Lana Del Rey’s beautifully melancholy voice takes center stage in her eighth studio album Blue Banisters. Sticking to her signature cinematic style, Del Rey’s Blue Banisters is an hour-long collection of storybook-like songs. The album is hauntingly soft and introspective. It’s filled with vintage themes peppered with allusions to current events. Each song is tenderly sung and each lyric is elegantly written. Del Rey carried out what she wanted to do with this album: tell her story, and “pretty much nothing more.”
Subtlety is prevalent throughout Blue Banisters. Del Rey’s voice often trails off poignantly or swells quietly to match the story told in her poetic lyrics. The instrumentals are decorated with thematic sounds, such as the muted cawing of crows in the opening bars of “Black Bathing Suit” and the barely-there sound of sparklers in “If You Lie Down With Me.” There are never any jarring melodies or rushed moments in this album. Every piece is delicately crafted and presented. The acoustic instrumentals — mostly piano with some guitar — pair well with Del Rey’s timeless voice and dreamy aesthetics.
Although Del Rey’s pieces tend to have a retro quality to them, often referencing 1950s and 1960s Americana, she intertwines modern symbols into her work. Blue Banisters is no exception to this collaboration of old sound and new lyrics. The lyrics in “Sweet Carolina” are sung romantically, even when they reference trendy concepts: “You name your babe Lilac Heaven / After your iPhone 11 / ‘Crypto forever,’ screams your stupid boyfriend / Fuck you, Kevin.” It’s humorous, but it maintains the pretty poeticism found in the rest of the album.
“Pretty poeticism” is how I would describe Blue Banisters as a whole. The album tracks have sweet names like “Violets for Roses” and “Cherry Blossom.” Del Rey’s voice is graceful and willowy, emulating the flowers and love stories she sings about. The lyrics are filled with metaphors and similes such as: “All roads that lead to you as integral to me as arteries / That pump the blood that flows straight to the heart of me” in “Arcadia,” and, “And there you were with shinin’ stars standin’ blue with open arms / You touched the detriment most of the friends I knew already had” in “Text Book.” Among the prettiness, there is still a layer of dark rawness that lies between each song. Many of the songs’ themes are wistful and tinted with sadness. In “If You Lie Down With Me,” Del Rey sings, “Dance me all around the room / Spin me like a ballerina super high / Dance me all around the moon / Like six times ’til I’m sick and I cry.” The pretty ballerina simile turns into sadness as she spins until she gets sick and cries. The lyrics continue to play with contrasting emotions as the “lie” in “lie down right next to me” turns to the deceitful “lie, you lie.”
The fifteen songs in Blue Banisters flow into each other with their shared vocal power and ethereal sound. The album is a slow listen. Del Rey’s ballad-like singing matches a long autumn drive or an evening walk. From “Text Book” all the way to “Sweet Carolina,” you will feel like you are listening to one long diary entry.
Looking for a few quick listens? I have to recommend “If You Lie Down With Me,” “Violets for Roses,” and “Nectar of the Gods” since those are my personal favorites! Whether you’re a longtime Lana fan or a newbie, Blue Banisters is a satisfying and beautiful album to listen to.
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