Must-Hear New Release: Lana Del Rey’s “Born to Die”

Lana Del Rey… she’s been all over the media–from music blogs to TV–since her popular single “Video Games” came out in July, and she’s recently been gaining more and more popularity due to her striking artistic videos, nostalgic songs, and hit-or-miss TV appearances.

Lana Del Rey (Elizabeth Grant) has garnered both positive and negative responses from the media. Her captivating voice and image have allowed her to build a large fan base, though it is that very image–a certain redefinition and rebranding of her former musical projects–that has also sparked controversy. True, her style has changed since releasing her first album in 2010–but that should not be taken in a negative light–she is making heartfelt, powerful and poignant music today and her past shouldn’t be the only thing marking her future from now on.

More recently, she gained strong criticism for her performance on Saturday Night Live, where she had a very shaky set. Yet upon watching her live shows, or even other TV appearances, it is clear that SNL was simply her nerves acting up.

Though some might label Lana Del Rey as the next Adele, I do not think she has the same power behind her vocals–yet what she does have is a mastery at creating sultry melodies that evoke lust, loss, love, and sex.

Today marks the release of her album, Born to Die, a record that exudes a fame and sex-filled Hollywood aura.

The album is aurally studded with glamour. It starts off strong, built around her previous EP and singles, yet it loses some of its initial magic around the half-way mark. The album itself can be taken as a map of Lana Del Rey’s career and fame over the last six months. What can be seen in her music video for “Video Games” (from July) is nostalgic Americana imagery. She built her image based on this “reminds-me-of” feeling that “Blue Jeans,” “Born to Die,” and “Video Games” evoke. Up to the present day and her album release, her image has been more and more defined by a sense of fame and stardom. This Hollywood glam is clearly displayed on songs such as “Million Dollar Man” and “Off to the Races”.

Drifting off from the emotions that “Video Games” first evoked and the fan base that grew from all those little pieces working together (the grainy video, the eerily relatable song, the soft yet provocative voice), Born to Die is verging on a purely pop record, instead of a cross-genre metaphorical statement on the highs and lows of a luxurious lifestyle.

What catches people off-guard when it comes to this album is this pop exterior–but really, each track possesses more than a catchy hook–from “Million Dollar Man,” which is a bit show tunes and a bit jazz, to “Diet Mountain Dew”’s trip-hop underpinnings. The album itself–though it has its flaws–is a great way to get to know this budding artist. Her songs are catchy to say the least, and though the album’s power is focused on its first half, we are left with a kind of statement by the end, with closing word of “This Is What Makes Us Girls”–”This is what makes us girls/To all the little queens, do you know what you’re worth?/I’ll tell you every day till you get it girl/It’s all going to happen.” You can take this as just some shallow pop lyrics, or you can think of it as a manifesto of perseverance and will power to adapt and climb to fame in the face of the stereotypical landscape of American grandeur. This is an album built upon this grandeur, and it is not afraid to show it.

Upcoming Shows: In-Store Performance and Signing (Limited to first 300 album purchases at Haight Amoeba), February 9, Amoeba, San Francisco