I got this album as despite not being a huge fan of Del Rey's first single 'Video Games', I am totally in love with the second single 'Born To Die', and so thought I'd give it a go. The album has 16 tracks on it, and they vary from the melancholy 'Video Games' to urban tunes like 'Lolita' to uplifting choral numbers such as 'National Anthem'. It really shows her diversity as an artist, and her true musical talent, as nothing on the album sounds remotely manufactured. They are all quite personalised, with quirky lyrics, unusual compositions and also parts where rap-esque talking is laid over the backing music as in 'Born To Die'.
Million Dollar Man sounds like a 50s style musical track, you can almost see Lana walking through a gloomy American city singing the lyrics in pursuit of her lover. 'Radio' is quite humorous, as she uses love clichés in the lyrics, but they are filled with irony such as 'lick me up and take me like a vitamin 'cause my bodies sweet like sugar venom'. This occurs frequently and lets her personality shine through, which gives a cynical overtone to the album.
Despite Lana Del Rey having her own distinct style and voice, I couldn't help but think that certain songs sounded a lot like some other famous female vocalists. Without You is quite high pitched and dreamy, reminiscent of 80s Kate Bush tracks, and in Blue Jeans she sounds like Gwen Stefani - which, as she is one of my favourite artists ever, is a massive compliment!
Overall I would recommend this album to someone who wants a bit of a change from the usual girls that dominate the saccharine pop world, yet don't want to stray too far into unknown territory. Give it a go.
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