Ld - Honeymoon

While this is not the step up you might have been expected after hearing Ultraviolence (which was groundbreaking and on a whole different level than its predecessor) it's every bit as enjoyable. I would consider this a continuation of excellent music that almost feels like a more romanticized extension of the dark, brooding sound of Ultraviolence. Honeymoon retains those dark feelings but tempers them with sad crooning and a little more pop appeal (but make no mistake, most of these are not going to be playing on the radio anytime soon). The lyrics get slightly cringe-worthy from time to time but they're are definitely enough moments of utter brilliance to balance out the occasional corny reference (and honestly, that's just her style and I could describe the lyrics of every record she's put out with that same sentence). -Track-By-Track Comments- Honeymoon: It's slow, sad, bittersweet. It's a beautiful song but perhaps not one you're likely to have on repeat, it's not "catchy" or full of hooks. Music to Watch Boys To: Lyrics get a little corny here and there but overall it's very catchy, a good driving song for sure. Terrence Loves You: I consider this a sleeper track. At first I wasn't impressed but then I found it got stuck in my head and I was singing it throughout the day. It starts a bit slow and uninteresting but builds momentum quite well. God Knows I Tried: Lana still seems a bit young to be belting out a soulful tune about experiencing hardship but she has the voice for it. This is a very enjoyable song, it reminds me of something I might have heard from Nina Simone. High by the Beach: This song almost seems out of place on this album. It's the "poppiest" of all the songs and almost seems designed to be a single, as if they realized there wasn't much "single" potential for the other tracks and wanted something to shoot a video for to help promote the album. It works out for us because it is a pretty catchy tune. The lyrics aren't winning any awards but I'd be lying if I said I haven't already listened to this a couple hundred times since it came out. Freak: This is my favorite song on the album. It's infections, sensual, dark ... I might have believed it popped right out of Ultraviolence but it has some pop charm in the spirit of Born to Die that brings it to a higher level. Art Deco: A great transition from Freak (If you listen to the track it actually fades directly from Freak. The effect doesn't work well on iOS but should come through on the CD or your PC). The chorus is somewhat forgettable though, what I love about this song are the verses. There's an occasionaly corny moment in the lyrics but it's hard to even get miffed about it since the song is so enjoyable as a whole. Religion: A solid track, bordering on sounding a little too bright but well-controlled with lyrics that offer both hope and despair. Salvatore: Lyrically not that impressive but the sound is very enjoyable. I agree with the many people who have suggested Lana do some spy movie themes, this feels like it was lifted from a James Bond flick. The Blackest Day: The higher range of her voice (which is actually closer to how she sung as Lizzy Grant, before taking the Lana Del Rey stage name) is a little grating but the song is still enjoyable, the chorus actually shines really nicely here which is kind of abnormal in my view; I tend to prefer her verses. 24: It's not a bad song but I just can't get over the fact that she says "There's only 24 hours" instead of "There are only 24 hours" and it bugs me to the point of having to change the song sometimes. Overall solid though, not my favorite lyrically. Swan Song: I like the vocals and the strength in the chorus. Lyrically it's interesting and provides a good mixture of emotions. It starts a bit slow though, I feel this could have been edited down just a tad and still be worthwhile. Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood: This plays more on the Animals' version than Nina Simone's but it's still very enjoyable, in fact I'd say it's one of the best covers I've heard for this song. And there are quite a few really bad ones with surprising popularity.

Another classic album from Lana Del Ray takes from classic Tourch singers and her modern take.

Honeymoon has what LDR calls "muddy trap energy", which I'm guessing is the dampened drumming, low-key quirky synth beats, and occasional vocal distortion on some songs; it also has Hollywood strings, jazzy sax and piano accents, folksy/bluesy guitars, LDR's frequent vocal overdubs, and diverse but sparingly applied sound samples as mood setters. These production facets accompany an always prominent torch-song voice, and LDR is both lead producer and lead writer (along with Rick Nowels and Kieron Menzies). HM songs are not overly similar to each other, though they vary more in color and mood than tempo. She doesn't want to go fast, so HM is sumptuous, wistful, and emotional instead. Five-stars are for HM's old-school style of singing, re-imagined with newer production (what she calls "futureretro"), and my loving the album as much as her earlier releases. Selective highlights for me: HM's title track is one of only two songs given full lyrics in the CD booklet (the rest have snippets over photographs as was done with Ultraviolence). Brooding Hungarian-flavored noir-film strings (worthy of Bernard Hermann, imo), extraordinary vocal harmonies, and slow scatting are some of its impressive retro features. The song could be about a prostitute's relationship to an elusive super-criminal, who's "Mister Born to Lose" yet nobody is able to find or fight him. It's not for people who like clear meanings from a pop song, but as a mood piece, it's in a class by itself. 'Freak' has horror-movie synths, sax, a melodic Tarzan yell, and restless trap percussion, which struggles to synch with the song beat. Here she runs away to California, a homeland for freaks (like her), and tries to convince her paramour to do the same. 'The Blackest Day' has 6 mins of pop hooks and some complexity (e.g., 2 choruses) to support its length. Though it's about relationship mourning and warfare, nasal vocals, spoken asides, background harp-like arpeggios and cherubic-choir effects, convey campiness as well as sadness. '24' is a Bad-Boy ballad about a violent guy and is rumored to be a Bond try-out song. It does seem to have Bond-esque playing around in the instrumental pauses between LDR verses, as well as Goldfinger tease in the vocals toward the end, but horns and vocal backgrounds are also reminiscent of the LDR/Barrie-James O'Neill cover of Summer Wine (still on Youtube), which Rick Nowels also produced. 'Swan Song' (which directly follows '24') continues the cinematic-kitsch/Bond-vibe; however, it's not redundant but outstanding for the way feeling in singing and melody (one of her best) combine. It's about running away from a lifestyle/job and starting over. As one could misunderstand Swan Song being the album closer, 'Don't Let Me be Misunderstood', a faithful cover of the Animals/Nina Simone song, provides both an encore and disclaimer. It's the only other song with full lyrics in the CD booklet, so there's no excuse not to understand it (or her). Lowlights for me would be God Knows I Tried and Art Deco because of their excess of repetition. However, neither song is really album filler, and with 65 mins of music (no bonus-tracks), as well as songs, which I haven't described, that are also quite good and distinctively different from each other (Terrence Loves You, Music to Watch Boys to, High by the Beach, Religion, and Salvatore), I can't complain too much! As with her prior releases, you can preview the entire album on Spotify and Youtube.

