Lana Del Rey
“West Coast”
Ultraviolence (out this summer on Interscope)
Though she’s released a string of dross since the stunning 2011 singles, “Video Games” and “Blue Jeans,” the 27 year-old manages to recapture some of that Old Hollywood magic that made her early work remarkable. It could be down to the touch of producer Dan Auerbach, but I’d also imagine that stepping away from the harsh glow of the limelight was a good thing for Ms. Lana. All of her post-“Blue Jeans” work has been listless and tepid, the sound of a person beaten down by years of life in front of the camera.
Sounding like an artist well into her 40s, it looked like she was already a spent force, but “West Coast” shows signs of life. While it has its fair share of eye-rolling lyrics (“Down on the West Coast, we’ve got a saying. / If you’re not drinking, you’re not playing.”), her voice glides over a taut, single-note guitar riff that unfolds into an expansive, breezy chorus. Auerbach’s influence is all over this thing, and his bluesy sensibilities form an effective foil for her carefree, vapid vocals, giving her music a weight that it has been sorely lacking in recent years. It remains to be seen whether this is a one-off or a sign of things to come, but it’s nice to see her get her mojo back.
