Reznor just gets more ominous and driven over time. You might find yourself wishing Reznor and Ross would construct a full-length album instead of going the EP route, but “Add Violence” and “Not the Actual Events” stand as sizable enough statements to stand on their own. Using electronics and heavy guitars together, Reznor can still create a sense of menace, but “Add Violence” often finds most of its chaos at its quietest and most unhinged points. “This Isn’t the Place,” for instance, sounds like a clearer answer to something that might have been on “The Downward Spiral,” while “The Lovers” feels like free-jazz score exercise in some places, anchored by a dissonant jungle rumble. Reznor has constructed a strong through-line across his career. In just under 25 minutes, he lays down some impressive groundwork, especially on the nearly 12-minute workout, “The Background World,” which impressively builds itself up before devolving and slowly disintegrating into nothingness. The opener, “Less Than,” rocks while also recalling the industrial dance-pop that fueled the band’s classic debut, “Pretty Hate Machine." Time has been very kind to Reznor and over the years he has become a more studied craftsman. Trent Reznor’s second EP in seven months, “Add Violence,” continues the thread begun by December’s “Not the Actual Events.” Again, his scoring partner, Atticus Ross, is now a full-fledged member and across these five tracks, Reznor explores a shockingly diverse number of styles. The two harmonize with each other quite effectively. “Beautiful People Beautiful Problems” (Featuring Stevie Nicks) These two singers sound excellent singing together on this ballad. This is her conscious attempt at a populist ballad and it serves her well. Even though she keeps her signature calm, it’s as if this was written because she was sick of people complaining about her dour demeanor. “Love” This is definitely the defining track of the record. This is easily one of Del Rey’s best songs to date. “Coachella – Woodstock in My Mind” This fresh, bright bit of pop-driven trip-hop paints a very vivid picture with its many lyrical details. Nevertheless, she still continues to be quite a cinematic balladeer.
She keeps the low-key energy but with her use of melody and lyrics, she shows a bit more optimism than she has on her previous work. Will it win her new fans? It is hard to tell. “Lust for Life” provides for an interesting, dense listen. This is a record about people living secret lives just below all the glamour. Throughout the collection, Lana Del Rey is writing a warm mood piece about the darker underbelly hiding beneath the most celebrated parts of California. The dream-like “ Heroin” has a dangerous romanticism underneath its core, but if you listen to the words, it also (perhaps too subtly) warns of the hazards of the drug. Toward the end of the record, she has two of the most surprising collaborations: Stevie Nicks on “Beautiful People Beautiful Problems” and Sean Ono Lennon on “Tomorrow Never Came.” “God Bless America – and All the Beautiful Women in it” has a cool, vaguely Spanish quality in its guitarwork, while Del Rey gets reunited with her “National Anthem” video co-star, A$AP Rocky on “Summer Bummer” and “Groupie Love.” It does play to some of Del Rey’s most grating aspects, but it works.Īs the album progresses, it gets even more focused from the trippy beats of “In My Feelings” and the spacey, “Coachella – Woodstock in My Mind.” This sounds like a modern answer to the girl groups of the ’60s. This is a perfect coupling, since both performers like to sing about getting freaky in various woozy states. Next comes the title track, which pairs the singer with the Weeknd. While this record still has the same sedated nods to Nancy Sinatra-style balladry, this is a happier-than-usual set, anchored by the lead single, “Love.” That opener sounds kind of like a bizarre cross between a ’50s love ballad, Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” and Springsteen’s “Hungry Heart.” The first thing that will probably be apparent about Lana Del Rey’s “Lust for Life” is the uncharacteristically bright smile that the singer is showing on the cover.
0 kommentar(er)
