Showing posts with label Brian Stranathan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brian Stranathan. Show all posts

Saturday, August 30, 2014

Lana Del Rey - Ultraviolence


2014 – Interscope Records
By Phillip Smith; Aug. 30, 2014

Lana Del Rey’s latest album, Ultraviolence, is one my favorite releases of the year.  Primed with beautifully haunting melodies and angelic vocals, this thirteen track recording is destined to be a timeless classic. 

“Cruel World” kicks this musical journey off, with ghostly echo-filled guitar licks and poetic psycho-dramatic lyrics.  Del Rey, like Pink Floyd, is a master when it comes to dropping radically unsettling lyrics into calming, yet sometimes psychedelic musical settings.

Title track, “Ultraviolence”, disturbingly and insightfully reveals the inner thoughts of one trapped in a tumultuous codependent relationship. The song plays out like a James Bond film theme, with hypnotic vocals lightly accented with ultra-smooth synthesizer music.  I love Del Rey’s playful vocals on “Shades of Cool”, a high ranking song on my list of favorites.  Blake Stranathan lets loose a ripping guitar solo that blows through a wall of chaotic sound.  Then as the dust settles, the listener is gently tucked away into a calming bed of Del Rey’s lulling voice. 

The more I listen to Ultraviolence, the more I want to listen to it.  This album, and Lana Del Rey’s voice is almost as addictive as the underlying subject matter she sings about.