![]() ![]() Originally intended for “Ultraviolence,” the songs “If You Lie Down With Me” and “Nectar of the Gods” have found their perfect home on “Blue Banisters.” Instead of describing her personal history, Del Rey literally shares a piece of it. The album’s scrapbook-like approach is underlined by the inclusion of a handful of tracks recorded in 2013 with ex-boyfriend Barrie James O’Neill. The singer-songwriter might not be a Cali girl by birth, but its influence upon her is genuine and profound. It’s Del Rey’s poetic way of repudiating the statement that she has hidden behind a persona. She not only feels inspired by the City of Angels, but also sees herself reflected in the jagged geography and accumulation of lost souls looking for something. The achingly lovely title track is an ode to female friendship, while “Arcadia” unravels Del Rey’s borderline-spiritual affinity with Los Angeles. While the references are timely, the themes are timeless. These are no longer the musings of an ingenue, but rather a grown woman who understands that happiness is fleeting. It’s hopeful in a world-weary kind of way. Perhaps the most evolved and philosophical rumination on love is the Mike Dean-produced “Wildflower Wildfire.” Built on wisdom born from mistakes, the song captures the realization that love can be nurtured but never guaranteed. “If hello just means goodbye then, baby, better walk away,” she advises. Brightside”-referencing “Thunder” by presenting a cratering love affair that morphs into a cautionary tale. She continues with that theme on the “Mr. However, instead of succumbing to the allure of self-destruction, “Violets For Roses” is about peeling yourself away from a toxic situation - making it another rebuttal of the claim that she glamorizes darkness and despair. “Larchmont Village smells like lilies of the valley.” The setting is idyllic, but the relationship presented is quite the opposite. ![]() “The girls are runnin’ ’round in summer dresses, with their masks off and it makes me so happy,” Del Rey begins the track. “Violets for Roses” is another time capsule of pandemic life. Herring proud - not seen since 2015’s vastly underrated “Honeymoon.” “Black Bathing Suit” is also notable for its dizzying production, which reflects an ambition and willingness to experiment sonically - the song closes with a literal growl that would make Samuel T. “The only thing that still fits me is this black bathing suit,” she memorably quips on the pre-chorus. On it, Del Rey mentions quarantine, Zoom and Target parking lots in the same verse before alluding to lockdown weight gain. The most notable example is perhaps “Black Bathing Suit,” a sprawling, five-minute master class in self-analysis and observation. “There we were, screamin’ ‘Black Lives Matter’ in the crowd,” she sings in the chorus, the first of many references carbon-dating the album to 2020-21. The song is also notable for its very modern setting. For someone accused of wallowing in misery (she addresses that accusation directly on the aptly titled “Beautiful”), “Text Book” offers hope - however faint - that something healthier is, in fact, possible. The artist actively joins the dots, showing the causal relationship between the two as well as her inability to undo that emotional programming. Only this isn’t a simple exercise in self-therapy. “Text Book,” the album opener, addresses two recurring themes in Del Rey’s work: her absent father and resulting daddy issues. She has always been an expert world-builder, but never has one of them felt as lived-in and true. Feeling the need to explain herself has resulted in a transparency that makes the album an outlier in Del Rey’s discography. ![]() “And no one can tell it but me.” Her need to set the record straight stems from a spate of negative articles that attacked everything from her brand of feminism to her choice in face masks. “I’m writing my own story,” she tweeted, while first teasing “Blue Banisters” in April. She does this by piecing together a musical autobiography that documents family ties, friendships, love affairs, her connection with Los Angeles and even the interpretation of her art.ĭel Rey made her intentions clear from the outset. While “Chemtrails” found Del Rey channeling singer-songwriters of yesteryear with dreamy Laurel Canyon musings, her latest is imbued with an urgency to reclaim her own narrative, anchoring it in the here and now. Proximity, it turns out, is all they have in common. Arriving a mere seven months after “Chemtrails Over the Country Club,” all signs pointed to Lana Del Rey’s “Blue Banisters” being a companion piece. ![]()
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