Born To Die

If you haven't heard of Lana Del Rey by now, then you've probably just crawled out from under a rock (we have a black President now, by the way...) Lana has garnered a pretty loyal fan base over the last year following a string of popular Youtube music vids from her EP. She has also come to the attention of many others (myself included) more recently following an SNL performance that garnered much negative attention, including tweets from the likes of has-been actresses Juliette Lewis and Eliza Dushku. Everyone waited with anticipation for the release of this album to see if she could put the money where her pouty mouth is.And I think she more than paid off! The album is a love-letter to fans of trip-hop and lushly orchestrated ballads. Lana is a vocal breath of fresh air, eschewing the auto-tune that is the current bane of the music industry. And the tracks are varied enough to not get stale, and as I mentioned, well orchestrated and multi-layered. It's a sonic delight that compels multiple play-throughs. It's been awhile since an album has dominated my player as much as this one has. I've listened to it nearly exclusively over the past week, and even the few tracks that I didn't like at first have become favorites!The album opens with the four songs that comprised her EP from 2011. BORN TO DIE, OFF TO THE RACES, BLUE JEANS, and VIDEO GAMES. To me, these were all fresh as I never heard the EP before. OFF TO THE RACES is an album favorite of mine, and is frankly the reason I finally decided to download the entire album. VIDEO GAMES, of course, is the song she will be forever identified with (until she tops it, anyway). And it is indeed a fantastic and dark ballad, though I think the album boasts plenty of songs to rival it.Following this is a handful of tracks updated from her previous recording sessions, and some new tracks. Highlights include more trip hop goodness with DIET MOUNTAIN DEW, a Fiona Apple-esque ballad MILLION DOLLAR MAN, and the swirling (though profane) RADIO.Through multiple listens, and putting pieces together from her interviews and biography, it becomes clear this album is meant as a snapshot of her teen and young adult years. We see two sides of Lana here, singing about partying with her girlfriends on tracks like WHAT MAKES US GIRLS and in full Jersey Girl Twang with NATIONAL ANTHEM ("Gawd, yeh so hansum..."), and then covering more personal ground as the fragile, lovelorn girl who has loved and lost and fears being used, in tracks like the now infamous VIDEO GAMES and MILLION DOLLAR MAN. Between these two extremes lay tales of how girls are used as sex objects ... stories of drinking, drugs, and the many other things teens do today to cope with their burgeoning adulthood.Many of her critics brutalized her for their misconception of her as being a shallow artist singing about partying and nothing much else. But there is much more depth here than appears at first glance. I caught it at the end of the last song - Lana laments how she was taken away from her best friends in WHAT MAKES US GIRLS: "They were the only friends I ever had / We got into trouble and when stuff got bad / I got sent away, I was waving on the train platform / Crying 'cause I know I'm never coming back." Whatever happened during her youth, it ended with her parents sending her to Boarding school - and with this line, the entire album comes into focus. It's a lament, a funeral dirge for her lost youth and the friends and loves she was forced to leave behind.Which leads to the excellent (and seemingly overlooked) album cover. Lana appears against a mostly clear blue sky with tightly coiffed hair and a white collared shirt, buttoned all the way up to the neck - an image that screams conservative! She's all grown up now. But then there's that red bra ghosting through - a reminder that she still retains that wild, party girl somewhere inside her. You can take the girl out of the party scene, but you can't take away the party girl! What a fantastically appropriate image for the album!In short, Lana rode into town this year amidst a sea of insensitive critics who were more obsessed with her background and the size of her lips than her actual music. Can anyone remember the last time a male artist was chastised for being fake or too handsome!? Who was the last male artist who was declared a manufactured product of the music industry!? It's a shame that in our current day and age, we still can't give women a fair shake. Well, fortunately miss Del Rey has more than proven herself, and I look forward to more to come from her in the future!

I am a Lana del Rey BELIEVER despite the SNL mishap. I love her soulful, sultry voice and the interesting, unique song compilation. She tends to have certain themes repeating throughout her songs, but they do not get boring or stale. Some people find her music a bit depressing or not lively enough, but I disagree. I have probably played this CD on repeat over 100 times. I love every song except "Carmen" - find that one kind of odd and too slow for my tastes, but in particular I have gravitated towards:1. Blue Jeans - This is the song that got me hooked on Lana in the first place. I liked the range of her voice, and the unexpected but totally perfect "rap" in the verse.2. Off to the Races - I absolutely hated the verse when it first played, but once the chorus came on, I started to tolerate and then really liked the verse. The chorus is amazingly catchy, chaotic, and fun.3. Summertime Sadness - There is usually one song besides the initial radio hits that become popular with good artists. I honestly would not have pegged this one to be it. I thought "Dark Paradise" or "Diet Mountain Dew" would have been more popular, but I understand why people like this one. The verse is cool and swingy, and I eagerly await the bridge (cause it is SO FUN to sing) every time this song plays.4. Radio - I like the sweet sounding melody paired with the expletives. It was unexpected and kind of fun. Though it sucked that the first time I had this playing, I was in my car, next to a minivan with kids in it. Definitely got some evil eyes from the lady driving the van... sorry, lady. I had NO idea!5. This Is What Makes Us Girls - This song is completely on point. It's unapologetic in pointing out that us girls tend to kind of leave each other to the wayside in the pursuit of romance, but that it's a "curse." I see it as a frank assessment, but something that we can improve on!6. Dark Paradise - Lyrics are super relatable. This is definitely something you listen to when you've just gone through a bad breakup. I like that her songs have clear situations in which they apply but are still good to listen to outside of those situations.Overall, her lyrics are super nostalgic, both in calling back times far gone and times of our childhood and youth. It takes me back to the days when I used to play my scant few CDs on repeat, and that's how I would find all the hidden gems that no one else knew about. Though I understand the ease and convenience of purchasing single digital songs, unless you download the whole album and play it on repeat, you don't get that same experience as popping a CD in and being somewhat forced to listen to all of the songs. This album is definitely worth listening to in its entirety. (Except "Carmen." I really don't like that song.)