Lana Del Rey – Ultraviolence

After the Salem-style panic over Born To Die (if she floats she’s an artificial construct!) Lana Del Rey became more Cultural Studies cipher than flesh-and-blood pop star. Ultraviolence isn’t any warmer to the touch, but a track called Fucked My Way Up To The Top indicates there’s a lot of nerve behind that blank stare. While her David Lynch qualities remain – Cruel World or Shades Of Cool are music to watch girls from wardrobes by – there’s also something of the masochistic Lars Von Trier heroine in the resigned drowse of these songs. Her slurry passivity sounds dangerous, especially on the Crystals-referencing title track about an abusive relationship, while Dan Auerbach’s luscious, engulfing production underlines the menace by sounding so seductive. The dynamic scarcely shifts – Brooklyn Baby’s delirious shout-out to hydroponic weed and beat poetry come closest to the world outside – but that’s the point: get this tangled up in blue, there’s no way out. Watch the video for West Coast and hear three more album tracks here...