Chemtrails Over The Country Club (studio album) by Lana Del Rey

So, first time listening to a Lana Del Rey album, at some point I had to find out what all the hype was about. Can't say I liked it, but I don't regret giving her a chance. It sounds kinda pretty, but it's sooo uninteresting. I guess this has to do both with Lana herself (her delivery gives me the impression of not caring at all, just singing because she has to, if there's any sign of emotion in her voice it must have passed me by) and with the overall sound (trying to follow a "less is more" approach, but overdoing it, most - if not all - of the tracks here lack any distinct characteristic, it gets repetitive rather quickly, any progression is too subtle and not significant enough to hold your attention). All in all, slightly disappointed (the truth is I didn't have that many expectations to begin with), I don't see myself checking out the rest of her discography.

From corenfro 03/25/2021 23:34

I liked NFR and I like Lana. That said, I hear almost nothing on here that seems to be original or a step forward in any direction. In fact, it just doesn't seem like it's a step in any direction at all. It's good music, her voice is nice (if you like that kind of thing) but it's just... I've heard this all before. A couple songs a few chord transitions sounded pretty lovely, but basically if you'd have told me this was an NFR b-sides I'd have 100% believed you.

That said, I don't disagree w/ the glowing novels that the other reviewers have written here either, those analysis are spot on as well and I'm glad this type of music really does it for some. I'll relisten to see if there are any nuances I missed, but I fear that it's hardly going to eclipse NFR as my go-to Lana album and given that it's one of the top rated albums of 2021 to date I was hoping to hear some more fresh ideas than what is on this record.

While Chemtrails Over The Country Club doesn't quite hit the highs of Lana Del Rey's previous album, NFR, there is a lot to love here. Though stripped back slightly, the production and instrumentation are lush and beautiful. What's more, Lana showcases some of her strongest vocals in this album. In the opener, White Dress, especially, her strained, whisper-singing is mesmerizing.

The standout tracks for me are White Dress, Chemtrails, and Dark But Just A Game though this album is consistently entertaining throughout. One thing this album has going for it in comparison to NFR is the short length. At just 45 minutes, Chemtrails is more accessible than its predecessor. After releasing two consistently great albums in a row, Lana has proven herself as a talented songwriter. As someone who couldn't have cared less about her music before 2019, I can't wait to see what she does next.

From Mercury 03/20/2021 01:21

(Well, it’s another excellent Lana Del Rey album. Lyrically excellent and balanced. Musically lush yet stripped down with just the right amount of subtle spice and variety added in to keep it low key riveting. If you like her standout 2019 album, you’ll like this. Probably my fave Lana album yet.)

Well, after much waiting and oodles of anticipation, this thing dropped. I listened to it last night and today several times. I feel I have a pretty clear idea of how much I like it and why.

For one, just want to say that this is, for me, a better album than Norman Fuckin Rockwell in terms of length and ease of listening. NFR was a little (not a lot) bloated and, although the ending tracks were also excellent, I usually felt a bit warn out by the end. And the quality of songs here is close enough to the heights of NFR that the aspect of length and brevity does push it slightly above her amazing ‘19 album. (But honestly, they are essentially the same level of great and my opinion may flip flop many times.)

As far as what I like about the music, well geez, basically everything. Her lyrics are spectacular in their poetic directness and her humor. And there is a sweetness and a lightness and a sense of comfort in the songs here that I didn’t hear in earlier albums. The whole getting famous and thinking back on how much has changed motif is not my favorite, but she does well on this album with expressing the contradictions and self-doubts that go along with this ascendancy. And the excellent cover of Joni Mitchell’s “For Free” just nails it right on the head. It’s a perfect song to cover, almost TOO on the nose. But she does such an excellent job with the material I will forgive the anti-subtlety.

Musically, much like her previous album, there is an assuredness and an ear for detail in these songs that I find impressive. It’s never over the top, it all just floats and feels right, and when Lana does some nifty switch up or introduce a cool rocking drum beat, it hits all the harder due to the awesome restraint of her songwriting. She’s just a generational talent, and one of the best songwriters going.

I don’t have many or really any complaints. I think this album embodies beautifully much of my favorite music. The fact that Lana both pays homage to those great songwriters of the early 70s as well as create her own sound and identity is incredible to me.