Ultraviolence (Dlx)

Unlike some of the reviewers on this page, I was hooked on this album from the moment I got it; in fact it quickly supplanted "Born To Die/Paradise" on my personal playlist. This album has a sleekly stripped-down, entirely different soundscape from the often heavily layered mixing on the previous albums; in that respect - musically - it is a side-step rather than a leap forward, but I was immediately impressed by the quality and attention to detail on each track. Listen to the use of bowed acoustic bass on "Brooklyn Baby" for example, or the subtle deployment of the mellotron and synthesizer throughout the album - it isn`t just the beautiful guitar work that makes these such exquisite settings for Del Rey`s voice. In keeping with the previous albums, Del Rey takes on different personas for each track; I find her songs very visual - and yes, I've seen her videos, but I find myself conjuring up the lurid, paperback cover illustrations for each character she adopts; a list of pulp-fiction, soap-opera types - the battered girlfriend, the up-market escort, the gangster's mistress, the pretentious, would-be hipster of the afore mentioned "Brooklyn Baby" - a wicked self-parody, perhaps- which contains the most obvious example of the ironic, jet-black humour at play on a few of the tracks. Personally, I find her the singer most in-touch with the whole idea of Post-Modernism in the way she fearlessly appropriates ideas, idioms, songs and characterisations; she creates artistic and relevant reflections of modern Americana that are both critical and celebratory, nostalgic and fearfully negative in equal measure, yet they are all elaborate constructs - rather like Lana Del Rey herself - though I don't mean that in a pejorative or disparaging way - the singer has herself stated that she isn't at all like her alter ego. If you have the standard album, the last track "The Other Woman" serves as a neat, ironic foil to the cynical voraciousness of preceding tracks like "Sad Girl", "Money, Power, Glory"and the outrageously provocative "F****d My Way Up to the Top". The deluxe album has three extra songs that are certainly worth getting - "Florida Kilos" is a stonker of a track which suggests even greater possibilities for future exploration. It's also worth stating that you won't lose anything by downloading the album, as there are no lyrics or supplementary material contained in the CD packaging. The lyrics can be easily found online. Please don't be put off by some of the negative stuff levelled at this because it wasn't "more of the same" as some fans were expecting; "Ultraviolence" stands well on it`s own merits and is a truly rewarding, intelligent and thoughtfully inventive album - just listen, it`ll hook you.

GREATTTTT and cheaper than at HMV

I love Lana Del Rey to pieces after getting Born To Die and I was anticipating Ultraviolence and this album does not disappoint. I was sceptical about UV because the first single "West Coast" seemed so different from Lana's BTD formula of beautiful lyrics and vocals combined with orchestral backing and amazing crescendo chorus's (see "National Anthem" for that). The new album is much darker and less string and backing heavy as her previous record. I was worried that I wouldn't love the new Lana as much but then I listened to the album upon release and I found songs that were new but also captivating such as "Brooklyn Baby", "Ultraviolence" and "Sad Girl" as well as some songs that were, to me, pure Lana Del Rey perfection such as "Money Power Glory,"F*cked My Way To The Top" and my personal favourite "Old Money" which had soft vocals and strings that showed Lana Del Rey as the emotional ballad singer that she is and was nothing short of perfection. However, there were some songs that didn't hook me as the others such as the second single "Shades Of Cool" as well as "Cruel World" Maybe as I listen to the album more I will come to love the songs as I have the others. I recommend Ultraviolence to any Lana fan because she is still a beautiful artist who produces amazing and sensual songs with the desperation of loving someone you can't have or the story that she is trying to tell coming through with clarity as well as keeping to her well twisting up her formula but still belting out amazing ballads and she still has that crescendo to her songs that draw me back to her. Ultraviolence is beautiful and truly represents music and art in their clearest form.

