Lana Del Rey's sophomore album, "Ultraviolence", produced by Dan Auerbach and due in 2014

Really like the first half the record, but it bogs down after that. "Pretty When You Cry" is a bit of a rip of "Hotel California," and "Old Money" is an almost note-for-note of the Romeo & Juliet theme (Nino Rota).

 

Yeah I found the second half surprisingly flat. As you said: it bogged down. Also didn't like the ending of the album w/ the Romeo & Juliet theme. Not a good move.

 

guess I'd agree the second half of the album isn't as strong... but that's true of most albums, really. And the lift from this soundtrack doesn't bother me. Isn't it only the first two lines of the verse?--it goes somewhere else from there, the whole "run to you" bit, which makes for a good climax to the album, imo. I'm sure it's not the first time that melody has been nicked. It somewhat fits in with the whole postmodern romance aspect of her persona, I'd say, esp as the next track is a cover (and one I usually skip to get to the bonus section).

the middle is a little soft, it's true--"Sad Girl" and "Pretty When You Cry" have essentially the same hook. Things start to pick up again with "F'ed My to the Top"--I get a giggle out of that one.

the one that's started to bother me is the first track., "Cruel World." I like the verse, but the chorus kind of sounds like a metal song, something Axl Rose could sing, and watching some clips of her band evolving on stage, I have some concerns that she wants to rawk out... whereas I hope she'll continue to mine the cooler vibe of, say, "Brooklyn Baby."

 

Can't get enough of ultraviolence. Such a great album to be taken as a whole imhu. Another thread mentions a not yet released track sung by Lana Del Rey, produced and written by Brian Wilson like his swan song " the last song". Sounds promising.

 

Ultraviolence is the best track on the album-IMO. Agree it gets quite dreary towards the end, which is probably the intent. The other woman sounds very desperate, in particular.

Any vinyl reviews yet???

 

The vinyl is well pressed and sounds great, IMO. I think that the album as a whole is equally as good as Born To Die and Paradise.

 

new music video

 

Received my Ultraviolence LP today. Sounds great!!! Super flat!

 

I love her adorable accent on these songs-"Blookwyn Baby", "Towkin Bout My Generation", etc. I have had Shades of Cool, Brooklyn Baby, and West Coast on repeat for 2 days.

 

Just listened to the vinyl for the first time. Side A is some of the quietest vinyl I've heard in a long time, Side B not so much.

Such a great album. Grammys will be awarded for this one...

 

Short but interesting interview from BHMagazino. Nice to read an interview with her that focus on her music without trying to get "controversial" headlines. Wish it was longer.
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”Ultraviolence” gives you the vibe that it could have been written back in the 60′s in Laurel Canyon, this neighbour hood in Los Angeles where an informal community of artists like Frank Zappa and Jim Morrison had been created.

Yes, I really love that era, especially Joni Mitchell, which was my mothers favorite. When I was living in New York, that’s what I was going for, the feeling of community, something like what Jeff Buckley did back in the 90′s, or Bob Dylan in the 60′s. However, I never found my ” gang “, my family.
When I arrived in Los Angeles, I met people who I could play with, people who I could talk to. All those had somehow rebuilt, Laurel Canyon, like Father John Misty and Jonathan Wilson, who I started writing the album with. Whatever I was seeking in New York, I found it on the West Coast. I used to drive in my old Mercedes from one house to another, I felt like I was back in high school. Every seven years the centre of gravity in the music industry moves from one coast to another. Now everything’s in the ”West Coast“.

Your songs seem to put melancholy in an environment of opulence. Is this your intention or does this happen accidentally?

I feel like I make happy songs, but when others listen to them, they think they’re sad. I can’t escape from my life, which has been wavy. Three years after my debut album, I’m still suffering from self-doubt and depression. Ahead of me there’s uncertainty and a feeling of emptiness. I don’t like it when I don’t know where I’m going. My love life, my family – are so fragile. I’m not sure of anything.

What do your fans maybe not imagine about your life?

Nobody knows it but I really love to dance, While we were recording in Nashville, when we were finished with the tracks, we would listen to everything we had made and dance along like crazy. We invited people we had met in a shop near the area of the studio and our friends like Juliette Lewis or Harmony Korine. I never worked like that before. It was the first time I was with such creative people in the studio. I learned a lot, now I can isolate myself, I can experiment without trying, even if there are many people in the studio. There’s a huge universe in my mind I usually go to find shelter in. I may not be that lucky in my everyday life, but as far as my work is concerned – I’m blessed. In the studio I’m always surrounded by good people. My mood is always good there.

You’ve been through a lot until you released Born To Die, when did you realize that you have to insist on working?

While recording Born To Die, I will never forget when my father visited me. He was so surprised when he saw me so sure, so determined, asking for a beat or a deal with my producer. He had no idea what I had been doing for 6 years, the fact that I was building my own little world with passion. My parents didn’t even know I was singing. However when my father saw me in the studio, he told me it was one of the most beautiful days of his life. He was so shocked, he realized that music was my passion. My family insisted on telling me to not drop out of school for music. I finished my studies in Philosophy because I knew it would help me “nourish” my songs.

