Lana Del Rey is an artist whose persona flows throughout their music, and without sounding, well, cheesy, you can say that her albums are an experience. Her influences are clear in each collection of songs - Kill Kill was a complication of songs inspired by late night gas stations and teenage rebellion in 50s-60s USA, whilst Born To Die, similarly focused on nostalgic, Americana pop of the West Coast in the Land of the Free.
Ultraviolence knocks it down a notch, as she returns to an earlier, darker style with ethereal vocals and haunting orchestral scores. The subjects she writes about are similar; love, and materialism are tackled in her signature way, and lyrics are filled with imagery that wouldn't look out of place in either of her earlier albums. Despite this, you cannot listen to Ultraviolence and say that the album isn't a stunning marker of development.
Don't get me wrong - I love her old stuff. I love Born to Die unendingly, and just as much as Ultraviolence - but you can't deny the differences between the albums. Whilst I loved Born to Die for its (surf)poppier songs, I love Ultraviolence for its darker simplicity.
'Cruel World,' starts off as a great theatrical opener and fans of Lana will find the song both new and familiar. Whilst it's a great opener, I've found it to be one of the more forgettable on the album (perhaps a testament to how good the rest of the album is.) She sings about similar things; craziness and a party dress, but the heavier instrumentals already demonstrate the different direction the album takes.
Several brilliant tracks, however, are dispersed throughout the album. Amongst my personal favourite standouts is 'Brooklyn Baby;' lighter in its tone and instrumentals, but catchy as anything, and Lana's breathless vocals sound amazing on the overlays. 'Brooklyn Baby,' is followed by first single 'West Coast,' a perfect nod to her earlier surf-rock inspired style. The wholesome chorus is my favourite, (I love a good tempo jump.) 'West Coast,' is, in my opinion, overshadowed by the following 'Sad Girl.' With its little jazz influence, a strong chorus, and gorgeous overall atmosphere, it probably serves as my favourite song on the album.
The second half of the album is just as strong - with closing song 'Florida Kilos' being the weaker link. It's not necessarily a bad song; it's just very similar melody wise to several of her others and seems a step back. Luckily, 'Old Money,' and 'The Other Woman,' are standouts, both equally fresh and stylistic. Topped off with 'Money, Power, Glory,' one of the more theatrical songs on the album, Ultraviolence is a perfect collection of moody, atmospheric songs about the subjects we know and love to hear from Lana.
It's no Born to Die - and that's a good thing. On Ultraviolence, new styles and genres are being explored and the majority of songs are technically and instrumentally more advanced. Lana's voice just sounds just as good on Ultraviolence, if not more experimental with her technique. Overall, a really solid album somehow perfect for a lazy summer's day - must be all that West Coast Americana seeping through.
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