2014 promised a year a of darn good new music from PAOLO NUTINI,Caustic Love album and ED SHEERAN'S X the album i had been most exicted about has to be Lana Del Rey's Ultraviolence after playing a bit to much of Born to die/The Paradise edition in the last two years i was counting down the days to ultraviolence release. I'll admit hearing West coast for the first time i wasnt to sure but after hearing it more on the radio i was hooked and later heared Shades of cool. Lana is just a stunning singer and her songs are dark, beautiful and twisted like some kind of adlut fairytale the lyrics are like poems and more you listen the more your dazzled by her songs. I feel the songs are more heavy this time round but bringing aboard DAN AUERBACH/The Black keys front man to produce was a stroke of excellence.i feel he lifts the songs and changes them into something more dramatic and dark.if possible the sound works so well with Lana.I really hope she grabs some attention with this album awards etc it's truely deserved she has created a piece of art and i'll still be listen to in 20 years time. I know from interviews she said Born To Die might be only thing she has to write sing about thank god she changed her mind, i hope to keeping hearing loads more of her work in future long may Lana regin the music industry.

Surprised people haven't reacted to the lyric of the title track, and it's somewhat reprehensible promotion of domestic violence as something glamorous and desirable. I understand her need to be provocative, and I'm devoted to the woman, but she certainly went too far with this one, although one could to point to a scene from Blue Velvet as perhaps inspiration for this piece. As for the album itself, it's a touch underwhelming considering the material she delivered on the Paradise Edition of Born To Die. But it is in fact a very fine work, especially within the current pop genre, it's almost suicidal in its brave approach, but one pines somewhat for the seared into your brain melodies of Video Games and Born To Die. This is probably as uncommercial as Lana is capable of being. One of her greatest gifts is her ability to conjure magical melodies seemingly out of nowhere, but that gift is absent to a certain degree on this album. The first track is also way too long, and the tracks in general stay around too long. West Coast is spoiled to a degree by the tempo of the drums being too slow on the chorus; I keep wishing I had a device that could speed the damn thing up. I would also criticise her decision not to print more than fragments of her lyrics, as it smacks a bit of cowardice (or lack of confidence), one or the other. On the plus side there's the exquisite Shades of Blue, where Lana again channels her inner Liz Fraser (see also, Bel Air from Paradise). If I was being harsh, I would say she was kind of stealing stuff from Cocteau Twins, but I really like the fact she would even go there with her voice. Her vocals are generally superior on this album to those on Born To Die. It's also agreeable that she's dumped the whole hip-hop shtick, as entertaining as it was. I really love the playfulness and coolness of Brooklyn Baby (which is the only true single on the album in my view), though I would question the accuracy of her satire here. Speaking of satire, it is largely absent from this album, although F'd My Way Up To The Top is very amusing (I can't believe she wrote a song with that title; it's a classic). The album really reaches its pinnacle with Old Money, which is an incredibly personal and intimate ballad, one of her very best songs, even if the melody is not exactly original. You find here the core of what makes Lana unique. Some may argue what does a wealthy person have to feel melancholy about? But the very fact that she was materially blessed but is clearly maladjusted is what makes her such a vital and original artist. Nobody else could have written this song. Some have criticised her vocal performance on the cover version, The Other Woman, and admittedly when I first heard it, I thought it was over the top and a bit ridiculous, but my view has changed since then, so much so that I can't help thinking that she should do an album of cover versions next. Finishing the album in this way is eccentric and genius, and yes, despite what anyone says, Lana is a genius. It's a bit regrettable though that she no longer co-writes with the guy who helped her conceive Video Games and Born To Die. As for the bonus tracks, only Black Beauty is worth having in my opinion. The other two are B-sides at best. In conclusion, Lana is still one of the most remarkable women on the planet, but she's no longer pretending to be a hit-maker. I guess she's making music for herself, which is all she should ever really be doing. But it isn't exactly an unalloyed pleasure, and I have some sympathy for those who preferred Born To Die (although the Paradise recordings were really the peak of her work to date). The album requires patience, more than anything.

