Lana Del Ray might be the most buzzworthy new artist of 2k11 so far. I have seen her product/image getting buzzed, and it seems like 'all of the right mainstream and alt forces' are getting behind it, and she is destined to become the next 'leading lady of indie.' Her songs seem alright, like she has a good voice. Her music videos execute a 'modern lofi sample-based' aesthetic, but more importantly remind us that 'she is kinda hot.'

I feel like she has way more upside than Lykke Li because a) she is an American AND b) she is more 'directly pretty.' (Sometimes u get scared that Lykke Li/Robyn will turn into a monster if they are under the wrong lighting). That's what I love about new female in artists (mainstream OR indie)... we accept them based on their looks. The male blogosphere wants Lana Del Ray to succeed because she is 'hot.' She will show off her thick lips, curvy body, voluminou hair. She will sing in her 'swaggy white girl' voice. She will make music videos that trick ppl into thinking that she is 'cool.' One day we will be in the VIP area of a music festival with her, and tweet abt how 'SHE IS SO MUCH PRETTIER IN PERSON.'

I enjoy new female artists because it allows us 2 ask the question: "Do female artists like Lana Del Rey succeed based on 'talent' or are 'looks' more important than we would like to admit, even in our beloved indiesphere?"

I am not sure what her record label situation is, but I would guess she will go with the 'indie major' which is probably 'the right choice' as Cults proved. Her album will be plastered all over ads on blogs. Bros will put her songs on meaningful mix CDs for their girls, just so that girls can 'think they are deep' while they hear a comforting female voice.

Every rising artist needs a gimmick that every music journalist will ask her about for the duration of their album cycle. DID U KNOW LANA DEL REY LIVED IN A VAN DOWN BY THE RIVER?

Pitchfork: Your dad is a successful domain investor, but I read that you were living in a trailer park a few years ago. Do you fetishize that trailer park lifestyle?

LDR: My dad is an entrepreneur and an innovator. Being an entrepreneur doesn't make you a rich tycoon and being an innovator doesn't mean that you're successful. It just means that you’re interesting. No one cares that I lived in a park-- Dad loves trailers and is getting one in the Everglades. My first record label gave me a small check and I moved into a park near Manhattan. It's not something I cared to even share but people keep asking me about it. My songs are cinematic so they seem to reference a glamorous era or fetishize certain lifestyles, but that's not my aim. I'm not trying to create an image or a persona. I’m just singing because that’s what I know how to do.

Create an image 4 us, bb! Ur music isn't THAT important 2 us... Believe!

I am really excited to read tons of interviews that ask her about her white trash/trailer trash lifestyle LIVING IN A VAN DOWN BY THE RIVER.

Do u vibe 2 her music and videos? Is she getting 'too much buzz'? Will she break the 9.0 barrier on her first album? Is she just a 'pretty face' in front of a talented producer?

I think there are a lot of females in indie who are way less appealing to look at AND don't have a voice that is theoretically as 'good' as hers, so I guess she deserves 2 'be in the club.' With all female artists, we want them to sing girly songs. I think that Lana Del Ray might be the 'great female hope' in indie, to try to reclaim the glory that Feist has lost.

Here is some post from some random MTV blog that perfectly embodies the generic buzz forces that are hypeballing Lana Del Rey to 'such buzzworthy heights':

If you haven't heard of Lana Del Rey, YOU WILL SOON because we are convinced that this gorgeous crooner is going to be everywhere ASAP, like basically by the time this post is published. ZOMG she is so important. Anyway, this self-proclaimed "gangster Nancy Sinatra" embodies the best of strong, sculpted eyebrows, bump-its + hairsprayed tonsorial PERFECTION, and we can SO vividly picture her swanning out of a beautiful Hollywood Hills house with a kidney bean-shaped swimming pool in an ultramarine nylon mini shift and white patent leather go-go boots.

AND a big-ass dookie rope chain and gold hoops. She is also, obviously, drinking something out of a martini glass. She describes her sound as "Hollywood Pop/Sad Core" and uuuuuuum #sadcore is VERY up our alley. The enormously satisfying juxtaposition of old-school glamour plus inexplicably morose contemporary images in her music video plus super-duper prettiness is completely blowing our minds.

