Music Review: Lana Del Rey, “Lust for Life”

Music Review: Lana Del Rey, “Lust for Life”

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The master of melancholy, Lana Del Rey, is back with “Lust for Life,” her fifth studio album. Since Del Rey exploded onto the music scene in 2011 with her viral music video for “Video Games,” she has captivated our imaginations – an enigma wrapped in the American flag, old Hollywood glamour, and clinical depression. With “Lust for Life,” Del Rey continues her legacy, filled with the cinematic stylization and vintage pop culture allusions her fans have grown to love (and expect) from her music. The album is beautifully composed, lending her luscious, romantic vocals to hip hop beats, protest songs, and youthful anthems alike. Opener and lead single, “Love,” is as dreamy as it is empowering; while “In My Feelings,” is as cool as Del Rey herself. Joining her on the album’s title track is The Weeknd, while on “Beautiful People Beautiful Problems” Del Rey looks at the world from above with Stevie Nicks. Overall, “Lust for Life” is as heartbreaking of an album as it is hopeful – a statement piece for an artist so intricately associated with images of Americana during our current national crisis of identity.

Music Review: Haim, “Something to Tell You”

Music Review: Haim, “Something to Tell You”

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Southern California sisters, Este, Danielle and Alana Haim who make up the soft rock group, Haim, are back with their sophomore album, “Something to Tell You.” Haim, the breakout band of 2013, who charmed listeners with their laidback, quirky, SoCal style, caught the eye – or rather – ears, of The Godmother of Rock and Roll, Stevie Nicks, as well as pop music mogul, Taylor Swift (who they opened for on select stops of her mega-successful 1989 World Tour). The sisters grew up playing a diverse collection of instruments, and their musical proficiency is always on full display (check out a fantastic, live version of “Right Now” below to see how seamlessly they can switch instruments in a single song). Haim sounds unlike any other band out there, and “Something to Tell You” is a solid addition to the band’s growing opus. Highlights include playful opener “Want You Back;” the soulful “Nothing’s Wrong;” the bouncy “Little of Your Love;” and the stark, powerful track “Right Now.” In their short time in the spotlight, Haim has gathered somewhat of a cult following, and fans of their first album, “Days Are Gone,” will not be disappointed in the follow-up (or the return of Este’s beloved “bass face.”) Check out Haim’s website here: http://haimtheband.com/

 

Music Review: Fleetwood Mac, “Mirage, The Deluxe Album”

Music Review: Fleetwood Mac, “Mirage, The Deluxe Album”

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A newly reissued, deluxe edition of Fleetwood Mac’s 13th studio album, Mirage (1982), features a remastered version of the original, plus 13 live tracks, outtakes, and songs picked up from the cutting room floor. Stevie Nicks has never sounded better, her lyrics of loss and joy, never more poignant, than on this remastered version of “Gypsy.” The band’s high profile, personal turmoil (and subsequent struggle to come together to create this album – an attempt to break the chain of hostility that plagued them) although less apparent in Mirage, still pulses through the album’s veins, almost 35 years later.

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