Honeymoon

While this is not the step up you might have been expected after hearing Ultraviolence (which was groundbreaking and on a whole different level than its predecessor) it's every bit as enjoyable. I would consider this a continuation of excellent music that almost feels like a more romanticized extension of the dark, brooding sound of Ultraviolence.Honeymoon retains those dark feelings but tempers them with sad crooning and a little more pop appeal (but make no mistake, most of these are not going to be playing on the radio anytime soon). The lyrics get slightly cringe-worthy from time to time but they're are definitely enough moments of utter brilliance to balance out the occasional corny reference (and honestly, that's just her style and I could describe the lyrics of every record she's put out with that same sentence).-Track-By-Track Comments-Honeymoon: It's slow, sad, bittersweet. It's a beautiful song but perhaps not one you're likely to have on repeat, it's not "catchy" or full of hooks.Music to Watch Boys To: Lyrics get a little corny here and there but overall it's very catchy, a good driving song for sure.Terrence Loves You: I consider this a sleeper track. At first I wasn't impressed but then I found it got stuck in my head and I was singing it throughout the day. It starts a bit slow and uninteresting but builds momentum quite well.God Knows I Tried: Lana still seems a bit young to be belting out a soulful tune about experiencing hardship but she has the voice for it. This is a very enjoyable song, it reminds me of something I might have heard from Nina Simone.High by the Beach: This song almost seems out of place on this album. It's the "poppiest" of all the songs and almost seems designed to be a single, as if they realized there wasn't much "single" potential for the other tracks and wanted something to shoot a video for to help promote the album. It works out for us because it is a pretty catchy tune. The lyrics aren't winning any awards but I'd be lying if I said I haven't already listened to this a couple hundred times since it came out.Freak: This is my favorite song on the album. It's infections, sensual, dark ... I might have believed it popped right out of Ultraviolence but it has some pop charm in the spirit of Born to Die that brings it to a higher level.Art Deco: A great transition from Freak (If you listen to the track it actually fades directly from Freak. The effect doesn't work well on iOS but should come through on the CD or your PC). The chorus is somewhat forgettable though, what I love about this song are the verses. There's an occasionaly corny moment in the lyrics but it's hard to even get miffed about it since the song is so enjoyable as a whole.Religion: A solid track, bordering on sounding a little too bright but well-controlled with lyrics that offer both hope and despair.Salvatore: Lyrically not that impressive but the sound is very enjoyable. I agree with the many people who have suggested Lana do some spy movie themes, this feels like it was lifted from a James Bond flick.The Blackest Day: The higher range of her voice (which is actually closer to how she sung as Lizzy Grant, before taking the Lana Del Rey stage name) is a little grating but the song is still enjoyable, the chorus actually shines really nicely here which is kind of abnormal in my view; I tend to prefer her verses.24: It's not a bad song but I just can't get over the fact that she says "There's only 24 hours" instead of "There are only 24 hours" and it bugs me to the point of having to change the song sometimes. Overall solid though, not my favorite lyrically.Swan Song: I like the vocals and the strength in the chorus. Lyrically it's interesting and provides a good mixture of emotions. It starts a bit slow though, I feel this could have been edited down just a tad and still be worthwhile.Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood: This plays more on the Animals' version than Nina Simone's but it's still very enjoyable, in fact I'd say it's one of the best covers I've heard for this song. And there are quite a few really bad ones with surprising popularity.

Honeymoon has what LDR calls "muddy trap energy", which I'm guessing is the dampened drumming, low-key quirky synth beats, and occasional vocal distortion on some songs; it also has Hollywood strings, jazzy sax and piano accents, folksy/bluesy guitars, LDR's frequent vocal overdubs, and diverse but sparingly applied sound samples as mood setters. These production facets accompany an always prominent torch-song voice, and LDR is both lead producer and lead writer (along with Rick Nowels and Kieron Menzies). HM songs are not overly similar to each other, though they vary more in color and mood than tempo. She doesn't want to go fast, so HM is sumptuous, wistful, and emotional instead. Five-stars are for HM's old-school style of singing, re-imagined with newer production (what she calls "futureretro"), and my loving the album as much as her earlier releases.Selective highlights for me:HM's title track is one of only two songs given full lyrics in the CD booklet (the rest have snippets over photographs as was done with Ultraviolence). Brooding Hungarian-flavored noir-film strings (worthy of Bernard Hermann, imo), extraordinary vocal harmonies, and slow scatting are some of its impressive retro features. The song could be about a prostitute's relationship to an elusive super-criminal, who's "Mister Born to Lose" yet nobody is able to find or fight him. It's not for people who like clear meanings from a pop song, but as a mood piece, it's in a class by itself. 'Freak' has horror-movie synths, sax, a melodic Tarzan yell, and restless trap percussion, which struggles to synch with the song beat. Here she runs away to California, a homeland for freaks (like her), and tries to convince her paramour to do the same. 'The Blackest Day' has 6 mins of pop hooks and some complexity (e.g., 2 choruses) to support its length. Though it's about relationship mourning and warfare, nasal vocals, spoken asides, background harp-like arpeggios and cherubic-choir effects, convey campiness as well as sadness. '24' is a Bad-Boy ballad about a violent guy and is rumored to be a Bond try-out song. It does seem to have Bond-esque playing around in the instrumental pauses between LDR verses, as well as Goldfinger tease in the vocals toward the end, but horns and vocal backgrounds are also reminiscent of the LDR/Barrie-James O'Neill cover of Summer Wine (still on Youtube), which Rick Nowels also produced. 'Swan Song' (which directly follows '24') continues the cinematic-kitsch/Bond-vibe; however, it's not redundant but outstanding for the way feeling in singing and melody (one of her best) combine. It's about running away from a lifestyle/job and starting over. As one could misunderstand Swan Song being the album closer, 'Don't Let Me be Misunderstood', a faithful cover of the Animals/Nina Simone song, provides both an encore and disclaimer. It's the only other song with full lyrics in the CD booklet, so there's no excuse not to understand it (or her).Lowlights for me would be God Knows I Tried and Art Deco because of their excess of repetition. However, neither song is really album filler, and with 65 mins of music (no bonus-tracks), as well as songs, which I haven't described, that are also quite good and distinctively different from each other (Terrence Loves You, Music to Watch Boys to, High by the Beach, Religion, and Salvatore), I can't complain too much! As with her prior releases, you can preview the entire album on Spotify and Youtube.

One of Lana’s best works

Honeymoon is a masterpiece and the fact that it’s underrated compared to her other albums HURTS SO MUCH.

Got this as a new Lana fan and the cd arrived in great conditions

Wow, this is one of her best pressings, by far.Wide, well defined soundstage, great mastering and instrumental separation. It’s a keeper for sure. Hot pressing, snap one up if you don’t have it already!

It’s one of my all time favorite albums. Perfect plays wonderful. The case had a crack but that’s expected with cd cases that are shipped in thin bubble wrap. Highly recommend this album.