutely incredible. I won't lie, I actually hated “bad idea right?” when it was released as a single, but in the context of the full album it fits perfectly, and the guitar solo bridge and the devil may care attitude of the chorus make it fun.

"vampire" served as the lead single from GUTS, marking Olivia Rodrigo's first return to music since the release of her debut SOUR in May of 2021. This one is fun to scream-sing in your car thanks to Olivia's sky-high vocals soaring through the "I used to think I was smart/But you made me look so naive/The way you sold me for parts/As you sunk your teeth into me" of the chorus, but honestly it doesn't stand out as anything incredible in the context of the full album. "lacy" is my personal skip on GUTS, but I won't deny that the vocal layering of the production on this track is nothing short of stunning.

GUTS ventures into more of a pop-rock sound than SOUR ever did, and "ballad of a homeschooled girl" is the pinnacle of Olivia Rodrigo's rockstar side. It's intentionally messy with electronically distorted vocals, fast-paced word-vomit lyrics, and therapeutically-screamed repetitive "It's social suicide. Wanna curl up and die!" This song is so utterly chaotic it almost makes you lose sight of the social anxiety narrative it's attempting to depict.

“making the bed” is one of the few tracks on GUTS that earns a place in my all-time favorite Olivia Rodrigo songs. This one is incredibly powerful, articulating with incredible detail the crushing weight of anxiety on day-to-day life and the impact it can have on relationships. “I’m so tired of being the girl that I am/Every good thing has turned into something I dread/And I’m playing the victim so well in my head/But it’s me who’s been making the bed” is a stunning way to state, “It’s not you, it’s me.” Following up “making the bed” with “logical” is about the most painful decision Olivia could have made in tracklisting; “logical” illustrates the pain of realizing that someone isn’t who you believed them to be, with gut-twisting lyrics like “You got me thinking/Two plus two equals five/and I’m the love of your life.” Ouch.

Better wipe your tears away quickly, because with “get him back!” we “wanna make him feel jealous, wanna make him feel bad.” This is Olivia Rodrigo at her best—cheeky, clever, naïve, and pissed off. The lyrical play back and forth of wanting to “get him back” either in terms of wanting to get back together or seek revenge is incredibly well executed, and “wanna meet his mom/just to tell her son sucks” is one of about a million absolutely hilarious and highly therapeutic-to-scream-sing lines in this instant hit. This theme carries into “love is embarrassing,” which is the dancier, poppier, more self-deprecating sequel to the previous track. There isn’t a whole lot of substance to this one, but “Just watch as I crucify myself/for some weird second-string/loser who's not worth mentioning/my God, love's embarrassing as hell” is yet another therapeutic-to-scream sing lyric on GUTS.

If you thought we were done with heartbreak on GUTS, “the grudge” rounds out the piano ballads with the deepest ache thus far. “You built me up to watch me fall/you have everything and you still want more” is sung with soul-crushing passion, and ending the track with open-ended “It takes strength to forgive/I’m not quite sure I’m there yet/It takes strength to forgive but…” makes the heartbreak feel palpable. This is about as close to “driver’s license” as you’ll find on GUTS.

“pretty isn’t pretty” is the other track on GUTS that is one of my all-time favorites of Olivia’s—this one feels like the introspective sequel to SOUR’s “jealousy, jealousy.” If you resonated with America Ferrera’s monologue in the Barbie movie, chances are that “pretty isn’t pretty” will hit pretty hard. Don’t be fooled by the boppy beat, “pretty isn’t pretty enough” hurts.

The messy, heartbroken chaos of GUTS concludes the only way that makes sense—with more heartbroken, messy chaos. On the surface, “teenage dream” seems to reference the lyric from SOUR’s “brutal,” when Olivia asked “Where’s my fucking teenage dream?” and structurally parallels Billie Eilish’s 2021 title-track “Happier Than Ever,” with its soft, pared-back opening that crescendos into blown-out head-banging “They all say it gets better/it gets better the more you grow/Yeah, they all say that it gets better/Well, what if I don’t.”

GRAMMY for Album of the Year

GUTS is many, many things. Defiance of a sophomore slump. A charismatic teenage addiction, a soul-searching musical rampage. A rock-solid pop-rock album. But unfortunately, GUTS is not even close to the Album of the Year. At best, GUTS could follow in SOUR's footsteps as the winner of Pop Vocal Album.

AM I OBSESSED?

RATING: FULLY OBSESSED

GRAMMY Nominees: The Age of Pleasure, Janelle Monaé

Stand-out tracks: "Float (feat. Seun Kuti & Egypt 80" "A Dry Red"

My favorites: "The Rush (feat. Nia Long & Amaarae)" "Only Have Eyes 42"

The album opens with "Float (feat. Seun Kuti & Egypt 80)," which serves as a lighthearted introduction to the album. This track is confident and carefree, which sets the tone for the next 32 minutes of music on The Age of Pleasure. The theme of this album is summed up perfectly in one simple line:"I had to protect all my energy/I'm feelin' much lighter, now I float."

"Champagne Shit" keeps up the tone of confidence while introducing a cool and bold aura. This one transitions seamlessly into its outro, "Black Sugar Beach," before the album switches gears a little bit with "Phenomenal (feat. Doechii)." This one is a pared back from the dance-y and inviting first few tracks of the album. Instrumentally, "Phenomenal (feat. Doechii)" is fascinating, with trumpets and synth-y pianos paired with jazzy percussion and sultry lyrics.

Another pair of tracks that fade seamlessly from one to another are "Haute" and "Oooh La La (feat. Grace Jones)." These two with "Lipstick Lover" make up the sexiest part of the album, where Janelle holds nothing back about what she means by entering The Age of Pleasure.

The album pulls back again instrumentally, ironically, with "The Rush (feat. Nia Long & Amaarae)." This one has a nice reggae-style production with a romantic guitar that sings along in the background, complementing Janelle's soft-spoken, supple vocals. Again, this one transitions seamlessly into the interlude "The French 75 (feat. Sister Nancy)."

"Paid in Pleasure" is the pick-up track we need to spark interest going into the conclusion of the album. The Age of Pleasure ends on a strong foot with the most truly romantic track on the album, "Only Have Eyes 42." This one is lighthearted and sweet, with lyrics like "Cause you're the one, you're the one/Double the fun, triple the time for love." The album concludes with an acoustic guitar-led "A Dry Red," which beautifully layers Janelle Monaé's floaty and resounding melodic vocals and a simple drum pattern. This one wraps up the feel of the full project in a soft, satisfying-yet-open-ended conclusion.

GRAMMY for Album of the Year

As a concept album that presents as a complete, thorough project, The Age of Pleasure is extremely well executed. However, in terms of theming, lyricism, and production, there really isn't anything that makes this album stand out as something truly great. When compared to other nominees in the Album of the Year categories, others have also mastered the seamless concept album with greater success. Instrumentally, lyrically, and emotionally, The Age of Pleasure falls short across the board to really pack a punch. This album is jammed full of lusty references, simplistic production, and solid instrumentation that make it sensual, melodious, and seamless, but is that really enough to earn a nomination, much less a win, for Album of the Year? I'm all for representation of Black female artists at the GRAMMYs, but honestly, I'm not even sure The Age of Pleasure deserved its nomination in this category.

AM I OBSESSED?

RATING: PROBABLY NOT LISTENING AGAIN