Without doubt, the best album I have heard my entire life. This is a beautifully dark collection of songs, some stellar, some less so, its dark, beautiful and charmingly haunting. I'll rate each song: Cruel World - 5/10 Ultraviolence - 8/10 Shades Of Cool - 8/10 Brooklyn Baby - 10/10 West Coast - 10/10 Sad Girl - 7/10 Pretty When You Cry - 6/10 Money Power Glory - 7/10 ******** My Way Up To The Top - 8/10 Old Money - 6/10 The Other Woman - 6/10 This is a wonderful improvement on Born To Die, which was still great, but this is much better. Its almost as if this is more personal, she doesn't care how people see it, she expresses herself. Its so good. Brooklyn Baby is especially good because it starts with a smooth opening, a steady tone then the chorus comes. And it is simply gorgeous, the chorus is fantastic, catchy and a tear-bringer, I love it, its so meaningful and rich.

After loving the Born To Die album and the Paradise EP which was a follow up to the Born To Die album, then hearing there was a new album coming, I was instantly excited. The first single, "West Coast" was released and I loved it, then "Shades of Cool" and the album title track as well came out, "Ultraviolence," I loved them both and just knew Ultraviolence was going to be brilliant. A few more tracks were released on to her YouTube VEVO account and I pre-ordered this Deluxe album straight away. When the album came through the post, I listened to the whole album and was just really impressed. Lana really wrote great songs on here and the production from Dan Auerbach is brilliant. Compared to the last album, this one has more of a darker edge too. My main favourites are Shades of Cool, Cruel World, Brooklyn Baby, and F*cked My Way Up To The Top. Other than that, the album's amazing, which is why I give a 5/5 star rating!

Good

Le passioni condivise uniscono. Stringono ancor di più legami già solidissimi. Sto attraversando una fase bellissima in cui mi vedo come un faro che illumina il cammino di mia figlia nel mondo della musica. Una sensazione da pelle d'oca. Ma è anche giusto che lo scambio sia reciproco. Cosi quando mia figlia mi ha proposto di ascoltare bene Lana Del Rey non ho storto il naso con sufficienza (tipo... elena, ti sto passando i Pink Floyd, i Led Zeppelin, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, etc etc e tu mi parli della Del Rey?) ma le ho dato ascolto. E quando mi ha detto di provare a partire con l'album Ultraviolence" l'ho preso e basta. E sorpresa sorpresa, mi è piaciuto. Ma davvero. E non perchè lo ha proposto mia figlia, perchè è un bel disco. Punto uno, liquidate in un baleno chi dice che la Del Rey è l'ennesima stelletta del pop da classifica, qui ci sono consapevolezze molto diverse. Questa è un'artista con una maturità musicale diversa. Il suo immaginario visivo si rifà molto agli anni 50 e 60 ma anche la sua musica ha qualcosa di arcano. Ma vestito con gli abiti della modernità. E poi c'è quella fantastica voce, che sa essere teatrale al limite del kitsch (ma senza varcare mai quel confine), passionale come poche, erotica anche, e potente, davvero potente. Gli arrangiamenti sono poi davvero calibratissimi, mai sopra le righe, tutto e sfumato al punto giusto, con echi (lontani ma ci sono) di country, folk, blues e in maniera ovviamente più marcata di un raffinatissimo dream pop. Sembra una diva del cinema dei 60 la Del Rey e la sua musica ha davvero molto di cinematografico, senza essere caricaturale. "Ultaviolence" scorre come un album coeso, non come una raccolta di brani da potenziale classifica. E' davvero un album che ti rapisce, quella voce ti rapisce come la foto di copertina che mostra una Del Rey delicata ma molto sensuale. Sono contento di aver fatto questa conoscenza. E credo che non si fermerà a questo album. Per cui, voi amanti del rock più serio, mettete da parte i pregiudizi e provate a dare una possibilità a questa ragazza. Sono certo che molti resteranno colpiti. E partite proprio da questo "Ultraviolence". Difficile rimanere indifferenti. Poi magari non lo si dice agli amici, ai coetanei con cui si divide la passione musicale. Si può sempre dire...ah questo, beh è di mia figlia/o....

