Lana Del Rey released her latest album, “Blue Banisters,” on Oct. 22. Being her second album of this year, was it a hit or miss?
I’m a big fan of Lana Del Rey, and I’ve listened to her music since I was in elementary school. While some people may not like her music style, I’ve built a connection with her melancholic songs and captivating vocals.
Earlier this year, the indie singer-songwriter produced her album titled “Chemtrails Over the Country Club.” Though I had high hopes for the album, it ultimately left me disappointed. My expectations were high because I loved all of the songs on her 2019 album, “Norman F***ing Rockwell.”
After being let down by Del Ray twice, I chose to go into “Blue Banisters” with lower expectations.
Nevertheless, I found myself in awe of the songs on this album. The heartbreak, the sadness, the amazing storytelling — it’s all there.
Del Rey incorporates a variety of musical styles in her new album: blues, wild-western and rock. She keeps piano as the main instrument in most of the songs, but it seems like Del Rey is experimenting with different styles as well. There’s a good balance between each of them, and it was nice to hear a variety.
I’m the type of person who listens to songs on a new album in order rather than pressing shuffle. I encourage you to do the same with this album. It allows the artist to show how they wanted to portray a story. After listening to the entirety of it, it is clear the album focuses a lot on breakups and not feeling love reciprocated.
The first song, “Text Book,” is a narrative about a relationship that doesn’t have the love it once had. It gives listeners the first glimpse into Del Rey’s story about heartbreak. I think this song was a great way to set the tone for the whole album because it focused a lot on the flame of a relationship burning out.
The two most popular songs from this album according to Spotify are “Blue Banisters” (13.6 million plays) and “Arcadia” (11.6 million plays). I loved both of these songs, but “Arcadia” is better out of the two in my opinion. The lyrics are so descriptive and I loved how she used the geography of L.A.
She sings, “All the roads that lead to you as integral to me as arteries / That get the blood flowing straight to the heart of me.”
Although the amount of plays would suggest the public disagrees with my opinion, my least favorite song from this album was “Dealer” (7.5 million plays). While it brings a male perspective — which we don’t get very often from Del Rey — I find it to be whiny. I did like the bluesy feel, though.
Some songs I find severely underrated are “Sweet Carolina” (2.2 million plays), “Cherry Blossom” (2.2 million plays) and “Nectar of the Gods” (2.3 million plays). Del Rey hits a lot of high notes in these songs, which drew me in. “Sweet Carolina” is a sweet song about being in love, which is a nice change from the many songs about heartbreak. I feel drawn to “Cherry Blossom” because of the piano accompaniment. I love how it’s simple, yet emotional.
“Nectar of the Gods” was also particularly lovely because it’s one of those songs that you can sing at the top of your lungs while driving with all the windows down.
One song that is much different from the rest is “Interlude – The Trio.” With no vocals, it brings an upbeat wild-western twist to the album. It’s definitely not Del Rey’s usual style, which caught me off guard. I’m impressed with the heavy bass, but not quite sure why it was included.
This album did not miss, and it exceeded my expectations based on “Chemtrails Over the Country Club” that was released earlier this year. “Blue Banisters” is setting the bar high again for Lana Del Rey’s next album, but until then, I’m excited to add more of her songs to my playlists.