Ultraviolence: Lana Del Rey’s Emotional Roller Coaster of an Album
Lana Del Rey released her highly anticipated second album today in the UK, and tomorrow across the globe. While her first single West Coast debuted a few weeks ago, this track was not fair warning for the beauty that is Ultraviolence. In a few words the album is dark, emotional, and the lyrics are the type that haunts your dreams.
When LDR sings a love song, it is very atypical. She mourns the loss of love as if it was the loss of life. She has an undeniable retro feeling, that not only come from the sound effects in her music but also from her breathy singing and lyrical content. Her songs make it hard to believe the singer is only 27 years only. Her music is definitely art, and it has the ability to transport the listener to a different time and place. On this record, she continues to give an “all American” vibe as her songs name places around the USA with extra emphasis on her hometown of New York City.
Lana Del Rey’s Second Album comes put in Canada on June 17 2014
Due to the balladic nature of Lana Del Rey’s songs, Ultraviolence is an emotional roller coaster. From songs about money and partying to songs where the dark emotions are audible in LDR’s voice such as Is this Happiness? you can easily get caught up in the music. This being said the production on Ultraviolence was very strong, giving it the previously mentioned retro feeling. Her songs are laced with wailing guitars, smashing drums and even strings. There is also noticeable vintage echoing quality to the vocals giving songs an anthem-like feel.
I don’t doubt that the singer has many hit singles coming from this album. As usual, I expect most of her hits will be some form of a remix – at least in North America. We are a continent with a very simple range of buying power, and the ballads from this album will undoubtedly be sped up or changed in some other way before they gain spaces on the charts. For example, West Coast and Summertime Sadness were both remixed before gaining popularity.
Overall, I really loved the album. Having already listened to it five or six times since receiving it this morning, I give the album an A-. I think that most of her current fans will cherish this album, and she will definitely gain many new fans as her songs become singles.
Ultraviolence is streaming now!