When my package arrived, it was all damaged! Not the cd, but the case was all damaged… there was a scratch and a broken piece on it. The cd is good and the rest is also beautiful but I’m disappointed about the damage.

J'ai acheté cet album en toute confiance, les yeux fermés, restant sur le très bon souvenir du premier album de Lana Del Rey, et conforté par les premiers commentaires qui semblaient dithyrambiques. Cela dit, une fois l'album reçu, je n'ai pas éprouvé le coup de foudre de la dernière fois. Ce qui m'a conduit à attendre un peu avant de m'attaquer à ce commentaire. Et j'ai bien fait... En effet, alors que l'ensemble m'a paru assez plat, voire un peu morne (où était la dimension rock que semblaient évoquer les premiers commentateurs ?), et que j'avais peine à imaginer que je pourrais l'écouter plus d'une ou deux fois, en me le repassant un peu plus j'ai fini par l'apprécier davantage. Je craignais que, là où certains (nombreux, il me semble) avaient vu un côté artificiel à la première production, de par son côté "artisanal" un peu retravaillé, je trouve celui-ci plus artificiel pour ma part, ou moins authentique, car inspiré par trop de conseils et "professionnalisme". D'où, peut-être, le côté plus monotone ou linéaire... En fin de compte, en réécoutant plusieurs fois (et j'ai bien fait car, même en réécoutant l'album au moment où je rédige ces quelques lignes, je partais pour 4 étoiles et revois encore mon appréciation), il m'apparaît que l'album est plaisant, agréable, et conserve les qualités qui font le charme et le caractère de Lana Del Rey, avec sa voix si particulière et envoûtante. En définitive, un album qui me semble de très bonne facture et que je vais continuer à apprécier. Un peu plus de deux années m'avait paru long à attendre avant la sortie d'un nouvel album. Heureusement que je ne me suis pas arrêté à la première écoute. Heureux que Lana Del Rey continue... J'attends déjà la suite, avec plein d'espoir.

