LANA DEL REY - CHEMTRAILS OVER THE COUNTRY CLUB
Lana Del Rey’s newest pandemic release has divided fans. Despite it being a chart topper, there are those who love it or despise it. But is it possible that Lana Del Rey has fed too much from her fan’s perception of her?
Lana Del Rey’s newest pandemic release has divided fans. Despite it being a chart topper, there are those who love it or despise it.
Lana is known as a pioneering vocalist as she popularised ‘sad-alt-girl music’. On Twitter she is often cited as the rite of passage for those ‘in their feelings’.
But, is it possible that Lana Del Rey has fed too much from her fan’s perception of her?
The album begins with ‘White Dress’ which is controversial as there are divided opinions amongst fans. There are those who cannot stand her vocal range in this song, yet, there are those who love it.
However, the vocals sound like she’s trying too hard to be something she’s not, or rather, transform into something ‘so different’ that it sounds horrific. The high-notes and ‘whisper-vocals’ should be left for other vocalists, not Lana. It’s a cringeworthy attempt of trying to change her vocal range, if she stuck to her range, ‘White Dress’ would’ve shone through. It’s a shame when the vocalist doesn’t do the overall musical production justice.
It’s easy to float through when listening to this album and it’s easy to fall asleep to. There isn’t a climax moment.
The songs sound very similar to each other because they all follow the same structure, the structure being: incomprehensible lyrics, pretty music and Lana’s delicate voice. Although, the songs sound beautiful, they fail to grasp attention and create intrigue. All the songs blur into one.
The peak of this record is ‘Dark But Just A Game’ because it doesn’t follow the structure of the other songs. It’s vocally the strongest song which compliments the beat and simple guitar riff. The production ties every aspect of this song together – the bass line and drum beat are hypnotising and accentuates Lana’s vocals.
Nonetheless, it’s questionable whether it’s worth to trudge through this album just for this song.
Although the first half of the record is disappointing, gradually it gets better. There is some hope for the redemption of this album towards the end with ‘Not All Those Who Wonder Are Lost’, ‘Breaking Up Slowly’ and ‘Dance Till’ We Die’. The lyrics are easier to separate and the songs sound a lot more scenic than before. The ending of this record paints an image of sitting around a campfire, in the warmth, listening to Lana. It feels intimate and warming – there are no nuances to make the production ‘pop’ out, it’s just her laying out her vocals.
The lyrics, title and stylisation of the tracks are unique, almost too unique. The lyrics are all jumbled up together, and they fail to create a narrative. They feel disjointed and while many say they’re very touching – they feel false. They feel too embellished to fit a certain style, which is interesting because Lana created this style and now she’s forcing herself to fit in.
Unfortunately, this is a reoccurring theme throughout this album. There is no arc or whirlwind of emotions to let listeners into Lana’s world. It’s all a way for her to fit back into her ‘sad-girl’ genre.
Aylin Aliev
★★☆☆☆