"If You Lie Down With Me" - Lana Del Rey (and an update)

I haven't posted anything about my thoughts on the "Blue Banisters" album, but I really think it's a strong body of work from Lana. She's one of those rare modern artists who barely have a weak link in their discography. The closest she has to a not-that-great album is "Lust for Life," which still delivers some stellar cuts ("Heroin," "Tomorrow Never Comes," even "Summer Bummer" is pretty good.)

I would put "Blue Banisters" somewhere above "Chemtrails Over the Country Club" from earlier this year, but below some of her defining works, like "Norman Fucking Rockwell" and "Born to Die." My biggest gripe with the album is it's slightly all over the place, but that makes sense when you consider a lot of the tracks are B-sides from her earlier works.

My personal favorite on the album is the above "If You Lie Down With Me," which works as a melancholic song with a playful twist (cue the horns near the end). Other standouts include "Dealer," featuring Miles Kane of Last Shadow Puppets, and "Sweet Carolina," an ode to her sister which takes a swipe at crypto at one point.

Overall, one of the better releases of this year. I'll get to posting about music on a more frequent cadence - my life has been a bit chaotic lately and I'm dealing with the depression of my last break-up. Hoping I can start committing to regular music writing this week, but I'm cautiously optimistic.

Take care,

Britt

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