Did You Know That There's A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd (studio album)
by Lana Del Rey

Shortlisted for album of the year at the 2024 Grammys. the winner was Midnights by Taylor Swift

Some songs were great. Others weren't so great. Feels like there's a lot of fat that could be trimmed off this.

Possible Lana's strongest album track wise... I think its my favourite by her, excluding the Paradise EP.

This surprised me a lot, after following up her critical breakthrough Norman Fucking Rockwell with a couple of substantially weaker albums I figured that Lana's music had peaked and that the still quite decent standard of Chemtrails and Blue Banisters would be the new normal. I think I was about a couple of tracks into this record when I realised that wasn't the case, Ocean Boulevard isn't just a great piece of work but one that elevates the rest of Lana's discography. The opening run of tracks is just as good as on NFR, the effortless emotional build of The Grants, the full production of the title track and the lyrical directness of the second half of Sweet work incredibly together. They also set the stage for Lana's most contemplative and thoughtful album, breaking into new ground while drawing on the fear of being left in the past. This is most successful on A&W which mirrors the lyrical themes of her earliest records but adds some depth to them with its downbeat frustration as she tries to trace the roots of the unfulfilling and demeaning relationships that she used to only cover at a surface level.

For me Ocean Boulevard matches NFR in its earlier tracks but it's deeper into the tracklist that it starts to pull away from it, it stays compelling to the end. There are some especially strong melodies on tracks like Paris Texas and Candy Necklace and a warmth to others like Let the Light In. Each of the tracks I've highlighted has a really effective feature on it, Lana's sense for collaboration is at its best here, we're a long way from unnecessary rap features being stuffed into dull tracks. Only Bleachers doesn't quite pull his weight vocally, but his involvement in Margaret feels fair considering his personal connection to the track. It sets up a great finale as things come full circle with the looseness of the first few seconds of the album being mirrored by the almost conversational conclusion to Margaret.

Except the album just keeps on going and this is still what really confuses me. Fishtail, Peppers and Taco Truck are all really good but they feel like bonus tracks within the structure of the album. I really enjoy the switch up in sound towards something more hip hop influenced, Peppers especially is one of the catchiest tracks of the past year, it's a shame that it just doesn't fit. I think these songs could have made for a really good EP instead of being grafted onto the end of the record, it's a bit annoying though the fact that it stands out so clearly as an issue shows how well the rest of Ocean Boulevard is structured.

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Wonderful album, albeit a bit slow. I hate the interludes completely, I wish they were cut entirely. Not only are they boring they completely remove you from the emotion and flow of the album. There a one or two tracks I think should have cut or released as b-sides but overall a lovely selection of music. I think A&W and to some extent VB x Taco Truck don’t fit in with the rest of the album. A&W is a good song but sounds like it was thrown in just for the mainstream crowd which I can understand. I actually like the Venice Bitch remix much more than I thought I would but I’m not the biggest fan of the Taco Truck segment. Still it’s Lana at her most vulnerable and emotional. Heartbreaking existential ballad, the story of aging and insecurity and defiance and the search for one selves told with incredible beauty. Not her best but still very good. The best mainstream pop artist since… not even sure I can remember.

“Did you know that there's a tunnel under Ocean Blvd” thrives when it’s at its most intimate. Lana writes vividly about her family, aging and self-image. “The Grants” and “Kintsugi” reference her uncle and grandmother with such tenderness. “Paris, Texas” is delivered with a bittersweet whimsy that ruminates on the end of a relationship elegantly. The lyrics are further enhanced by her vocal performance. Her soft breathy delivery makes it feel as if the songs are being whispered to you. The production gives her voice room, but beyond that, it is rather plain. The interludes are too long and seize much of the album's movement. The last three tracks do feel much weaker than those that came before as well. While not entirely great, “Did you know that there's a tunnel under Ocean Blvd”, the little moments make it worthwhile.

I don't agree with the comments about it being too long or the interludes interrupt the flow of the record I think they work perfectly as the songs are so powerful it's almost like you need a break before starting another 3 or 4 tracks , it's a brilliant record and has to be one of the best if not the best of 2023

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A return to form for Lana. A&W is a career highlight.