We can't get enough of her video for "Video Games" because not only are our ears oh so happy with her Florence meets Cat Power meets A Fine Frenzy melodies, but we also really need more retro off-the-shoulder sweaters in our lives and closets. Thankfully, we're positive that this isn't the last we've seen of Lana. And PRAISE BE, because her style strikes such a unique and perfect balance between classic beauty and refreshingly unexpected (do you have EYEBALLS? Are you SEEING that top made COMPLETELY of roses/carnations/I'm not a horticulturist???) that is just so ready for its place in the sun. Now run along and entertain yourselves for a while with the video below while we go dig up some hot rollers and lip venom. Swooooooooooooooooon.

i LOVE LOVE LOVE beautiful women in buzzbands!

I just wanna meet her in VIP, get lost in her eyes/lips/curves...

In addition, I think her twitter has 'Best Coast' potential. It might be one of those unfiltered trainwrecks that we get to watch every day.

What a sweetie! I <3 @pitchforkmedia, 2!

Best case scenario, she 'livens up' the female indie scene, talks shit about other bands, gets other females in indie 'mad jealous' of her. Girls h8 when they are no longer the 'pretty new girl.' Then Lana BB will go on to 'cross over', becoming richer than 99% of females in buzzbands, and 'never looks back' on the crappy world of female buzzsingers who h8 her so much. The blogosphere can continue to like her for too long based on the 'WE CREATED HER AND WE ARE NOT LETTING HER GO' theory.

Is she the new perfect alt female aesthetic?

"I can't wait to hang this poster in my room!" -a girl / hornie bro who reads too many indie blogs

Has she catapulted to the 'top of the indie female charts', even above Feist?

Should she just start releasing bikini photos instead of mp3s?

Is Lana Del Rey's music vaguely meaningful enough to appeal to women?
Are all female solo artists in music just 'manufactured' and 'marketed based on their looks'?
Will every male blogger in the world overvalue her, just based on her looks?
Is she destined to become the next female indie music + fashion icon?
Is she way better than Lykke Li / St Vincent already?
Is Lana Del Rey the 'final nail in the coffin' for St. Vincent's career?
Has she surpassed Alice Glass / Vicki LeGrand / Maddie Follin levels?
Is her gimmick 'fresh', 'stale' or 'whatever'?
How do u feel abt the forces that create a buzzband?
Does it seem 'fair and balanced' or 'arbitrary' and 'based on random bullshit'?
Is Lana Del Rey TOTALLY HOT?

Oh Lana BB... No 1 has put a spell like this on me since Regine...

R u on #TeamLana, or r u a #LanaH8R?

"Go play ur video games, bb..."
-a lamestreamer on Facebook trying to be 'deep', 'singing' lyrics from her fave new female artist

Lana Del Rey

Alternative Celebrity, Buzzband

Lana Del Rey is a hot female indie singer. She is 'mad controversial.'

Lists: potentially fake lips, slutwave, QTs, it girls, curly hair, critical darlings, 2k11 buzzbands

Read more>>>>

I keep hearing about this buzzband 'TUNE YARDS'
except it is spelled "tUnE YarDs" or some weird way
getting tons of buzz
ppls saying 'she's a genius'
'she writes complex, beautiful pop songs'
Getting 'close to 9.0 range from Pitchfork'

Sorta wonder if she is a 'better version of Panda Bear'
via being a '1-woman band'
U wonder if she is AnCo + Dirty Projectors + Bjork
rolled in2 the body of 1 woman

U have to wonder with that much talent
if she will 'win over the hearts of male bloggers and music critics'
ascending into Victoria LeGrand, Zooey Deschanel, Alice Glass, Maddie Follin
except she wears face paint
and bangs on shit, similar to 'Ginger Bro in Arcade Fire'

She plays her own instrument(s)
She puts on a 'compelling live performance'
She 'wrote a professional-y, acclaimed album'
What's not to like?
Would u invest in Tune Yards?
Can she go 'mainstream'?
Can she become a female 'piece of meat' that is required for most women to be successful in any industry?

