By this point, you likely will have an opinion on Lana Del Rey. Since her notorious Saturday Night Live performance, she has become in some ways a pariah to the pop music scene. It's an unfair statement, considering that the "Born to Die" album showed a promising, booming singer that mixed 60's iconography with contemporary hip-hop beats, adding noirish lyrics for good measure. She has no comparison point, at least one that's her age. With her follow-up, she ditched the catchier elements and created "Ultraviolence"; an album that was more cinematic - rich with strings and dour lyrics sung in an almost operatic crescendo. It also served as a trust exercise for fans thinking she would even consider being accessible. With "Honeymoon," she continues that tradition not with the booming classical sound, but with a more stripped down and curious sound that captures something more raw and ambitious.
The common complaint about Lana Del Rey is that she is boring. Where "Born to Die" was a stylistic mess, "Ultraviolence" was self-indulgent. Also, to sing almost exclusively about navel gazing and misery isn't the subject of the next big pop star that audiences were expecting in 2011. However, "Ultraviolence" is a tough album to listen to largely because the production is so intricate and looming that some songs sound like parody. While it is reflective of Lana Del Rey's overall ambition, it also was excessive to a degree that was hard to take seriously. Even if the album ended up being really good, it had the feeling of being self-aware and needing to be bigger and louder. Was it for the best? Maybe. After all, it did establish the Lana Del Rey that we can expect to see for the rest of her career, even if she claims that "Honeymoon" will be closer to "Born to Die" with its stylistic cues.
So, is it? The simple answer is no. There are hip hop beats spruced into various songs, but Lana Del Rey doesn't feel concerned about writing a catchy song. She prefers ballads that emphasize the toxicity of love and glamorized living. In some ways, it's like the Sofia Coppola of pop - only occasionally raunchier and more aware of the final production. However, the one immediately thankful thing about "Honeymoon" is that is cuts back on the overproduced nature. With the eponymous opening song, the chorus turns to Lana Del Rey's voice in an almost acapella fashion. It creates nuance in the beauty as it subverts the story of a honeymoon from a happy experience to something more tragic and dark. With the opening lines serving as a trust exercise on loving her music, it feels like the litmus test for the audience. If you take that seriously, then the rest will be easy. If it's funny, then you're in for a long, long 66 minutes.
The album opens up strong, continuing to explore the acapella style on "Music to Watch Boys To" and "Terrence Loves You." While the music creates a melancholic, relaxing vibe, it also serves as some of her most exciting music. Her lyrics may crib from David Bowie and feature a vagueness that can be frustrating, but she manages to turn self-reflexive loathing into an art that is infectious. She is an artist with a specified vision that is an acquired taste. Even if these songs aren't in most ways pop, they mix in clever wordplay, overdramatic vocals, and a passion that is ethereal - finding beauty in thought. The one hurdle is that it's likely not apparent until the songs are heard a few times to escape the redundant novelty of the album's style.
As a whole, the album does suffer from a certain redundancy that "Ultraviolence" did as well. While both create singular visions, Lana Del Rey's music is almost a little too much of a repetitive downer to listen for long stretches of time. However, it should be noted that almost every song on here individually is well produced, providing something new and captivating from the singer. The layered vocals may wear thin at points and the lyrics are a little silly, but it's easy to buy into the myth of Lana Del Rey. With each subsequent album, she feels like she is exploring something within herself and beautifully displaying it through music. Here, she does it over her own voice in a way that the Pitch Perfect crowd may be too upbeat to care for. Even if the music makes you want to give her a hug, you are thankful that she exists to write such beautiful, dark pop music that is cinematic with detail and meditative in tone.
The back half of the album may be some of her more self-indulgent, exploratory work to date. In the closing tracks, she sings about the defeat of love ("24") and those final moments together before things end for good ("Swan Song"). The album plays like a concept album by a narcissist trying to make love happen, but finding it difficult to see beyond the joys of fame and value ("Freak," "Art Deco"). Even if the album doesn't have a clear through line, its misery builds to the final moments, making us wonder if the honeymoon was really worth it. It's the Two for the Road story told through music, leaving us to piece together the scattered details one by one. It is only at the end where Lana Del Rey becomes cheeky with a cover of "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood," which is about as understated as things get, sacrificing rhythm for her vocal melody yet again. While it could be distracting to some, maybe it's her voice that serves as the metaphorical block to her happiness.
This isn't going to be a feel good record of the year. It is unlikely that this will turn over new Lana Del Rey fans by the droves. However, there's a lot to admire about the production, which probably her best overall. There's a consistency and focus that makes the otherwise self-indulgent lyrics work. Where "Ultraviolence" had a distracting musicality, "Honeymoon" plans to take it easy, doing everything low key and without a fuss. As evident by the album's best song "High By the Beach," she is stuck in a state of continual contemplation. She sings "Being here's hard/Loving you's harder," almost questioning us to leave her alone. Should we keep our distance? Probably not. The world needs someone who sounds like Lana Del Rey to keep the music industry interesting.
Rating: 4 out of 5
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