Album Reviews

Lana Del Rey

“Born To Die” (Interscope)

Lana Del Rey is a female solo vocalist undoubtedly on fire in the music scene. Critics and gossipers alike are digging up dirt from her past as Lizzy Grant in 2008, with rumors about her rich parents on people’s lips.

“Born To Die,” Del Rey’s first full-length album under her current alias, hits just the right note to keep them talking. The theme of the 12-track album is good-girl-meets-bad-boy, which inevitably becomes boring after a couple laments. Despite the trite obsession, Del Rey does flaunt her unique voice and catchy producing. Hypnagogic melodies and the singer’s cloying vocals with hints of croakiness remind one of Madonna in the 1980s. Overall, this album proves that Del Ray is a hipper version of Katy Perry ― you can’t ignore her but you are hesitant to take her seriously.

The title track “Born To Die” highlights her retro voice and a hypnotic ambiance that faithfully carries through the album. Using a full orchestra and sample-based synthesizer, it offers a filmic experience, especially paired with the cinematic scenes of the song’s music video.

For the album, the singer ramps up the much circulated demo version of “Diet Mountain Dew.” It is a stand-out song on the album with catchy lyrics ― “Take another drag turn me to ashes: Ready for another lie? Says he’s gonna teach me just what fast is: Say it’s gonna be alright.”

“Dark Paradise” and “Off to the Races” are when the Bonnie & Clyde theme starts to ruin the experience.

“National Anthem” is a more poetic version of Ke$ha’s “Tik Tok” as is the 12th track “This Is What Makes Us Girls.”

― Noh Hyun-gi