𓆩♡𓆪ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤBorn To Dieㅤ𓆩♡𓆪
Released on the 27th January, Born To Die is Lana's first full length album. Lana had a pretty fast rise to fane in the early 2010's with this album. Mainly thanks to her single 'Video Games going viral prior to the release of this album. ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤMy feelings towards this album are conflicted, on one hand a few of these songs are some of my favorite tracks Lana has ever released, such as Dark Paradise and Video Games. On the other it's Lana's worst album lyrically compared to her other albums. The lyrics aren't necessarily bad, they have just aged poorly in recent years (cough lolita cough). Problematic lyrics aside, I live for the orchestral strings throughout the album, a sound that I think she needs to implement more into her music.
The standouts on this album for me (aside from my aforementioned favourites) are definitely Radio and Off To The Races.
𓆩♡𓆪ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤUltraviolenceㅤ𓆩♡𓆪
This album is sad girl Lana at her best. The entire aesthetic of this album is my favourite work of hers in terms of concept. Of course like the last album there is the question of whether this is a glamorization of serious topics such as abuse. Though Personally I don't believe it does, it doesn't have that same pop veneer that Born To Die does, it feel genuine, mainly thanks to her improved lyricism.ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤI've never been the biggest fan of overly melancholy music. But with this album in particular I don't have that problem, the cinematic feeling to all of her music makes me enjoy that sort of style a lot more than usual. One problem I do have with this album is definitely the weird vocal inflections prevalent in some of the tracks, Pretty When You Cry specifically.
The standouts on this album for me would have to be Shades of Cool, West Coast and Florida Kilos
𓆩♡𓆪ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤHoneymoonㅤ𓆩♡𓆪
I personally believe Honeymoon to be Lana's most underrated album. Despite not having many tracks that immediately come to mind when you think of Lana Del Rey. I think Honeymoon has it's questionable moments, such as the random spoken word halfway through the album.ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤFrom start to finish Honeymoon has a consistent dreamy sound to it, with even some gothic/film noire elements in tracks like Honeymoon and Music To Watch Boys To. Something that I don't think is very mainstream, and a sound that suits Lana and her persona well. I think that the spoken word in the album while unexpected, does still suit the dreamy vibe that the album has going for it. I probably won't ever listen to it, but it's nice to see the attention to detail when it comes to concept.
My favourite track on the album is hands down Music To Watch Boys To, I love this song with my whole heart.
𓆩♡𓆪ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤLust For Lifeㅤ𓆩♡𓆪
I don't really understand some of the choices made on this album. I just don't understand why there was so much basic trap beats in the album, especially on Coachella and Cherry. Of course with any Lana album the lyrics will always be great, though I think it's definitely middle of the road when comparing it to her other works, but that's not bad.ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤNow where my main issues lie with this album are the features, choices were made. I completely understand The Weeknd on 'Lust For Life' I really like it actually, but Playboi Carti and A$AP Rocky? On a Lana album? As for the other features, they're alright, Stevie Nicks on 'Beautiful People With Beautiful Problems' is definitely my favourite of the album, but I still think it could have been better, though the chorus
The standouts on this album for me would have to be 'Shades of Cool', 'West Coast' and 'Florida Kilos'