Apparently her real name is "Merrill Garbus"
but u have to wonder if she is going to 'replace Bjork'
as the #1 'crazy bag/pigeon lady' in the indiesphere
Since Bjork sorta got 'too weird'
and now it feels like she 'went to space'
So now we need a more 'Earthy' weird woman
Like some1 from Portland before it got all consumer-wave Portlandia
Who just likes to vibe out and eat granola + plants

Oh Merrill....

It seems like she has some 'weird music videos'
where she acts 'artsy', which is probably 'good'
Could also say that she sound like the Dirty Projectors
Except instead of having three altbaguettes harmonizing
U just have one Merrill... I wonder if Dave Longstreth, founder of Dirty Projectors ever wishes he could 'trade' 2 ProjjieBaguettes for 1 Merrill
But he probably has a good 'master-slave' relaish with his current crop of harmonizing females

Oh Merrill Garbus...
I think I'm falling 4 u [via Colbie Caillat]

Seems like she has a 'crazy new music video' where she has a mini-me version of herself acting all Merrilly.

Is TuNe YaRds going to be 'the #1 album of the year?
Do u think she can 'go mainstream' Feist style?
Are we witnessing one of the most talented human beings in the world right now in the prime of her career?
Do her songs sound 'good' or are they just 'whatever'?
Is this just the kind of music for 'people who like live music', lesbians who like female artists, and 'people who have too much time to spend liking indie bands based on artistic merit'?
Can she become a female indie sex icon?
Does she look good, bb?

Tune Yards

Alternative Celebrity, Buzzband

Tune Yards is some crazy lady who is a conceptual buzzband.

Lists: moustaches, QTs, bangs

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Photos via alteredzones

One of the breakout bands of 2k11's SXSW was Puro Instinct, just in terms of 'mainstream magazines pretending that they are supposed to care about now' even though they have been being Gorilla Vs Beared for the past 2 years. Anyways, their music is 'good enough to sound buzzworthy', but potentially forgettable in the long term, but I am more interested in solving a way more important issue with their career arc:

Which of the Puro Instinct Sisters is keuter/cuter/kuter/QT-er?

It is a really difficult question, mainly because the sisters are age 23 (Piper Kaplan) and 16 (Skyler Kaplan). Piper is the lead singer, but Skylar is the lead guitarist, and u get the sense that she is the 'prodigy' behind the entire band. On the other hand, Piper could be interpreted as 'the keut female manifestation of Ariel Pink's personal brand', so if u have a mancrush on Ariel Pink and have weird wet dreams like the "For Kate I Wait" video, then maybe Piper seems like a good solution 4 u.

I srsly haven't swooned this hard since Regine... <3 her. I am alway interested in recruiting new keut alt females 2 recruit into the group of women that altbros and male music critics can 'get an indie boner ovr.' Seems like Puro Instinct presents us with a 'Double Ur Flavor, Double ur Fun' type of scenario.

Current Power Rankings of Alt QT indie songstresses
1. Vicki LeGrand
2. Alice Glass
3. Kickball Katy
3.5. Regine Chassagne
4. Zooey Deschanel
5. Madeline Follin (Cults)
?. Puro Sister #1
?. Puro Sister #2
?. Dirty Proj 1
?. Dirty Proj 2
?. Dirty Proj 3
8. Andrea Estella
9. Alexis 'Sexi Lexi' Krauss
10. Rebecca Black
20. That Chairlift slutwaver
40. That AZN in LCD Soundsystem/The Pains of Being Pure At heart
69. Joanna Newsom
74. Avey Tare's ex wife
91. Bjork
100. Bethany Cosentino

Who is at the top of ur current indie songstress QT power rankings?

However, part of me wonders if they are the #1 lofi sex icons in the world right now, especially after their provocative album art for Headbangers in Ecstasy.

Both of them look like total sex icons. It seems like this might be 'controversial' because we are forced to analyze the personal brand of 2 young ladies, however, u can't deny their indie physical attraction, wearing premium vintage-wave clothing...

They both look kinda keut as they walk around with Ariel Pink in the Stilyagi video.

Sorta jeal of Ariel for getting some quality time with them.

Another video 4 'Silky Eyes' features both Puro Sisters being hella keut. I am so confused yall... Which 1 is keuter?

