Lana Del Rey's "Ultraviolence" - The Question of Likability

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Lets be frankly honest: Tropico was one pretty much awesome, 30 minute long, metaphor for America, in the form of a film / Music video with super 8 optics. You know, the classical banning from paradise and redemption story. It felt like an end to the whole Born To Die thing. A worthy, and very over the top, typical Lana Del Rey, end. And Ultraviolence, as its follow up, opening her new creative endeavor, is kind of not what could have been expected from an artist of Lana's caliber. 

Sure you will have noticed by now that this album review is not an album review per se. I have attempted quite a few times to write a review about her new album with a mixed feeling of trashing it, loving it, hating her, loving her and emulating her sadness. However I found it quite difficult to review the album song by song, as my whole expectations and feelings towards her and Ultraviolence felt more of like a need for an overall comment. 

When I had a closer look at Tropico a while ago I described her as " Hollywood back in the days, and not big blockbuster L.A." (To read the whole analysis of Tropico and why Lana Del Rey is the most American thing since Coke, click right here!) And I stick with this for sure. However I start to doubt that Lana will ver be only one thing more then old Hollywood. And as well all know old Hollywood was practically doomed from the beginning. It was fake, for apart, alcoholic, drugged up, fake and depressed. The dream factory was woven from nightmarish strings. And I fear that Miss Del Rey is just that and nothing more. Kind of like a one trick pony.

But before you turn on me lat me say that the album has no song that really is not a good song, however I feel that lana has turned darker, and yes that is hard to imagine. The songs sound more chilly, more depressed and somewhat replaceable between each other. She is not able to pick up where she left and bring her best like she did on Summertime Sadness e.g. This vibes she may be giving with this LP might be James Bond like, 70's and 60's inspired, less hip hop influenced and more Curt Cobain goes pop. However I don't see a real development there. I mean I don't expect her to go all Beyonce' or whatever on us, cause that is not her, however the development she made is, for my taste too marginal. The album bares no landmarks for me as you listen trough it and nothing sticks. Maybe this is reasoned within the topics she sings about. Cause sad to say they have not changed since Born To Die: Paradise Edition.

On the other hand it seems good to know she stays true to herself and so indie. Yet again her absolutely no desire to be a pop princess thing and her low attitude now only translates into boring and to be honest, the album sometimes seems like recorded whilst still half asleep. Not to mentioned that some tracks remind me of these songs off her that are online and officially unreleased. 

And on another note, that I don't want to tickle too much, as I am not quite informed enough o speak eloquently, Lana's romanticization of death, her obsessions with club 27 and that "I don't think Feminism is an interesting concept." line don't shed her in such a good light. Okay I get it: club 27 and death re romantic topics and they are mystery covered all over, however there is a limit of overall sadness. And that feminism line. If its true or not, I don't know. However she is pretty stupid to say so, as her whole life is feminism influenced and basically funded. As without feminism she would be nowhere where she is now. 

In closure I can say that Lana's Ultraviolence still is a beautiful listen, yet a boring one in a sense. The facet of colors is not the biggest one and the variety of lyric topics is limited. Yet the whole thing is worth listening to. It is up to the listener what to make of it, but please Lana, don't be so stupid and deny feminism its interest or even its impact. Educate yourself goddammit! 

Lana Del Rey And The Essence - Tropico And To Be Born, To Die American

Lana Del Rey has finally come up again in the media landscape after she has been in hiding for several months, except for here and there announcing the release of "Tropico" And as it finally  dropped on December 5th she announced her new album "Ultraviolet".

It all started out with her single "Ride" that then and there I really got into thinking that Lana Del Rey as a figure, character and songtress embodies something purely American: the essence of America itsself (Well, at least of how she imagines it.) "Ride", a melancholic retroperspective on the great American myth, the frontier, the dream and the shattered promise of success, all mixed in with one of Americas central aspects: freedom. Lana seems to be what America has been, is and never will be again. Her oveure is filled with almost mythological refernces to the American dream and icons of Hollywoods golden era. She exploits, praises, criticizes and honores them simultaneously. But other then her contemporaries, like Rihanna and or Lady Gaga, she positions herself very differently towards these icons. For Gaga Marilyn might be and inspirtion, idol and predecessor, but for Lana Marilyn is a contemporary, because she highly references the iconic aura stars as Monroe, Elvis and Bettie Davis create. Lana is Hollywood back in the days, and not big blockbuster L.A.

Remarkable as well is that her work, the work of a true romantic in the literature theory sense of the word, deals with the question of the female identity in this world she creates. The representation of women. the standarts of their perception, American macho culture and masculitity stereotypes as body exposure, romaticizeation and men that are almost animalistic in their gender perception and performance are constants in her work. But as these men she shows are violently animalistic they as well disply a strong protective and very soft side. The roughest men seem the softest, the most innocent and most unexpected in their actions in difference towards our perception and expectations of their bestiality. The constrcut of the classical American man has always been at question and in the world of Lana finally is thrown overboard as they curl her hair in "Ride". 

