One of the biggest draws of Lizzie Grant, a.k.a. Lana Del Rey is that her music is, simply put, cinematic. With "Born to Die," she reached popularity with the hit "Video Games" as her sumptuous voice sang of lazy days in scandalous details. The album itself was a hit, though left many divided on just how great she actually was. Was she really "The Gangster Nancy Sinatra" as bloggers put it? Tracks like "Off to the Races" definitely lived up to the hype, though from a production standpoint, it was a little desperate. The one benefit is that she has gotten better at making her cinematic style of music with tracks for The Great Gatsby ("Young and Beautiful") and Maleficent ("Once Upon a Dream"). With her latest album "Ultraviolence," she is finally over testing the waters and comes forth with an album so perfectly unique and matching her talents that while a little rugged, is coming closer to the ideal vision of one of our most enjoyably melancholic pop stars in recent years.
Where "Born to Die" seemed a little obsessed with mixing the melancholy with more pop oriented music, the pretensions are stripped away here, leaving only a production that rings through the ether. With the fatalistic cries as she prepares for a party in the six minute opener "Cruel World," she invites you into a spiral of hypnotic decadence, misery, and romance. The universe is vividly painted with each lyric creating a new detail, creating a picture of nihilistic youth wrapped up in nostalgic orchestration. At times, the music feels drugged out and moves slowly. The operatic appeal wanes throughout the album, making it feel more like a collection of individually great songs than one translucent package.
A lot of the sound can be attributed to producer Dan Auerbach, whose band The Black Keys released the reverse engineered "Turn Blue." Both albums seem to exist in a hazy, hypnotic universe where tracks fade in and out with a pulsating heart. The only difference here is that there's a lot more use of strings and atmosphere. Vocals are often doubled, or echo over highly energetic strings while Del Rey does her singing in her low, sumptuous register, recalling events like an old jazz singer.
For some, the novelty of singing such songs as "Fucked My Way to the Top" and "Money Power Glory" in a druggy, sad tone is somewhat of a novelty. It sometimes comes across as a parody, but not from a lack of confidence. Del Rey knows how to sing the song with vivid narration, allowing her voice to exude with emotional cues. When it works, as evident in the amazing "Old Money," it becomes some of the most powerful songwriting of 2014 and her career. Even the more low key tracks such as "West Coast" play out with a lackadaisical vibe that sets the listener at ease.
The appeal of Del Rey is that she is unlike any other performer. While Amy Winehouse may have been more raw or Adele more passionate, Del Rey is more conscious. She puts in extra effort to make her distinct. From the instrumentation, which sometimes plays as cliche Del Rey, she demands that things are atmospheric and overpowering. It consumes the listener and with her soaring voice (which is probably one of the more unfortunately overproduced aspects at points), she paints the picture. Her lyrics still dive into melancholic, exploitative tales that aren't being done anywhere else int his style. She rebels against the norms by embracing them and adding a punch. No amount of movies or musical references will stop her from making something wholly authentic.
"Ultraviolence" is an improvement in finding the genuine artist. She understands musical technique and embraces the production in ways that felt awkward on "Born to Die." It may still have some rough spots, but her rugged dedication brings out the best in her. With help from Auerbach, this record is a hypnotic group of songs that while at times repetitive, have a sense of purpose. The songs that work become visceral works of art while the duds simply work as filler. She remains an acquired taste who has yet to make that great masterpiece. However, she is getting there, and "Ultraviolence" more than lives up to expectations.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Comments
Post a Comment