Ultraviolence (Deluxe)

the take

This album doesn’t get the credit it deserves. Often because of unfair discrediting due to its controversial subject matter, this album isn’t rightfully recognized for what it is, which is one of the best albums of all time. Lana has a legacy of being one of the best worldbuilders in music, and this is the album that best staples that. Lana builds this sonic world reminiscent of the late 60s and Early 70s. The vocals are hazy and are reminiscent of older taping styles, the guitars are often noisy and distorted, like those of the garage rock era of the 60s, with acts like The Kinks, The Rolling Stones, and The Velvet Underground. This creates a very older, classic, but somewhat hippie soundscape to the album. This plays exceptionally into the album’s concept, in which the narrator and thus the listener, take the position of a neglected and abused lover. We as the listener are in love with someone who doesn’t care about us, and is described in the title track as being violent. We are comfortable with the abuse. Many hate on this album for glorifying abuse, which she clearly isn’t, but if she was, that holds no reflection on the quality of the music. Topic for another day, but politics in music quality evaluation are so stupid. But in the album, Lana experiences the distress of feeling unloved. She can’t settle in Sad Girl, she cries in Pretty When I Cry, and she delivers the most painful, soul crushing, feeling of being unloved in the closer “The Other Woman”. Her cover of that song is so rich with emotion, it has even me feeling like the other woman. It is hauntingly despairing. She also struggles in the album with substance abuse, which showcases her desperate need for comfort. The album is sometimes slow, but it’s methodical. The melodies are beautiful, the productions are moving, the lyrics are great, and Lana’s performances are so emotionally saturated and elegant. Lana singing over electric guitars and real drums is an immaculate sound. Timeless. 10/10