It is November 2011. Reports have just announced lomography sales increased 15% this year. Vinyl sales increased 55% this year. HMV, who faced falling sales and branch closures, are cashing in and launching a vinyl department in some stores. It seems the twenty-first century kids are immersing themselves into a world of nostalgia. Battling the era of the digital with the revival of the physical, almost extinct. This embrace of the past could be attributed to many factors; the rise in hipster culture pushing the desire to be cool, put on charity shop chinos, listen to vinyl and do one better than those Instagram users. Or the recession, leaving us wanting to possess something tangible and wholly real that we can treasure rather than something that feels like a disposable shadow. Into this process of osmosis, stepped Lana del Rey. At first glance she embodied everything this new generation of vinyl and lomography purchasers stood for. Her Youtube videos weren't big budget affairs, they were grainy, ochre tinged affairs, vintage footage of kids going out and having fun cut and pasted alongside the demise of celebrity culture and low-production quality images of Lana herself sipping whiskey or Mountain Dew and pouting into the camera. The sound was electric, as surprising as the first play of a vinyl record, bell tolls and sweeping strings giving away to a powerfully smokey voice that hasn't been heard since the 1950s. Through one song, 'Video Games,' Lana del Rey became the hipsters idol, obtained millions of Youtube hits and launched an entire career.
Then came the backlash. Lana's credibility and the very thing we bought into, her genuine realness, was threatened by rumours of manufacture, plastic surgery and rich parents. None of that really matters. The music is unchanged, but pointed criticism and unkind words may explain why Lana seems to have pulled her planned 30 date US tour. This new generation's sweetheart has been sabotaged by her overhype, something that she is barely responsible for. When I spoke to her in November the criticism had only just begun. On the night of the 16th Lana del Rey had just played a 400 capacity backstreet venue in Manchester, her first UK show, her first front cover magazine - Wonderland - had just been released and on stage she seemed like a tiny deer caught in the headlights of her own success. She wore white lace, ballet shoes and her perfectly coiffed into loose Hollywood waves as she pouted and played her way through a short half an hour set. There was plenty of giggling as she bantered with the crowd, teasingly declaring she "fucking hates that one" in reference to a request for 'Kinda Outta Luck' declaring later she never planned to place it on 'Born To Die,' it was from a long time ago and wasn't fitting with the concept she had in mind for the latest album. There has been some outcry over Lana del Rey's first album, released under her actual name Lizzy Grant, it had a short iTunes shelf life, pulled inexplicably. But for those that bother to listen, Lizzy Grant sounds just like Lana del Rey. Lana del Rey's since tried to play down any secrecy shrouding the album, even toying with the idea of releasing it as a mixtape. Given the crowds requests for missing 'Born To Die' tracks such as 'Yayo' and 'Kinda Outta Luck' that night, it may be a great idea.
Backstage Lana pulled on a blue baseball shirt that dwarfed her tiny frame and chatted amicably to friends. She didn't seem like a girl with anything to hide, as 'Born To Die' would later attest to. She giggled excitedly and shyly over talk of her collaboration with Bobby Womack and Damon Albarn saying she hoped "they would use it." Candidly speaking of her "love" for Yohann, aka Woodkid declaring he really "got it," "it" being the concept of the second single 'Born To Die.' She played down talks of being the next Bond movie soundtrack with "You guys know Adele's doing it right?" and a smile. There was a sense Lana had never expected all this. Her modesty didn't seem false, nor did the 'character' she played. To me 'Born To Die' fulfils Lana's thought process, her own vintage Americana fantasy and love for the culture. It is an album brimming with youth and one that I feel will have more resonance with a female audience. For me, there is something of 'Sex and the City' about the album, it seems so wrapped up in boys and love, but it is hard-hitting and identifiable in its statements "this is what makes us girls we don't stick together 'cos we put love first" whilst passing comment on "wild" nights of fun and frivolity and ultimately a dedication to American culture. The album is as much about the voice, and love, and friends, as it is about America itself.
The title track 'Born To Die' opens the album, an audible seduction as rising orchestras, hints at hip hop beats and sighs of "Who me?" pepper the track, drawing the listener into the album. The song is cinematic, electric and an instantaneous hook. And it gives way to one of Lana del Rey's most R&B influenced tracks, as "Off To The Races" sees her almost spitting rhymes at times. There is a fusion to Lana del Rey's sound that is really emphasised through the album tracklisting and her vocals bounce against background noises from children playing on "Off To The Races" to fireworks on "National Anthem" and perfect production. Each track has a chord that will catch you or a line that will stop you in your tracks to keep you returning. On first listen it was the pouty and sexy working of 'Million Dollar Man' that showcases Lana del Rey at her most Jessica Rabbit-esque. The second time it was the Bittersweet Symphony-esque 'National Anthem' that should definitely be the next single, it is a song screaming for a roadtrip. Now it is the seemingly semi-autobiographical 'This Is What Makes Us Girls' that has reeled me in, Lana's lullaby vocals prove perfect for telling a pointed story, lyrical imagery combined effectively with theatrical backing tracks. This is a technique repeated on 'Carmen' and 'Dark Paradise' whilst 'Summertime Sadness' reverts to the strings and rising chords of 'Blue Jeans' and 'Born To Die.' The album is a delight, Lana's vocals sound divergent on every track, a conceptual thread and produced finesse weaving them together. I feel 'Without You' should have featured on the main album, not just the deluxe. Whilst, 'Lucky Ones' also off the deluxe, is my favourite track for displaying the true range of Lana's vocals. 'Born To Die' is a whimsical affair, some reviewers find it too schmaltzy and too whiny - neither criticisms I can relate to. Instead, I feel it is an explorative and emotional album that draws in elements of cinema with music to create beautiful imagery and gorgeous pop songs. Above all else, it is real to me. Lana really does sound like she means every word. She is credited to every song. And in pop music nowadays, that is something rare in itself.
