Ultraviolence

Slow and low is the name of the game and no one’s sad shtick is more seductive than Madame Melancholia herself, Lana Del Rey. After her breakthrough Born To Die, Lana Del Rey honed her hazy noir sound and added depth and personality to her wayward character. Star-crossed lovers of porcelain fragile women and bullish men are still central to the story (a certain factor in choosing to reinterpret the eternal Romeo and Juliet’s Love Theme by Nino Rota for Old Money) but she finds the space to bite back on Fucked My Way To The Top, Brooklyn Baby and Cruel World. Where Born To Die felt hollow and a little bit, shall we say, formulaic, Ultraviolence is rich and patient. She also allows her voice break free from its timbre cell displaying a vocal range unheard before. She glides angelically on Shades of Cool and Sad Girl and sings with an aerated soft touch. Ultraviolence slow rush that overwhelms. The magmaic power of Ultraviolence seems innocuous but once it gets you it will destroy you.