[rayword45]

Day 147: Ultraviolence by Lana Del Rey (Album Choice: Curly)

Yep, just getting through the ones I'm loath to listen to now. Not gonna have these lurking on my phone when I'm cruising.

Well, actually, I quite like this first song. My bias was and is based on my not huge fandom of her previous album, mainly due to the rather gross lyricism with such vivid prose as "My pussy tastes like Pepsi-Cola" and due to the fact that she can't rap. Putting my defenses up, that first problem isn't a misogynistic thing. I loathe Nickelback and The Weeknd too. The lyrics on this album are more of the same as last time. And being honest, the vocal performance is even more affected than the last album, which, no doubt about it, is still pretty damn grating. She's hitting more of the right notes this time, but what she now lacks in amateurishness (which I honestly believe can be a very charming trait, God make me project my own insecurities) she now more than fills the shitvoid with bombast and decadence.

What makes this album better than the last one? Mainly the production. Whereas the last album was bland chamber pop, this album is much dreamier. Everything is lush, laden with reverb and loaded with guitar licks lifted from equal parts Latin music and desert rock. Shame I couldn't find a synonymous genre for desert rock that started with L, alliteration game too weak. Not to forget, the orchestration on this album is syrupy as hell.

The overblown instrumentation has gotten this album a reputation as "theatrical", some calling it "Kubrick-esque". While it is definitely cinematic I wouldn't compare it to Stanley Kubrick. Those people just got lazy with the title. No, this album is far more akin to a made-for-TV collaboration between early David Lynch and John Waters. Smoky, noirish, but with a kitschy edge. I'm not sure if the camp factor was intentional, in fact I highly doubt it, but I don't care, it's the end result that matters, right? If I was rating solely by how seriously I can take the album, this would get a flat zero. As it stands though, it's both musically enjoyable and pretty funny.

And I don't think cheesy is necessarily an insult nor is it always a detractor. Sure, sometimes, such as the case with Bright Eyes or (shoot me) early Cocteau Twins, the ridiculousness can detract from the songs, but oftentimes unintentional humor derived from silly lyrics or overblown mood, like the works makes what would be an exercise in eye roll inducement far more enjoyable, like the best works of Dio. This albums falls squarely in the latter camp. I honestly would DESPISE this album if wasn't in a jaunty mood, because although instrumentation is okay (and only such), I'd fail to see the humor value and immediately write the whole thing off as a self-indulgent pile.

As it stands though, this album is actually pretty wonderful, as long as you look at it with satirical eyes. Color me somewhat impressed, and I'll admit to being somewhat wrong. I say somewhat because there's also a somewhat high chance that I'll never listen to this thing again, and I have to be somewhat cautious of what I doubt was a deliberate result.

But end product rules supreme.

Best Track: Toss up between Money Power Glory and The Other Woman, both are hilarious.
Rating: 7.5/10