I think Skylar looks good in this pic. S0 keut. Wish I could be back in high school and d8 a girl in a relevant buzzy band

Piper looks kinda keut here, though

They are just such keut altbaguettes. U have 2 give props to 16-year-old Skylar 4 skipping the entry level phase of 'being an alt tween'... I feel like that might give her an edge to me...

But at the same time, I am legally allowed 2 lust over Piper... I could go up to her at a show and say "I love your band" and we could instantly go on a date to Chili's and I wouldn't go to jail...

They have both rlly evolved since they were called 'Pearl Harbor.' I wonder if they are entering their lofi alt primes.

I'm s000 incredibly confused... Who do yall think is the keutest Puro Sister?
Skylar or Piper? There has 2 be a right answer... I want 2 know everything abt them... I want 2 know abt their parents, if they went 2 a school for the arts... If they went to an elementary school that manufactured lofi music producers....
R u on #TeamSkylar or #TeamPiper?
R u 'riding childpredatorwaves' if ur on #TeamSkylar, or can u be on her team if ur in it 4 the right reasons because <3 has no age?

Photo via gorillavsbear

Do u care abt the other members of Puro Instinct? Do they have equity in the band?
Is Skylar the musical genius behind Puro Instinct?
Do u like their music, or is it just 'overvalued post-Ariel Pink lofi'?
Can Piper take her on-stage personal brand to Alice Glass-type levels?
Should we invest more indie <3 and attention into Skylar because she has the most potential to bring us buzzworthy tunes and memes for the next 20 years?
Would u rather invest buzz dollars in Puro Instinct or Cults?
Is this the beginning of the end of Bethany Cosentino's domination of the fuzzy buzzy female spotlight?
Do u think there is some tension within the family bc each of them wants 2 be more famous?
Should Skylar get her own MTV show abt life as a 16 year old in a buzzband?
Will Skylar become an authentic fashion icon [via Tavi]?

S00 confused...

(Yall...Off the record... I think I am on #TeamSkylar)

Do u ever just sit in ur room listening 2 "Luv Goon", thinking abt what life with a Puro Sister would be like?

Puro Instinct

Puro Instinct is a fuzzy buzzy lofi band consisting of the Kaplan sisters, Piper and Skylar.

Lists: lofi, QTs

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Skylar Kaplan

Alternative Celebrity

Skylar is the lead guitarist and songwriter of the hit sister-wave buzzband Puro Instinct.

Lists: indie songstresses, QTs, guitarists, bangs

Read more>>>>

Piper Kaplan

Alternative Celebrity

Piper Kaplan is the QT lead singer of Puro Instinct.

Lists: indie songstresses, QTs

Read more>>>>

Kinda wanna throw down a bedroom studio jam and make a yewtube video 4 it.

Sorta wish I could be reborn as a girl so that I could have the opportunity to express myself with music. I think I would start by taking piano lessons at a young age, then possibly learn the guitar. I would try my best to have a 'good voice', but eventually I would want more than a 'good voice'--I would want to have a humble, approachable voice that could fill up coffee shops and let the world know that I am a female artist worth taking seriously. I would write songs about the female experience, talking about my insecurities and failed relationships in a direct way that inspired girls to be like 'thats how i see the world, too.'

My vocal delivery would really enable me to 'make an impact' on the indie scene, appealing to girls who were just like me (independent spirits) except they are 80% more creatively worthless than me, since they wouldn't have any technical talent that would enable them to 'make something artistic.' I am not sure how to feel about music that fits into this aesthetic. It seems like the content doesn't always matter, it sort of just has to sound 'organic/stripped down' and have a kute lil girl voice on top of it. I am not sure what women want out of music. It seems like this song would have been a 'totally different type of hit' if some indie girl sang it. Guess it is better that Beyonce 'made it mainstream'?

I'm not even sure what women expect out of music. It seems obvious that the best bands are comprised of male members, but . It seems like 'all girls' (mainstream + alt + maltsream) like the same music, even if it is 'fucking terrible.' It's sort of like the television series 'Sex Inside of the City', a story that glorifies the sexual pursuits of women. Even though the show is probably 'mediocre', the fact that it is a brand that women can rally around and 'feel special' that there is a show about 'them'/their 'feelings.'

