Within Temptation has released yet another (this being their fourth) single from their upcoming album Resist, which (due to a delay, as it was originally intended for a December release) is due to be released on February 1, 2019. "In Vain" is another song in the same vein (see what I did there?) as its three predecessors ("The Reckoning," "Raise Your Banner," and "Firelight") - an alternative rock tune with a really catchy chorus. This one's chorus is especially catchy and very pop-oriented, which makes sense because frontwoman Sharon den Adel has said that much of the inspiration behind Resist comes from modern day pop music, a sound which the band attempts to make darker and more rebellious on Resist. (Something that I did not learn until recently, in fact, is that "Firelight," the third single released from Resist, was originally intended for her solo album My Indigo, a pop album through and through.) "In Vain" is rather light and steady in its verses but picks up some energy in its chorus, and it seems to lyrically be from the perspective of someone who has witnessed and survived some type of apocalyptic event: "Up until the final day, I guess we said enough. We said enough to know it's all in vain." (This would be in keeping with the album having been described as dystopian.) While "The Reckoning" (which is one of the most energetic and easily one of my favorite songs of the band's entire catalogue thus far) still remains my favorite song heard from Resist thus far, "In Vain" is still definitely a keeper (especially in its powerful melody in the chorus), and I am really looking forward to finally hearing the rest of the album on the first of February!
Lana Del Rey has released a third single from her yet to be released album Norman Fucking Rockwell, and while the second single ("Venice Bitch") might have been unconventionally long, this one's title is unconventionally long, as the title is "hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have - but i have it" (the title being in all lowercase letters is not an error on my part; it's actually registered as such). "hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have it - but i have it" is not my favorite song released from the new album so far (as that honor goes to the aforementioned "Venice Bitch"), but it's definitely a great song nonetheless. Like "Mariners Apartment Complex" (the first single released from Norman Fucking Rockwell), the song is driven by soft piano, and Lana sings in her usual soft and slightly echoed voice. The lyrics remind me a bit of "Ride" in that they are very confessional and introspective, especially when she sings in the second verse, "...except for the stage, which I also call home." I am also reminded of "Young and Beautiful" in that both songs present a rather bleak problem but then offer a hopeful solution; such is stated directly in the title of this song, and in "Young and Beautiful," Lana sings, "Will you still love me when I'm no longer young and beautiful? I know you will." Lana refers to confessional poet Sylvia Plath in the first chorus when she sings that she has "been tearing around in my fucking nightgown, 24/7 Sylvia Plath." It's unclear what she means here - is she comparing herself to Sylvia Plath in the way that she is "tearing around" 24/7, or is she saying that she is reading Sylvia Plath 24/7? Either way, I am happy to hear a comparison to Plath as she is easily one of my favorite poets of all time, and given Plath's admitted Electra Complex (as evidenced in poems like "Daddy"), it makes a lot of sense that Lana would relate to Plath, as Lana seems to have a bit of an Electra Complex herself (as evidenced in lyrics from songs such as "Daddy Issues," "Ride," "Cola," "You Can Be the Boss," and countless others). The melody of the chorus is beautiful, and it is, as aforementioned, a great song, but I do have one potential problem with it. In the second chorus, Lana sings, "Shaking my ass is the only thing that's got this black narcissist off my back; she couldn't care less, and I never cared more, so there's no more to say about that." A few months ago, Lana and rapper Azealia Banks (with whom she had previously collaborated on a remix of "Blue Jeans") feuded over Twitter, so this part of the song could be a reference to that, although it's probably not because it would seem as if she would have written this song prior to that happening, and I wouldn't think that Lana would write such lyrics that could easily be construed as racist. At any rate, here is to hoping that news regarding Norman Fucking Rockwell - such as the album cover and/or the release date - is on the way soon!
