F O C U S O N : Lana Del Rey

"Oh, my God, I feel it in the air /
Telephone wires above all sizzling like your stare /
Honey I'm on fire I feel it everywhere /Nothing scares me anymore." - Summertime Sadness

What can I say about Lana Del Rey (ooh, a rhyme!) that hasn't already been said by the papers and press? Well the best way I can summarise her is that hazy nostalgia when you remember someone, maybe a lover, maybe a friend, who stirs something up inside you. The feeling is laced with so many bitter-sweet feelings that She stunned everyone worldwide with her single "Video Games" with opinion divided on her  voice and orchestral sound, some admiring her innovation and others covering their bleeding ears with bandages. I, for one, absolutely adore her. She sports a very morose, sophisticated image in a similar vein to Florence Welch but also exudes a knowing sorrow with her music without being nihilistic; lamenting on the past without becoming vapid like other pop icons such as Rihanna or Nicki Minaj. She's shown able writing ability too, establishing her 'strings and sadness' sound as her own trademark image.

Yes, thats right, I've been overwhelmingly positive about her. But I guess, like anyone I'm fascinated with I always say 'they can't be all they seem, can they?' and shortly after I listened to her I made the regrettable decision to watch her SNL performance (watch it below... or not) where she sounds like she has tried deliberately to sound tone deaf. After this I wondered whether she was actually talented, vocally. Then I watched her perform a rendition of 'Ride' and my conviction returned.

If there's one thing I've said that I just want to repeat over and over its her sound. Its so recognisable, so distinct and its her trademark. I guess everyone looks for their trademark; businesses, artists, anyone. We all want to have a distinguishable talent or feat that is imbued by our individuality. Whether Lana has tried hard or not, she's managed to master it. I'm pretty envious as I've been developing my style for ages and still have yet to create some kind of cohesion. Even though sometimes her songs can sound... I don't know, repetitive? No, I guess sometimes... diluted? Like she's used the same formula too much.

But at any case, wowowowowwowow. I love her a lot. And now I'm going to end this post rather laconically.