Do yall ever miss the formative stages of 'indie', back when the smokey/cutesy/vulnerably quirky female voice was 'fresh' and 'new'? Do u feel like the formula is dying, or will it live on forever?

Do u still listen to Feist/Paula Cole/Fiona Apple/Cat Powers/Sarah Maclaughlan/Jenny Lewis/The Blow?
Do women have 'terrible taste' in music, or is it just indicative of the escalated struggle for a sense of purpose in the world when u r a woman?

Remember when THE BLOW had that song 'Hey Boy' and it really 'appealed 2 all indie girls' since it was about a boy who didn't call u back? This is a 'fan video' interpretation of the song, where a girl is crushed because of the neglect she experiences from a forgettable altbro.

Remember when that guy from the YACHT (Jona Bechtolt) 'produced' all of The Blow's songs, but then she was 'too Portland' to take the brand to the next level [via selling out and making some mad mnstrm commercial money] then he quit the Blow and they haven't been relevant since? Feel like women ruin everything/always have terrible ideas + ideals. Hard 2 empathize.

'If u _____ed it then u should have put a _____ on it.'

I have been listening to some of 2k9's most relevant artists/songs, including "Cheerleader" by the Grizzly Bear. I think that the song is 'chill' but I think that in our new era, u can always find a way to dance, even if a song is sorta conceptual/chill. I am not sure what this bro is all about. I think he might be one of those bros who has a post-post-pre-ironic internet personality, just trying to be 'a think piece' on the internet 2 set himself apart from 'every other loser with a mnstrm facebook profile.'

Sorta just wanna chill, be myself on the internet. Have people 'find my vid' when they search 4 their fave band on youtube. Possibly 'become an altmeme.' Might film my cock coming out of my Am Appy briefs and 'tugging' til I cum with a 2k7 electro song in the background.

XX BONUS ANCO BRO SPORT MEME XX

Wonder if these are 'the two best songs' of 2k9? Feel like it is 'entry level' to enjoy 'Two Weeks' + 'My Girls' the most.

Kinda feels weird how these 2 bands are 'tied 2gether' in the conquest for the 'best' album experience of 2k9. Not even sure what the 'best album' of 2k9 is. Wonder what 'the internet pundits' will say is the best album of 2k9. Feel like people will pick Grizzly Bear because they are 'very personal bros', and from what I have learned, personal connections 'mean everything.' While people 'love' anco, they are still not entirely engaging bros, nor could u imagine having a 'chill convo' with them. I think that people who pick the Dirty Projjies to be the best album of 2k9 will be the 'type of music reviewing bros who are ghey/don't get girls in real life and feel closer 2 women by enjoying female artists.' Think this might be the theory that explains why St. Vincent is 'relevant.'

What's yalls fave album of 2k9?

Image via Stereogum

Yall. I'm kinda worried. I saw this picture of a female lead singer of an alternative band. I am sort of scared that all female 'front men' are morphing in2 1 person. Just worried that the 'personal brand' of a female lead singer is becoming 'kinda predictable.' Not sure if this is Lovefoxxx/ Karen O / Bjork / Beth Ditto. Feel like the modern image of a 'female lead singer in an alternative band' is sort of an image that is 'used to peddle clothes and accessories.'

It's like every1 is either 'trying 2 be Madonna', 'trying 2 be Bjork', 'trying to be Stevie Nicks,' or 'trying to be Sheryl Crow.' Scared that women are starting to become marginalized in the alternative music sphere. Hope they can stay around for a while before a big 'backlash' comes. Do yall think that men do everything better?

Does n e 1 know if Lady Gaga is the End of Female Innovation?

Photo via Drunken Stepfather

Does n e 1 know if the Yeah Yeah Yeahs will ever write a song as 'good'/'popular' as "MAPS" again, or will they be a band that is 'very popular' for the next 5-15 years, but no1 is really 'that familiar' with their songs?

Do u feel like the YYYs are a band that got 'grandfathered' into having the relative security + marketing power of record contract and big label backing by being the 'equal opportunity' product acquisition [via female lead singer] of the NYC Garage Band Strokes White Stripes era?

"Wait...They don't <3 u like I <3 u."
-Karen O