Do you believe in talent?

I feel like I have a charisma to make music. However, these last years there were times when I hadn’t written a word I liked and I prayed for my muse to come back to me. And suddenly, last winter, a song like ”Old Money” came to my mind. What happened with an older song called ”Carmen“, is that I got inspired while walking and wrote it afterwards. That time of my life I used to walk a lot, it was my ritual. Now, I drive and go swimming on the Pacific Ocean. And inspiration comes to me from these everyday actions. I record myself in my car, singing loudly.

Which part of your work is pleasure and which part of your work is torture?

Pleasure starts and ends with recording the album. Then the pain starts, touring, promotion, difficult stuff. Because even if I try to convince myself it’s okay, misunderstandings and twisted ideas regarding who I am, are constantly being spread around, and I feel like I have to stand up for myself, like I have to excuse everything I do and I don’t need that. My music is quite good for me to not need to excuse myself. Deep inside, I’d rather keep silent.

How concentrated are you when you work?

I can make my producer go crazy, because I have a very clear vision for my songs and in the end I want the speakers to play exactly what I had in my head. Same goes for the videos. I have the storyboards ready in my mind. I might have made Auerbach so insane this year, but at the end of the day there will be one name on the cover of the album and that’s my name. I have to protect it.

There’s this track on Ultraviolence called ”Brooklyn Baby” where you mentioned Lou Reed.

I was dreaming to share it with him, I thought that he would find the lyrics very fun. I wrote them thinking about him. The day I flew to New York in order to meet him, he died.

A lot of your idols have died at such a young age, Elliot Smith, Amy Winehouse, Marilyn Monroe, Jeff Buckley..

I do not love them because they died young, but this seems to be the fate of almost everyone I admire. Luckily, this didn’t happen with Leonard Cohen. I do not romanticize death at a young age, artists are far more useful alive than dead.

You give the impression you don’t enjoy huge concerts, is that true?

I’m on tour in America since the first days of April, it’s the first time I play so many shows and everything goes exceptionally well. These past two years I don’t feel very well physically, I suffer from gastric ulcer, but I can make it through concerts who’s capacity can be over 9,000 people. I smoke, I drink a lot of coffee. I eat chocolate and pizza. My way of living when I’m not on tour isn’t that right. The fact I played Coachella and Glastonbury in the same year is a great honour. When I’m done with my tour, I’d like to occupy myself with cinema and movies. I have received some interesting suggestions and I’m really tempted to say ”Yes!“. When I was little I used to dream about Cannes, the festival, the prestige and the red carpet. I sang there last May for the third year in a row. As a teenager, I dreamt about living in France, an exile poetess. I really loved French culture, especially Serge Gainsbourg.
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Yup, love the Dr. Mrs. The Monarch backing vocals on that one.

 

Thanks for posting... Good interview and a fascinating woman.....

 

Ultracapella

You can hear the guitar solo section vocals. Bizarre. I love it.

 

Really liking this album. Its like a dark twisted American fantasy, particularly on Shades of Cool.

 

it's interesting -- with the vocal isolated, it sounds more like a continuous take than it does on the finished track. Especially with the ad libs during the solo. Nice! Very Transformer feeling on this track, to me...

 

For some reason, it occurred to me the other day how much Andy Warhol would have loved Lana.

Born earlier, she could've been the perfect Warhol superstar.

 

I find this album to be remarkably consistent. The second half of the album contains some excellent album tracks and really, where the whole theme of the record seems to tie together. I love it from start to finish.

 

Finally heard this last night. What a voice. I read she's playing a couple of shows at the Hollywood Forever cemetery in LA soon. Creepy!

 

I just got hold of this on vinyl in the UK. I completely dismissed her initially but really impressed with not only the album musically but also the vinyl pressing, which sounds really nice! Really suprised and didnt expect it to sound as good as it does. Highly recommended!

 

i was able to get the gatefold picture disc 2LP vinyl version on ebay.

some guy sold it from his box set....it has 3 extra bonus tracks on the vinyl..aside from being a gatefold cover.

also i had the regular black vinyl but i feel the picture discs have better sound quality...only problem is in between tracks the picture discs have a swooshy sound...but it goes away when the music starts.

 

Amazon Prime Music has her three LPs up now for subscribers. Two of them (Born To Die and Ultraviolence) are the deluxe editions.

I didn't realize just how much Lorde photocopied Lana's style for Pure Heroine. Although I think Lorde might actually be a better songwriter...nothing here grabs me like "Royals". All of Lana's work is a fascinating combination of mellow and manic, like Julie London on mescaline. My guess is it'll grow on me.

 

I think you pretty much nailed it.

 

I rarely describe an artist as a genius, but Lana is a effing genius. I honestly think she's far and away the most important artist of this generation. Hyperbole? Not to me.

 

I lap up her music like a hungry wolf.