Finished the album.
Very disappointed. This was honestly a chore to listen to. What was intended to be a laid back but engaging listen ended up more sluggish and droopy. I first thought this was merely an issue with the track listing, and that rearranging it could liven things up. But it seems only 2 out of 13 songs (Art Deco and High By the Beach) cut through the monotony to offer a breath of fresh air. There was a fundamental error made in selecting the songs for this record. It's difficult to notice and appreciate the subtleties of the most stripped, downtempo tracks when they come one after the other. "Terrence Loves You" is an excellent track on its own (as I've come to appreciate it when released as a promotional single, outside the context of the album), but loses its charm when you've just made it through the leaden duo of "Honeymoon" and "Music to Watch Boys to."
Beyond the album as a collective, the songs on their own aren't very good. Nothing here is outright bad but not much stands out either. That might have something to do with the problem I laid out above (the songs not having the space to shine), but I really don't have any desire to find out for sure, to he honest.
I think this might be worse than Born to Die. Ultraviolence is certainly better.
That she was able to give us such a great album in just 1 year
