Singing songwriting sensation Lana Del Rey has released a breathtaking masterpiece with her latest album Norman Fucking Rockwell. NFR is her sixth studio album, following Lana Del Rey, Born To Die, Ultraviolence, Honeymoon and Lust For Life. The thirty four year old vocal powerhouse has been teasing this album for a while, releasing several tracks in advance, including “Venice Bitch”, “Mariner’s Apartment Complex” and “Fuck It I Love You.” While she brings something truly special to each album she puts out, Norman Fucking Rockwell just might be her best yet! Every track on her newest album makes it the majestic tour de force that it is.
Just when fans thought it wouldn’t be possible for her music to get more riveting, Lana Del Rey outdoes the very high bar she had previously set for herself. Told over the course of fourteen astonishing tracks, Norman Fucking Rockwell is a story of pain, love, loss, distopia and nostalgia. Every song on the album is poetic and filled with such strong emotions. For fans that have loved Lana from the beginning, it is evident that she has brought even more artistic control to this album, with her track “Venice Bitch” lasting ten minutes and “Hope Is a Dangerous Thing For A Woman Like Me To Have-But I Have It” greatly exceeding the typically advised shorter titles.
“Fuck It I Love You”/”The Greatest” Video Provides Stunning Visual Edge To Her Storytelling
In advance of the full album release, Del Rey released a ten minute music video for “Fuck It I Love You” and “The Greatest.” The video was filled with stunning images, flickering back and forth between several settings. The colors in this video bring her stories to life even more vividly as she coasts us through a melodic and imagistic dreamscape. With the video being so long, we are privileged to be drawn so entirely into the world that she creates with her music.
California Dreamscapes Transport Listeners
The setting of this record very much takes place in California, with songs such as “Venice Bitch”, “California” and “Mariner’s Apartment Complex” painting us a picture of living and falling in love on the west coast. She also bids farewell to the culture, stating “The culture is lit and if this is it I had a ball. I guess that I’m burned out after all.” Lana Del Rey has a rivetingly unique ability to make you feel nostalgia for something you have yet to experience. Norman Fucking Rockwell pays homage to her past albums with the vintage vibes as well as giving us a very accurate contemorary look at what the American dream means today.
Lana Del Rey truly is her own genre, which is more evident than ever before in Norman Fucking Rockwell. She fuses dream pop with indie glam ballads so flawlessly in a way that is very unique to her musical style. The instrumentals in this album are so peaceful to listen to and carry us through her powerful vocals. Her voice has so much clarity on this album and we are hearing a more raw, stripped back version of her storytelling.
The writing on this album is honest and unapologetic, with each song filled with reflective poetry. In “Hope Is A Dangerous Thing For A Woman Like Me To Have- But I Have It,” she sings “I’ve been tearing around in my fucking nightgown, 24/7 Sylvia Plath. Writing in blood on the walls ‘cause the ink in my pen don’t work in my notepad. Don’t ask if I’m happy. You know that I’m not. But at best I can say I’m not sad. ‘Cause hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have.” She teaches us “How To Disappear” with compelling vocals and an intimate close up of her thoughts on adjusting to a new lifestyle when old memories are still right behind you. “Cinnamon Girl” has marvelous vocal overlays and is the prettiest painting of loving someone tragically yet beautifully. Each line in the track is captivating, with lines such as “There’s things I want to say to you, but I’ll just let you live. Like if you hold me without hurting me, you’ll be the first who ever did.”
Listen To “Norman Fucking Rockwell”
She manages to beautifully write tragedy and loss yet make fans feel hopeful at the same time. She is glamorous, she is edgy, she is melancholic and she is astonishingly fearless in Norman Fucking Rockwell. Lana Del Rey is her best with melody, instrumentals, vocals and phenomenal writing. You can find her music all over streaming devices, including Youtube, Spotify, and Soundcloud!
