Lana Del Rey on SNL? Patrick Stickles covering "Video Games". One great song and a cool haircut can get you a lot of buzz. Four great songs can get you four times as much.
On Tuesday, Lana released a four song teaser for the upcoming album and all four songs are excellent. "Video Games" -a moody blue deep love song we all know and love (made my best of 2011 list). "Blue Jeans" was the flip of "VG" and wasn't its equal but it used a very dark sample and a stuttering drum beat. The chorus was even better. Sure, it was just about what we are used to in 2011 from the chick contingent, but it still had a sturdiness as these songs go and the chorus soared higher than the break through song.
So those two we know.
The other two on the EP are new to me and they are both goodies. "Born To Die" starts off with an earnest orchestra before a metronome carries the beat, and Lana comes off as sultry and as siren as she always seems to be promising as she comes hither to some guy, "don't make me sad, don't make me cry" she warns, with that cool heat she seems to personify.
Better still is "Off To The Races', another fucked up relationship, "He loves me with every beat of his cocaine" Lana claims, and you just know this is not going to end well. The verses are all calm declaration, the verses speeds things up and you almost gurgles with desire: "I'm crazy, baby, I need you to come here and take me" Lana sings, but the sound is almost childlike in its desire, in its rushed up emotionalism. If it was either the verse or the chorus, it would be too old or to young, but the confusion between the two are very effective. Her best song since "Video Games".
I'll give her four for four here and await the album with tons of anticipation.
Grade: A