All of this is directly linked to aspects of America and it's possibilities arousing from its mythology. Del Rey's America is not a country, nor the idea of the American Dream, but rather a great concept of existing out of common societies safety net that promises a notion of freedom that is not free in the eyes of Lana. Del Rey's freedom and America is a place where categories of common sense and notion as well as perception are no longer necessary, no longer of any importance. Life is today, and tomorrow is the big unknown to hug as a friend, not to prepare for today and then to face. All this seems pretty romanticized, out of date and like Lana herself is so fake and unknown to most of us that we feel it to be hyper-real.

With all that said we should get on track to "Tropico", Lana's latest effort. Visual wise "Tropico" is Lana Del Rey at her most "Lana-esque" she has ever been. We get super eight camera style 30 minutes of dreaming in smushed and beautifully smeared Technicolor reminescent pictures. Blurred colors and lens flares blend in perfectly to create that atmosphere of loss, happyness, sadness and melancholy at once, so that you ultimately feel: This is the crazy world of Lana Del Rey, and I am a mere spectator. Cause aint no one as melodramatic as her. Cut short we might say that "Tropico" is a story of paradise life, growing bored of it, getting kicked out of it, lhaving to live in the human created hell on earth, the beauty and pain in this hell and the possible slavation and redemption. (Well, plus or minus a joint.)

But the big question raising rather is: What in Lana Del Rey's world and work is real subtext and what is pure fantasy? Is there even a distinction between those two as the realmin which  we look at them is so romanticized, so fake an hyper-real that they maybe are the same?

I Love Art! - Lana Del Rey as the photographers doll

Dressed, photographed and left lifeless.

What I wanted to show with this picture is Lana Del Rey in a Marilyn Monroe situation. I wanted to give the impression of having your picture taken and therefore just being a doll that is being ripped off. Her face is lifeless and her figure and hair doll like. Lifeless but beautiful. This idea i got from a book that I read about Marilyn Monroe and psychoanalysis. In it the author analyzed Monroe's relation with the camera. Practically she loved to be photographed but on some point of her life she just felt that she was a puppet. And the reproduction of her in photo made herself just an object and less important due to her being consumed on photograph. So herself was no longer a use. 

I watch it, so should you! - Charlie Hides TV

MDNA, Whooooo?

Some of you out there maybe know the infamous tweet Cher tweeted saying: "WTF is MDNA?" I personally loved it, and haven`t had any problem with having a big laugh at Madonna for that. (Even though I love Madonna). But that is not the thing, The thing is that a British smart person had a genius idea to start a YouTube empire known as Charlie Hides TV.

Picture taken from the Facebook appearance of Charlie Hides TV. Copyrights belong to Charlie Hides TV.

What he does is basically drag. He dresses up as the great divas and icons of (pop)culture. His repertoire includes pop goddess Cher, queen of pop Madonna, new queen of pop Lady Gaga, show business legend Liza Minelli, newcomer diva Lana del Rey, comedy icon and legend Joan Rivers, barbara "the nose" Streisand and many more. Also he has created some characters of his own like "Pop Shizzle" hostess "Laquischa Jonez" and a manager. What he does with them is putting them into certain situations, music video parodies and letting them attend at "Divas Anonymous" meetings. He even has created a prayer for the divas at the "DA" meeting. The prayer is as follows: "God grant me the serenity to accept that younger divas have taken my place. The courage to turn down six figure offers to appear on reality TV and the wisdom to not be seen in public without make-up. Gay men." So to let you know what sort of video he makes i have gathered my favorites here for you:

Copyright by Charlie Hides TV

My all time favorite is called "Shit Cher Says"

Charlie here impersonates Cher and does some of the crazy catchlines the diva herself has used  throughout the years. But he also did many jokes on his own and its actually really funny. But he always pays homage to her, since he is a big fan of Cher. Best is that he does look a little like her and that he does a great impersonation of Chers voice. The catchphrase of his Cher definitly is: "Whooooooo?"

My favorite Lady Gaga and Madonna parody by Charlie: "The Lady is a ... - Lady Gaga and Madonna parody"

Here Charlie puts Gaga and Madonna into a duet and instead of just singing they just sing against each other. And that is quite funny. Actually it is very cool to see that Charlie does it all by himself. And he really has taken on the Madonna -  Lady Gaga feud. In some videos we see Madge and Gags exchanging admiration for one another, that in the end they just do it for publicity! The catchphrase of Madonna would be. "You are reductive!" and Gaga's would be "Your so old!"

To see the rest of Charlies repertoire you have to go on YouTube and look for yourself. So go ahead and dive in to the world of Charlie Hides TV.

I Love Art - Like a Church Candle.

SO LOVED, LOVE WOMAN.

It seems like we want to be sad. And to have unfulfilled desires.

The silver sparkly linings in her face that tell us stories, we should feel 

sorry about missing out on them, make us all melt like wax in a burning 

church candle. The soft sweetness of her eyes that turn a man, making

 him spend his hard earned money on her voice and beauty. 

With her ability to create a world of blur around her, making it this magical place,

 she made time go another way. 

She created this scene when she entered this room. She was so charismatic, magnetic and mesmerizing. 

The sparkles her eyes had made her this fairy tale creature we all wish we were.

 She makes us feel sad that we cant create this scene. But for exactly that we do love her.

 We love that she leaves us in this desiring mood for a time which will never come back....