Sonically it has some good moments, the vocals are great. Lyrically it's a little lazy and bare-bones. Conceptually I would say this is her weakest, even if it's potentially more even sounding than BTD. There's just not enough there to convey much other than sad, hazy sensuality, minus the edge, the wit, or the unapologetic middle class sass. UV replaced some of those with edgy psychedelia. These songs are pretty, but she's better than all of them quite honestly. In a way it feels sad that she worked so hard to put together her entire universe only to distill it to its bones now that a lot more people are paying attention. I miss the venom and the kitsch. Update, 6 years later: This is actually became my favorite Lana album. It took a bit longer for it to *click* for me, but once it did, I came to really appreciate and love it. It's one single uninterrupted mood from start to finish. It's an amazing album to play while working/cooking/etc because it kind of peacefully blends in the background and only occasionally breaks through and reminds you it's there. The Blackest Day might just be my favorite song by her ever. As good as LFL and NFR are, and as much as I love the new single from Chemtrails, I don't know that she'll ever top Honeymoon.

Honestly, I think this might be Lana's best work to date! Now, I'm just going to put it out there, if you are among her fans who really hated, or was at least disappointed with, Ultraviolence, you probably won't fall head-over-heels in love with Honeymoon, because it's not really a return to the bubblegum that fans missed on her last album, although she does bring back some of the overall essence of Born To Die and Paradise on some songs, as well as some totally new stuff on this album. Honeymoon is definitely a grower (or at least it was for me), but once you really settle into the mood she's trying to set and dig into the lyrics, it becomes apparent what a mature (by comparison to her previous albums) work of art it is! It contains some of her best melodies, harmonies, and lyrics thus far...it's an album that really makes you feel things. The only song that I dont absolutely love on Honeymoon is Swan Song, and not even because it's a bad song (it's not), but because of its placement after the climactic, Bond-into-esqe "24", and before her haunting cover of "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood"...it just gets lost and becomes extremely forgettable. However, aside from that one mishap in song placement, the rest of the album flows flawlessly, and every other song is memorable on its own and as part of the big picture. BUY THIS ALBUM.

In her latest album, Lana Del Rey seems to take elements of all her previous albums and mashes them together...and the result is great! There's plenty of slower songs such as Honeymoon and Terrence Loves You, upbeat songs such as High By the Beach, and the in betweens like Music to Watch Boys to and Freak. While not my favorite album of hers (Paradise still holds that place in my heart), this is definitely a great album and I'm sure most of us will have it on repeat for a while. A couple things about the vinyl: It does NOT come with a download card inside (which is a little disappointing since Amazon doesn't seem to be offering the AutoRip that it usually does). The vinyl itself, though, is lovely. It's a great pressing, sounds fantastic, no scratches or skips, very sturdy (I'm not sure if it's on 180 gram, but I'd be willing to bet it is). It's also a very pretty deep red that's see through and it comes with a nice insert booklet (the type that you usually get on a CD, only it's ginormous to match the vinyl case).

In Her { HoneyMoon Cd } Music Artist [ Lana Del Rey } has " Artistically Crafted A Alternative Music Masterpiece " . Many Professional Music Critics ( And I Agree ) Are Stating That " Del Rey's Vocal Voice Commands Attention Throughout The Entire { Honeymoon Album --- In Retrospect . " Del Rey's Vocal Voice Has Never Sounded " Better " Nor ' Stronger " Than In Her New { HoneyMoon Cd ) . Del Rey is " True Master of Music Recreation " Making Her New " HoneyMoon CD " A " Much Different, ( From Any Of Her Previous Albums ) Yet The Sound Of " HoneyMoon Cd " Reflects A " New, Fresh, and Vibrant Sound Quality " ( Lana Vocals Sound Fabulous Throughout The " Entire ( HoneyMoon Cd ) This " Sensational Vocal Quality " Is Reflected Best On The Songs " HoneyMoon " And " Terrance Loves You " . I Think That With The Creation Of This New Album { HoneyMoon ] --- This could in turn be " Lana Del Rey's Big Comeback Year " . " HoneyMoon " is a " Sensational Vocal Music Experience " --- One that " I personally would recommend to all music listeners " ff

As per usual, they have recorded her voice through (seemingly) a Toys R Us vox machine. This is apparent on some songs more than others, which ruins the song. Listening to Lana Del Rey on a high end stereo setup is ear torture as a result of them doing this. Let's here her voice, please. On average I'd say the songs are about a 7 out of 10. High on the Beach is a good one. Freak is good, too. The Blackest Day is also good. The lyrics in, I think it was, Music to Watch Boys to or Salvatore (can't remember exactly) weren't flowing well, too little rhyming/poetry. Not a bad album... just wish they'd record her without the vocal distortion that seems to be present.