#6 Blue Banisters by Lana Del Rey

 

This past Friday, Lana Del Rey released her seventh album in her discography. This is her second album to be released this year. Though her last album was not bad at all, Blue Banisters completely blew Chemtrails Over the Country Club out of the water. Blue Banisters seems to be what Chemtrails Over the Country Club was trying to be. 

What COCC was missing in comparison to BB was having heart-punching, emotional songs. Even though I do not think the album was a flop, it definitely did not have songs that have been in my rotation. There were none that I really thought were as memorable as compared to almost every song in Blue Banisters. They both have similar sounds and intricate lyricism, but one was just executed better. 

Some songs that stand out to me on Blue Banisters are “Living Legend” and “Dealer”. These two songs alone are what make this album stand out. Her lyricism in “Living Legend” is elegant, as she is singing to her lover, aka her “living legend.” The lyricism is beautiful, but what really makes this song a masterpiece is her outro to it. She uses her vocals to simulate a guitar by repeating the phrase “Why why why.” Her production team manipulated the sound on it to be extremely identical to a guitar. On my first listen, I could not determine on my own if I was listening to a guitar or vocals. Absolutely stunning. 

My favorite song, and honestly one that I believe is in the running for being her best released song, is “Dealer”. The lyrics are so simple but impactful, her not using very intricate lyricism makes this song have even more emotion. She shows her vocal range and emotion as she belts the lyrics, “I don’t wanna live! I don’t want to give you nothing, ‘Cause you never give me nothing back. Why can’t you be good for something? Not one shirt off your back.” This is her message to her drug dealer and her addiction. This song is as if she is confronting her demons head on and we are witnessing the whole argument. The emotion belted into the chorus sends chills, as you can tell she was screaming from the heart. This song is one of her most emotional songs to be released, and personally one of my favorites.

Overall, Lana Del Rey has proven time and time again that she is not capable of making a bad album. Although it was established a while ago, this album just adds more evidence that she is going to go down as one of the best singer and songwriters of this generation. Now go stream Blue Banisters!