Dank der schnellen Lieferung von Amazon erhielt ich die CD schon vor dem offiziellen Erscheinungstermin. Seitdem läuft die Platte bei mir pausenlos. Ich bin ein sehr großer Born To Die Fan und hatte deshalb sehr hohe Erwartungen an das Album, nachdem Lana es letztes Jahr angekündigt hatte. Beim ersten Hören war ich etwas skeptisch. Lana hatte ja angekündigt mit Ultraviolence in eine ganz andere Richtung gehen zu wollen, weg von dem Prunk von BTD, hin zu Minimalismus und mehr Gefühl. Sie ist hörbar etwas zu ihren Wurzeln zurückgekehrt, im Sinne von den Zeiten als sie als Lizzy Grant aktiv war. Trotzdem hatte ich ein wenig auf Hip-Hop Beats und Geigen gehofft. Doch dank dem Produzenten Dan Auerbach (Black Keys) stehen jetzt eher Schlagzeug und Gitarre im Vordergrund, was gepaart mit Lanas Stimme überraschend gut und echt klingt. Das von Lana gewollte „West-Coast-Feeling“ kommt definitiv rüber und textlich übezeugt es auch. Am besten laut auf einer guten Anlage hören oder im Auto bei sonnigem Wetter. Nun kurz zu den einzelnen Liedern: CRUEL WORLD - das längste Lied auf dem Album. Ruhige Einleitung und setzt den roten Faden des Albums. Gitarren und Lanas Stimme im Vordergrund (4/5) ULTRAVIOLENCE - eingeleitet von Streichinstrumenten hat es wohl als Einziges Lied Ähnlichkeit mit einem Song aus dem Vorgängeralbum. Das Lied erinnert mit Lanas engelhafter Stimme im Refrain ein wenig an Body Electric. Vom Inhalt gewohnt düster „He hit me and it felt like a kiss...“ Sehr schön, klingt live aber noch besser. (4,5/5) SHADES OF COOL - wurde schon vor einigen Wochen von Lana auf YouTube veröffentlicht und gefiel mir nicht direkt, hab mich aber andauernd dabei ertappt wie ich wieder auf das Video klickte. Es ist was anderes, und der Refrain umspült einen wie eine Welle. Highlight ist das Gitarrensolo ab 03:50, also unbedingt zu ende hören! (4,5/5) BROOKLYN BABY - der mit Abstand fröhlichste Song auf dem Album und einer meiner Favoriten, macht super Laune und wird definitiv mein Lied für den Sommer sein. (5/5) WEST COAST - die Lead-Single des Albums, gefiel mir von Anfang an, hat einen super Atmosphäre und behandelt thematisch die Gebräuche der 'West Coast'. Schlagzeug super, besonders gelungen ist der Tempowechsel im Refrain und super Stimme. Macht definitiv Lust auf Sommer und Meer. Favorit (5/5) SAD GIRL - handelt davon die „Frau an der Seite/Zweitfrau“ zu sein und wie sie das stimmt, welchen Vorurteilen man ausgesetzt ist wenn man einen vergebenen Mann liebt. Hat einen Retro-Rock tune (4,5/5) PRETTY WHEN YOU CRY - wieder etwas ruhiger, melancholischer, gefällt mir (4,5/5) MONEY POWER GLORY - ungewöhnliches Lied, wirkt wie eine Hymne, sehr euphorisch. Ist auch eines meiner Favoriten (5/5) F***ED MY WAY UP TO THE TOP- definitiv provokant und wohl an die gerichtet die Lana seit dem Beginn ihrer Karriere unablässig kritisiert haben. Sehr cooles Lied und irgendwie auch sexy (5/5) OLD MONEY- so eine schöne Ballade!, wurde beim hören wirklich emotional. Lanas Stimme, super Text und Streichinstrumente. Lädt ein zum träumen. Absolute Empfehlung! Perfekt (5/5) ! THE OTHER WOMAN- obwohl von anderen gelobt, gefällt mir Nina Simone's Version eindeutig besser. Für mich das schwächste Lied. (3/5) WEST COAST (Radio Mix)- Original gefällt mir besser, diese Version ist etwas glatt-gebügelt und wohl nicht so sperrig wie das Original und deswegen radiotauglicher, verbreitet gute Laune und Lust auf Sommer. (4,5/5) BLACK BEAUTY- DER Grund weshalb man sich die Deluxe-Version holen sollte. Das Demo wurde letztes Jahr gegen Lanas Willen geleaked und bis zuletzt war sich Lana unsicher ob sie es dennoch veröffentlichen sollte. Ich bin echt froh dass sie es getan hat. Die Gitarren super, Stimme super, Schlagzeug super... richtig dynamisch und rockig. (5/5) GUNS AND ROSES- wieder etwas ruhiger, hat etwas gedauert einen Zugang dazu zu finden, nach mehrmaligem Hören gefällt es mir aber. (4,5/5) FLORIDA KILOS- super zum relaxen, ist wieder etwas sommerlicher und unbeschwerter (4/5) Zusammengefasst lässt sich sagen, dass sich Lana bei diesem Album eindeutig vom Pop (zeitweise) abgewendet hat. Wer also BTD Part 2 erwartet hat, wird das hier nicht finden. Jedoch sollte man das Album mehrmals hören bevor man sich festlegt, weil einige Lieder brauchen eindeutig etwas Zeit um sich zu entfalten. Alles in allem aber ein super Album!

Great artist and lovely album