Lana Del Rey encapsulates a refreshingly new take on vintage sound. With the success of her previous single ‘Video Games’, the release of her debut album ‘Born To Die’ has been eagerly awaited by fans.
Del Rey’s tortured, melancholy sound sets the scene for her lyrical tales of heartbreak and anguish. Many of the songs on her album don’t seem to live up to the aforementioned ‘Video Games’ however. To be honest, certain tracks on the album have such a dreary and monotonous sound that I felt like skipping right past them. The tracks ‘National Anthem’, ‘Radio’ and ‘Carmen’ almost feel like they belong on a completely different album and the mix-matching of alternative genres feels haphazardly cobbled together.
Although Del Rey has been heavily criticised since the release of her album and ‘Born to Die’ is far from outstanding as a whole, some songs are definitely still worth a listen. Songs such as ‘Blue Jeans’ and the title track have a dark, yet enticing feel showing Del Rey’s promise as one of the ones to watch in 2012. Her hypnotic, vintage sounding voice saves any misgivings of her debut album. The more I listened to it, the more I warmed to her unique and emotionally torn voice. So whilst as a whole ‘Video Games’ is the better album, I’d still give certain tracks from ‘Born To Die’ a go.