Lana del Rey
Norman Fucking Rockwell - 2019
Tracks: 1. Norman Fucking Rockwell / 2. Mariners Apartment Complex / 3. Venice Bitch / 4. Fuck it I Love You / 5. Doin' Time / 6. Love Song / 7. Cinnamon Girl / 8. How to Disappear / 9. California / 10. The Next Best American Record / 11. The Greatest / 12. The Bartender / 13. Happiness is a Butterfly / 14. Hope is a Dangerous Thing for a Woman for me to Have - But I Have it
Comments:
After a couple of just good albums, Lana del Rey is back at her very best with "Norman Fucking Rockwell".
Among the four singles picked up on the album, it is primarily the two precursors of 2018 that make the impression. "Venice Bitch" is perhaps the album's finest song and with its almost ten minutes is a bold single choice. The melody itself is incredibly beautiful, and the long instrumental piece is so varied and exciting that you don't feel the song one second too long. "Mariners Apartment Complex" is also Lana del Rey's songwriting at its very best; a very catchy tune and intelligently composed lyrics.
On "Doin Time" Del Rey borrows from the classic "Summertime" and Gershwin is also co-credited for the song.
Also the finale song "Hope is a Dangerous Thing. . " was released as a single; a choice I would not have made. The song, which in itself is good - not least in terms of lyrics, does not really come up musically - for a single.
Very nice and a little Beatles-like is the catchy "The Greatest". "Fuck it I Love You" is Del Rey classic; here unfortunately I feel that a single line of text is repeated a little too often.
"California" is also a big favorite.
With nearly 70 minutes of music and 14 cuts, there is a lot to relate to. Most of these new songs are primarily piano-borne and five are completely drumless. Overall it is songwriting that really holds up.
"Norman Fucking Rockwell" is really an album in the classic sense - not just a couple of singles and a lot of filler. This must be bound to become a classic album of this decade
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