(pair of mirrors)

There are two ways of perceiving Lana Del Rey. 

One is - you don’t mind her. Her songs are a bit of an homage to the xx, and the vintagy feel of her videos appeals to your more hipster sensibilities. And hey, as far as girls go, she’s pretty easy to look at. You think “Blue Jeans” and “Video Games” are actually pretty reasonable as songs, and you are prepared to leave it at that. The amount of credibility or actual talent Lana Del Rey possess is not something that concerns you. After all, it is all about the music. 

The second option is the opposite - you sort of can’t believe she exists. Her whole “ness” just sucks. During every video, she pouts at the camera with relentless determination - somewhere the Olsen twins are taking notes. And then there’s the slew of so-called “vintage” videos. The marketing idea of appealing to a younger demographic by using piles of vintage footage is so transparent that it’s almost an affront to your identity. The whole thing just seems like a massive American Apparel hangover. 

I’ve thought about this divide long and hard.  Both “Blue Jeans” and “Video Games” are the kind of songs that sound worse every time you listen to them, with Del Rey becoming more detached and automatic throughout. There is no clarity to her songs, and no real connection to the listener. Der Rey is just a girl on a record trying to sound like what she thinks she is supposed to sound like.

The videos don’t do much to improve the situation. The formula is very simple: vintage shot - cut to Del Rey pouting - cut back to vintage shot. The pouting thing really gets me. It’s honestly kind of painful to look at, not because she doesn’t look good (she does), but because somehow it is so blatantly obvious that all that pouting is too much for a music video, and if she stopped for even a little bit her video would be a whole lot better. Her obsession with that specific image of perfection - long blonde hair, long decorated nails, giant puffy lips - makes her very difficult to accept as an artist, and much easier to cast as a means to profit. She strikes me as a sort of indie-rock manifestation of Ke$ha. It just doesn’t seem like she has a head on her shoulders, let alone a creative one. 

At the same time, I kind of feel bad for Lana Del Rey. She is young and pretty, and she is just trying to make her mark and make a living. She likely saw an opportunity and grabbed it. I feel bad for her because she’s unleashed this storm in the blogosphere teacup, which has cast her into the scrutinous spotlight of critics large and small. Which has got to suck.

The bottom line for me is that I just don’t think Lana Del Rey is much of an artist. But if you like her - whatever. I kind of get that too.

-L