VZ Magazine

Well, I chose to give Lana a shot, and she failed me. Too bad, I guess. I stuck up for her, even though I hated her music. Sure, “Video Games” was incredibly overrated. Sure, she doesn’t have a personality up to par with other indie girls like Kim Gordon, Merrill Garbus, and Karen O. Sure, she looks like a fucking Barbie doll. But when her Saturday Night Live performance was panned with enough fury to warrant a Yahoo News article, I found myself defending her.

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She was a little stiff, yes, but the worst performance in SNL history? Seriously? The Backstreet Boys are more deserving of the title just for having been on SNL and being the Backstreet Boys. This was obviously just the hype backfiring. “Video Games” was one of the most acclaimed debut singles in a long time and, with her album’s release date moving closer, of course she was going to be criticized. That’s what happens when an artist is spectated as closely as she was. So, when Born to Die was released, my curiosity alone gave me a reason to listen to it. When the first track began, however, I was shocked: it sounded like “Video Games.”

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This record should be taglined: “You liked ‘Video Games,’ right? Well, here it is, twelve times in a row!” And, I’m sure that’s great, if you liked “Video Games.” I didn’t; I found it boring, pretentious, and completely one-note. It was intended to showcase Del Rey’s “sexy” femme fatale-esque voice. The problem was that her voice wasn’t sexy; at least to me it wasn’t, so the song failed to move me, or make me think, or even make me nod my head. It was just there.

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But, you should never judge an album by its first single. So, does the rest of the album have anything to offer? No. Not at all. The instrumentation changes from song to song but, for the most part, the whole album is just Lana Del Rey doing the same thing over and over again, amidst layers of orchestration that becomes very unnerving as the album goes on. By the end of the album, Lana Del Rey doesn’t seem any more interesting than she was in the beginning. I would only recommend you listen to this album if you really liked “Video Games.” Even then, I’d suggest just skipping it. One day, when you’re capable of remembering a time when this shtick was fresh, you’ll thank me.

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I like my pop artists like I like my coffee: capable of keeping me awake. Lana Del Rey is decaf.

Lana Del Rey announces the release of her highly anticipated album ‘Born To Die’ on January 31, 2012 on Interscope Records.

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Lana’s first single “Video Games” began its life online in July based on a visually arresting video created by Lana. Since then, “Video Games” has amassed a legion of devoted followers, 9 million views on YouTube and hit the #1 position up on release on iTunes in 9 countries, including the UK, Australia, Holland and France.

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Lana says, “The songs I’ve written are an homage to true love and a tribute to living life on the wild side.”

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Rolling Stone recently featured Lana in their annual “Hot Issue” and Q Magazine awarded her as “Best New Thing” at the Q Awards in October.

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Vogue.com called “Video Games” ‘Song of the year” – while GQ called Lana ’2012′s most striking new singer.’

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Lana will soon release a new music video for the title-track, “Born To Die,” conceived by Lana and directed by Woodkid.

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Lana’s December shows in NYC, LA and Toronto sold-out immediately and a full U.S. tour is planned for Spring 2012. Stay tuned for more.

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SHOWS:

12/05 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom

12/07 – Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour

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“Video Games” On YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HO1OV5B_JDw

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“Video Games” single on iTunes:

http://bit.ly/qW28Cy

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“Video Games” single on Amazon:

http://amzn.to/rdt2k6

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“Video Games” on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HO1OV5B_JDw