For those expecting an upbeat pop-y follow up to Del Rey’s debut album Born To Die released in January can look elsewhere, as Born To Die – Paradise Edition is treated almost as a complete continuation of what has been offered on the previously released disc. With this in mind, I think it’s safe to say that those who didn't enjoy the first outing are sure to feel the same way about this follow up.
As I am still avidly enjoying Lana’s first offering, the 8
track piece from the salacious siren is an uneven set – travelling through the
interesting to lyrically labyrinthine then through to the mundane and the drab
as the album progresses.
BTD – PE opens
with the lead single ‘Ride’: a hauntingly beautiful Brandon Flowers inspired
ballad. Lana’s temperament is apparent from the offset, and doesn't seem to
change throughout the whole extended play. Even when she mutters that her “pussy
tastes like Pepsi cola” on a track called...you guessed it, ‘Cola’, she sounds as
if she is on the cusp of boredom and lethargy. Similarly in ‘Gods &
Monsters’, Lana coos “fuck yeah, give it to me” a number of times over a classically serene drum and violin combo. Not two concepts you would ever expect to married together. The fifth track, a cover of ‘Blue Velvet’ (originally
released by The Clovers in 1950) is a sweet yet melodramatic throwback which wouldn't sound of out of place in the works of John Huston and Adolph Deutsch, while the last two songs 'Yayo' and 'Bel Air' are the least rewarding songs on the disc.
What saves Lana’s sometimes lackadaisical tone is the great
production that runs throughout each track. The singer partnered up with Rick Nowels,
who has crafted songs for Marina and the Diamonds and Sia, as well as Del Rey
on the original Born To Die. Although the EP has its dreary moments throughout,
Lana lets her inner nympho reign supreme, making for a complicated and captivating release.
B
Key Tracks: American, Cola, Gods and Monsters
Key Tracks: American, Cola, Gods and Monsters
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