"Lana Del Ray" turns 5!

[PARADIXO 32,927]

 

Elizabeth Grant's debut album Lana Del Ray, also known as Lana Del Ray a.k.a. Lizzy Grant, was released five years ago! The album, released by indie label 5 Points Records, was produced by Grammy winner David Kahne (Paul McCartney, Regina Spektor, Tony Bennett, etc). Lana Del Ray is a sexy, dark and moody combination between indie rock and indie pop with blues, jazz and electronica influences, making it her most diverse record. The first track, "Kill Kill", sets the mood of the whole album — a creepy, melancholic, tropical fantasy with weird lyrics such as "I'm in love with a dying man." Beginning with the indie rock thing, "Queen of the Gas Station" is an up-tempo song about wanting a simple but at the same time romantic relationship. "Oh Say Can You See" is a great proof that Lana Del Rey can sing. The super melancholic, blues-influenced ballad features one of her best vocal performances; you really can feel the pain and loneliness in her voice, especially when she cites one of Nirvana's classics, "Come As You Are". The mid-tempo electronica track "Gramma" is a lyrical masterpiece and its sound is just magical with those accordions and trip hop drums. "For K, Pt. 2" is one of Lana's sexiest songs ever. With a jazzy blues rock production and a marvelous chorus, "For K, Pt. 2" is, clearly, a highlight. "Palm trees in black and white, last thing I saw before I died" may be of the most popular lines between her fans. "Jump" feels powerful and probably cinematic because of that simple yet incredible line. The jazzy "Mermaid Motel" is Lana Del Ray's darkest, sexiest, weirdest, most mysterious and well-produced track. The lyrics are just incredibly exotic and the progressive production makes it even creepier. Truly a masterpiece. "Raise Me Up (Mississippi South)" is an amazing indie rock piece about feeling the power to "talk what you want" and "how you want". After this sonic monster, "Pawn Shop Blues"' first chords take you to a different place — a different side of the artist and the album where everything is just calm, extremely sad or melancholic and sincere, with painful lines such as "It's nice to love and be loved but I'd rather know what God knows." Along with "Mermaid Motel", "Brite Lites" is another super weird song about, probably, breaking up. The most Lolita-inspired song on Lana Del Ray, "Put Me In a Movie" features one of the loveliest melodies and vocal performances, which is just creepy since she's singing "Come on, you know you like little girls." The production is incredible, too. "Smarty" is Lana Del Ray's "Fucked My Way Up to the Top" — sexy, shady and clever, but this one is probably better. The bridge is, without a doubt, an album's highlight. The last song is the fan-favorite "Yayo", a super romantic, sad, cinematic stripped-down ballad with one of her best lyrics ever. Everything about this song is perfect; the emotion in her voice, the atmospheric production, the piano and the amazing "Hello, Heaven" part. "Yayo" defines what Lana Del Rey is — sonically, lyrically and thematically. Surely one of the best masterpieces.

 

 

 

 

What's your favorite song? Least favorite? Do you like the album?

[brokenfaith 227]

You know, it took me a while to get into this album, because I'd known BTD and P before even knowing about it. I hated it at first, but it really has grown on me a lot. I love how each of her three albums are obviously different sonically, but they all feel like "Lana" albums of that makes sense. And I hope the fourth continues that streak.

 

Re release this album so I can have it in high quality!

[Leo 463]

Probably my favorite album ever. Yayo, Kill Kill, Pawn Shop Blues and Put Me In a Movie are perhaps my top 4 Lana songs. I think all songs on the album are absolutely fantastic, except maybe For K Pt. 2 which in my opinion is "only" good.

[Constantine 4,074]

That era was magic

[leaked_version 10,499]

My favourite LDR abloom!   

[Thunder Revenant 20,936]

Kill Kill, Gramma, Mermaid Motel, Brite Lites and Queen of the Gas Station are among my favourite Lanasongs ever ♡

The rest of the album is decent aswell, not really any "least favourite song".

[Wilde_child 490]

This album is pure magic. Love all the tracks but For K pt 2, Jump, Mermaid Motel and Yayo are special to me.

[Heaux 1,399]

its 7 years old really tho, recorded in 2008

[BENTLEY 3,495]

its 7 years old really tho, recorded in 2008

maybe but it was officially released 5 years ago

[Rayse 658]

One of my most favorite records, if not my favorite.

[lmdr 10,665]

I don't have a least favorite song

[thatsomason 1,202]

I can't say a favorite song, but my favorite line is "God bless the universe, god bless the ocean, god bless you, and god bless me" in Mermaid Motel. My least favorite is none, they're all beautiful in their own way.

[ConeyIslandQueen262 1,068]

What I like the most about this album is the fact that no label or record producer forced her to write a specific type of music or appropriate lyrics. Lana Del Ray represents her music taste back in that time when she sat in her trailer park and wrote it. The sound is super unique and 100% Lana. In my opinion it reveals much about her personality, her affinity to kitsch, lolitas and death and was an important step on her way to success. I wish she would embrace this masterpiece instead of denying it but I guess she would get in trouble with Interscope if she played songs out of that album live. Nonetheless imagine mysterious songs like Mermaid Motel, Jump or Kill Kill on stage   While BTD, Paradise or even UV might appeal to a broader audience, Lana Del Ray has an undeniable authenticity to it and makes me believe that it actually reveals Lana's deepest thoughts uncensored (at least those she had back in 2008) since she didn't really spend a lot of time wondering what the public is going to say about it. 

I think there's no need to talk about amazing lines like "Palm trees in black and white, last thing I saw before I died" (this opening line has the same effect as "My pussy tastes like Pepsi Cola" in some way but on a higher level imo) or "I said it's nice to love and be loved but I'd rather know what God knows".

[whitman 1,286]

This is my favorite album by Lana. As Chuck said in the Galore Interview ( I think) as a songwriter it was her top moment creatively speaking. The lyrics are so genuine and the album offers so much diversity than anything she ever released after this. My favorites songs are Kill Kill, Pawn Shop Blues, Gramma and Yayo

[PARADIXO 32,927]

maybe but it was officially released 5 years ago

Thank you

[Limelight 4,707]

Yes

I had a hard time getting into this album but when I finally did, I loved it. I still haverandom memories of me waiting at the bus station or walking down a street listening to some aka songs (Kill Kill comes to mind). Some of her best songs are there: Yayo, Pawn Shop Blues, Mermaid Motel, Oh Say Can You See

I hope she sings the album live one day

[Divisive Princess 3,754]

Aw, 5 years old?! My heart..... This is probably my favorite Lana album and this post is a great ode to it. Very nicely written. 

[Jack 2,919]

I thought she was 29

[#glimmeringdarling 4,629]

Kill kill and mermaid motel are absolutely amazing! Those two really define the 'surf noir' type sound to me. Imagine if she focused on more stuff like that.. Those are really beautiful songs, lyrically, sonically.... Thematically .

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lol

[TRENCH 15,450]

 What I find so interesting is that the music of this album doesn't fit the time it was released...this album doesn't feel like it was recorded in 2008 or released in 2010 while electronic music and Adele & Rihanna were topping the charts

 

This album is not just from another era but another universe