the track very catchy and strong.
Lana Del Rey – Born to Die (Deluxe Edition) RATING: BAmerican singer Lizzy Grant, a.k.a Lana Del Rey, a.k.a the self-proclaimed “gangsta Nancy Sinatra”, had already been labelled “the next big thing” and “overrated hype” before her album had been released. Now, with Del Rey’s debut Born to Die released to an anticipating audience of critics, she is set to try and make her music career last longer than her controversy. Her old film noir glam influences and selfdescribed Hollywood pop/ sadcore genre have brought something fresh and different, but her challenge will be whether Born to Die would give Lana Del Rey the credit to keep her elevated over the others in the charts. The first track, Born to Die, is introduced with an uplifting and theatrical romantic string group before a downbeat is played and Del Rey whispers, “What? Who me?” innocently. After this touch of old Hollywood sound, Del Rey’s deep crooning voice breaks in, dripping in melancholy. Del Rey’s vocals are backed by a string orchestra, accented with some attempt of hip hop influence as an (assumed) black man yells “alright” in the background. The overall effect of the song is something bridging between the dream-like and the dreary, but none the less, memorable. The following song, Off to the Races, changes the pace of the album with Del Rey’s voice the driving force as she sings about her odd relationship with her “old man”. When it reaches the pre-chorus, the tone and sound of Del Rey’s voice changes completely from mysterious and sultry, to a sickly sweet and higher pitched vocal. While it is nice to hear some contrast from what could have been a very monotone song, it is more irritating to listen to the chorus lyrics “scarlet starlet” being hiccupped in her baby voice. The accompanying beat, however, makes
The next couple of songs, Blue Jeans and Video Games, sound very relatable to the first track as Del Rey returns to her deeper toned voice and old-glam vibe. While Blue Jeans has too many production elements playing at the same time, Video Games is definitely her strongest track. Her moody toned voice with emotive lyrics like “they say that the world was built for two, only worth living if somebody is loving you” makes this lover’s angst song one of the more relatable on the album. After Video Games, the other songs pale in comparison as they nowhere reach the same sort of deep thinking, romanticised, or appropriately moody level. National Anthem would be a track that would have Occupy activists and old school feminists up in arms over Del Rey’s awkward white girl rapping, with Del Rey singing phrases such as “Money is the anthem of success” and “Ooh yeah baby bow down, making me so wow wow”. Overall, it is hard to say whether this is an outright good or bad album. The album needs to be listened to a few times, in order to get through the initial feelings of her dreary and seemingly monotone set of tracks. While there are a few strong songs, many weaker points are made worse through the overproduction. Also, while Lana Del Rey claims that she’s a “gangsta Nancy Sinatra”, the forced upon hip hop elements (the yelling black dude in the background, and attempts of ghetto lyrics) feel unnatural. So while the album may be different to any other sound on the current charts, it may not be different in the best way possible. Melissa Low
Ringo Starr Ringo 2012 RATING: B After the split of the Beatles, Ringo Starr’s music career has been flourishing. During 40 years of solo work, Ringo released more than a dozen records, participated in a few projects by fellow ex-Beatles and other notable musicians and toured around the world. Some say his music attempts are just a tiny glimpse of the Beatles’ genius, but nevertheless, not many artists can boast such longevity in the show biz. At the age of 71, Ringo has released Ringo 2012, his 17th studio record. Ringo 2012 is a collection of light songs full of Ringo’s genuine warmth and humour. It is also reminiscent of the swinging times of his youth and 70s tunes. Ringo’s inspiration definitely comes from the past and that adds plenty of nostalgia to the record. He even made a couple of covers on the songs from his previous albums. The record opens up with the upbeat Anthem; a song that celebrates peace and love, Ringo’s classical themes. Despite somewhat seriousness of the opener, throughout the album Ringo offers the elements of his usual repertoire – cheerfulness and tunes heavily influenced by the Beatles. Wonderful is a romantic song about Ringo’s wife, Barbara. The not so original melody means it’s not the greatest love song of all time. However, edgy guitars riffs make it more interesting. Also, the thing that stood out for me were the lyrics. They are about mature love and the feelings that made it through the years. It is a nice ode for the love of his life. The track In Liverpool follows which permeates nostalgia in every word and note. Ringo sings about the Fab 4, living their dream and just being foolish and young. It is so charming with all its naïve recollections of the past. For me it is the most memorable and lovely composition from this album.