Lana Del Rey – Ultraviolence
Reviewed by Haley Black
After two consecutive albums, Born To Die and Paradise, being such instant successes, Lana Del Rey’s third full length was bound to live up to her previous creations. Ultraviolence, produced by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys is a masterful addition to her work, adding more impressive elements than ever before as far as musicality goes.
Lana Del Rey possesses a sound that is truly unique to today’s indie music. Her sound doesn’t quite have a stable home, as it is a fusion of 50’s jazz, pop, and cinematic rock. Lana’s hushed tone feels monotonous at times, but her range is actually quite impressive and complies fluidly with the music.
Many people who listen to music recreationally often do not read too much into the lyrics, more-so how the song is composed and how the instrumentation comes together to create a piece of art with feeling. Ultraviolence is chalked full of dark themes that appear hollow and brimming with pain if paid close attention to. The title track, “Ultraviolence” at first appears to be recalling an abusive relationship, but it is actually about the cult-like behavior of the leader of an underground group that Lana had been a part of for a period of time (read more here). The lyrics read: “He hit me and it felt like a kiss.” This concept is terrifying, but very real to victims of abusive relationships and feels very raw and will surely feel close to home for some individuals.
Songs like “Sad Girl” cause a lot of questions and create curious thoughts as to what else has gone on in the singer’s troublesome past. The whole album incorporates scandalous, dark themes such as being a mistress (though it is unclear if she was the mistress or somebody else), greed, abuse, addiction, and of course, relationships, which are the problematic subjects she has covered in her previous works as well.
“Money Power Glory” seems like a rather superficial subject, and the meaning is just that: the desire for fame, but the lyric “My life, it comprises of losses and wins and fails and falls” shines through the transparency and the track becomes more like an anthem of overcoming hardships and becoming successful, dissolving the overt greediness of the subject.
“Fucked My Way To The Top” has a slightly aggressive undertone, as the song sarcastically mocks how an unnamed artist allegedly copied her work and bashed her authenticity. Rumours have indicted that this unknown artist could possibly be Lady Gaga, who Lana was previously very close with, or even Lorde, but there is no way of knowing if the silly is gossip is true or not, as Del Rey refuses to directly point fingers. Seems a little passive aggressive, don’t you think? It’s probably better this way.
Though the album may feel congested with dark motifs, this is what Lana is best at writing about. What better way for the troublesome soul to cope than to work through the baggage through music? It may seem depressing at times, maybe even slightly disturbing to the sheltered, but Del Rey is damn good at what she does. As a person who was at all impressed at first listen and could not comprehend the hype, I can say that after some extensive listening while keeping an open mind, she has grown to be a person that I very much respect as an artist.
Overall Rating: 4/5
Recommended Tracks: “Brooklyn Baby” and “Shades of Cool”
Website // Twitter // Facebook
