February 4th, 2012 
James Shotwell 
Artist: Lana Del Rey
Album: Born To Die
Genre: Indie Pop
Label: Interscope
At its bare core compound, Born to Die, the debut release from 25-year-old Lana Del Rey, has managed to cause the collective hipster nation to stop dead in its TOMS and reevaluate its minimum moral requirements for a musician it’s willing to embrace. While questioning which matters more, the quality of a project or the path the artist took to the studio, the Internet has honestly yielded only one, solid answer: the blogosphere is pissed. Therefore, I offer this warning: This review is aimed directly at every elitist Internet fuckhole hiding in their mom’s basement, downloading each album Pitchfork approves while complaining on Tumblr about every slight problem with the independent music scene. It is time for you to shut the hell up.
Yep. I said it. What?
I’m calling you out. It really is that simple. I need you to tell me what is wrong with Lana Del Rey’s new album Born to Die. STOP. Take a second and reread that sentence before you start spouting off about her dad, his money and her failed career as Avril. I’m not asking for a biography of her life. I’m asking you to break down an album systematically and tell me what you dislike about her compositional music skills. Does she sing off-key? Are her lyrics trite? Do her octaves offend you?
Could the entire project be an Andy Kauffman type ruse in which this silver-spoon sex kitten surrounds herself with a gaggle of song doctors and convinces the world that she is the second coming of Billie Holiday? Of course. With money comes unlimited resources in which to make society your playground. However, there has to be a touch of room left for the possibility that she is in fact brilliant. Approached objectively, there is little room for denial that Lana Del Rey can create soulful and addicting music willing to fuck up your birthday, send you to rehab and take your girlfriend to prom. Her heartbroken style of storytelling which is oozing with raw sexuality could make Madonna and Lady Gaga blush. Placed effectively over barn-storming mixes, her songs manage to fill the darkest corners of the darkest room with black paint. Make no mistake, this album borders on irreproachable.
Take the album’s title track for instance. “Born to Die” opens with a swirling string riff over electric noise. Her sincere lyrics linger somewhere between Amy Winehouse’s tragic life and Adele’s chip on her shoulder. Regardless, the song manages to linger, holding onto you with a white-knuckle grip. This trend repeats throughout the album, with radio singles and album staples in “Video Games” and “Off to the Races.” Pacing itself with a steady and consistent tempo, Born to Die manages to remain retro throughout the whole of the 15 tracks. Hell, even the subject matter tends to be a throwback at time, making reference to Vladimir Nabokov’s controversial novel, Lolita in two different songs. Regardless of her age, there seems a bit of timeless depth to the album, which is something that cannot be yanked away through insults of trust funds and plastic surgery.
It will take time to separate the fact from the fiction regarding Lana Del Rey. I personally cannot wait to watch her grow. There is no question that with Born to Die as a jumping-off point, potential for a promising career is unlimited.
SCORE: 7/10
Review written by: Joshua Hammond
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From the marketing for this release that I happened to see, I was not at all interested. However, that was before I heard any of the music. And now, I agree with you, that regardless of who was actually behind the curtain, this track is haunting and there may indeed be something valuable to distill from it. I’ll have to hear the full album, now.
i love the album, its haunting and beautiful … epic and sensual , its well done , well written , composed , sang and produced …. its a great cd , thats it , whatever the road to get there was , is …. so what , im sure some others have done way worst than whatever she did to get there ….. its her time , success ,and its amazing …. love her style …. i give it a solid 8/10
I’ve been enjoying the album. I’m not familiar with what’s indie versus pop to weigh in too far, but it seems like adopting an indie-purist mentality limits the audience and appeal of indie. I picked up an alternative music magazine today (which I have never done) only because there was an article about Lana in it. Beyond this, I think the album’s lyrics are generally deeper than those in most of pop. Instead of appreciating this, some critics have been derisive, expecting Lana to not only go a level deeper, but be a something like a pop version of Hannah Arendt — a high standard that other artists aren’t held to.
I love you. And I only read the first paragraph. I completely agree. Pitchfork has gotten so fucking elitist fake that they can’t even stand MELODIES anymore. This album sounds like a forgotten dark, epic American musical. I FREAKING love it. Welcome back, real music. Dude, thank gawd for the kids these days, they’re drawn to actual tunes again.
Also… it’s so ironic how great this album is that maybe she PURPOSEFULLY did bad on SNL just so her and her crew could flip a big EFF YOU to the public and masses once the thing was released :) -now that would be a finely tuned and acted publicity stunt.
Adrienne:
I don’t think she purposefully did bad on SNL, I simply believe at 25 maybe she wasn’t quiet ready for that stage. She’s young. People are forgetting that this is her first real album. Take a second an compare artists and their first album. They’re usually not THIS good.
I can tell u exactly what hipsters don’t like about the album. The melodies are weak. The lyrics are nonsense. And the arrangements are over the top and boring. If this album sounded like a Joanna newsome album or even a good cat power record. All the other shot wouldn’t even matter. I can hate an artist and love their music. What is pissing people off is that there is so much shit that is way better. By women that doesn’t get nearly as much press. That’s why people are annoyed. It’s because they genuinely do not like her music. The fact that she seems like an awful person is just extra!
Colin,
If she is so awful and you and other media don’t want her to be exposed, then why give her the negative press? Bad reviews and bad press sell just and many records and sell her name just as much as good reviews. Furthermore, it would seem that Pitchfork is lashing out with the negative press simply to get reads. Bitching and ranting gets reads.
Therefore, based on your opinion, they’re both kind of sellouts.
Excellent review. Thanks for calling ti out. I love the Album. Excellent first album. This is one you can listen all the way through and not be disappointed. I love the theme throughout. Most albums there may be a few good tracks and the rest skippable. Not this one. Solid 8+