Unless you’ve been living beneath an enormous rock for the last few months, odds are you will have heard of Lana Del Rey. The American chanteuse has caused something of a stir since she surfaced yesteryear with the brilliant song Video Games. She’s been accused of a lot of things (an industry fabricated persona, plastic surgery, backing from her millionaire father etc.) and there have been times when she hasn’t helped herself with contradicting stories in interviews but it’s all been taken too far. Pigeons & Planes, one of the better music blogs out there, wrote an excellent post analysing the reasons behind the vicious backlash. Be sure to give it a read, it’ll give you some perspective on the hypocritical music industry.
With all the media hoo-hah, people appear to have forgotten what a great signer Ms. Del Rey actually is. I’ve given her debut Born To Die a few spins and it sounds great. Her throaty voice is a refreshing change for the mainstream, as is the wishful naivety of her music. The haters can keep on hating but Lana has clearly got tough skin. Test for yourself:
Following on (belatedly) from Eclectic Eavesdroppings Favourite Albums of the year, here are my Favourite Songs of 2011. Compressing the musical year into a mere twenty-five songs is a tough task for a music junkie like myself. Listing the songs in order of preference is near impossible. But either way, I’ve done my best to get a list together and even though it’s incredibly subjective, it sums up a very good year in music. Stream it as a playlist on YouTube over HERE or download a copy of the whole mix over HERE.
25. Avicii: Levels
The soundtrack to my summer. House perfection from the next David Guetta.
24. Coldplay: Paradise
Stadium sized pop/rock as it’s meant to sound. Coldplay got their mojo back.
23. J. Cole: Nobody’s Perfect
The future of rap has the perfect formula: skilled lyricism with a killer hook.
22. DJ Khaled: I’m On One feat. Drake, Lil Wayne & Rick Ross
Three of the best rappers around out do themselves on this space-age beat.
21. Sun Airway: Wild Palms
Close your eyes for this blissful journey into a warm dreamscape.
Lana Del Rey describes herself as the “gangsta Nancy Sinatra” and if that isn’t enough to grab your attention then you only have to look through her stunning photos to understand why this girl is the real deal. Equipped with model looks and a sultry voice to complete the package, I’d be incredibly surprised if she doesn’t cause some serious waves over the coming year. Video Games [video] is the first single that has capitulated her rise and it features a retro and melancholic sound along with a husky voice full of vintage tones. The music has been described as “Hollywood Pop/Sad Core” which isn’t usually down my alley but for better or worse I’ve developed an obsession with the girl. I’ll let you make your own mind up:
![Lana Del Rey describes herself as the “gangsta Nancy Sinatra” and if that isn’t enough to grab your attention then you only have to look through her stunning photos to understand why this girl is the real deal. Equipped with model looks and a sultry voice to complete the package, I’d be incredibly surprised if she doesn’t cause some serious waves over the coming year. Video Games [video] is the first single that has capitulated her rise and it features a retro and melancholic sound along with a husky voice full of vintage tones. The music has been described as “Hollywood Pop/Sad Core” which isn’t usually down my alley but for better or worse I’ve developed an obsession with the girl. I’ll let you make your own mind up:
Video Games- Lana Del Rey](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lrry84Q8621qb672do1_r1_500.jpg)
