Much has been said about Lana Del Rey, especially these past several weeks. From her supposedly underwhelming appearance on Saturday Night Live to the internet controversy surrounding her single “Video Games” to her puffy pout, Del Rey has been getting shredded in the media and rocked on the Web, but is it justifiable? What’s interesting about the mass criticism is that Del Rey has a style unlike any other in the game right now, manufactured or not. Isn’t that what we, as an audience, are supposed to champion in an artist?
She’s not outwardly exciting, nor the typical pop artist, but what she does have is mystique. At the end of the day, her entire image could be a beautiful illusion, but the illusion itself is wonderful, is it not? Of course, authenticity-hers having been called into question as a result of some ‘decidedly’ erroneous statements- is what makes an artist relatable and appealing, but too many listeners get caught up in the artist rather than what matters, the music. On her latest release, Born To Die, Del Rey uses that dark charm to the fullest.
The title track is gloomy and dark but quite addicting. Del Rey’s vocals hazily slink along the beat, and the lyrics are enticing: “Come on take a walk on the wild side/ Let me kiss you hard in the pouring rain, you like your girls insane/ Choose your last words, this is the last time/-Cause you and I, we were born to die.”
“Blue Jeans” and Video Games” take on that same ominous tired tone but are just as intriguing as “Born To Die.” “Blue Jeans” has a muted soulfulness that gives Del Rey her distinguished sense of style.
“Carmen” is another creeping track with lyrics that will keep you listening: “Darling, darling doesn’t have a problem, lying to herself cause her liquor’s top shelf/ It’s alarming honestly how charming she can be, fooling everyone telling how she’s having fun.”
“Off To The Races,” “Diet Mountain Dew” and “National Anthem” is a trio of mid-tempo pop soul tracks. They are still fixed with Del Rey’s hauntingly sleepy vocals, but have more animated beats. These tracks have effervescence with lyrics that will stay on your tongue: “Cause he knows I’m wasted, facin’ time again on Rikers Island and I won’t get out/ Because I’m crazy, baby/ I need you to come here and save me.”
“This Is What Makes Us Girls,” one of the best songs on the album, closes the album with Del Rey’s fine vocals and a pretty but bleak beat. Her lyrics only add to the troubling beauty behind the song: “Sweet sixteen and we had arrived/Walking down the streets as they whistle ‘hi, hi’/ Stealin’ police cars with the senior guys, Teachers said we’d never make it out alive.”
Born To Die is an album worth owning. Lana Del Rey lays it down beautifully and in her own quiet way. There’s not a single track on the album that is poorly constructed or not worth a listen. Whether her critics like it or not, Del Rey has a future in this industry and Born To Die is our introduction to it.
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