I've been a huge fan of Lana since Born to Die and couldn't have been more excited for this album. First impressions aren't great though to be honest. Every song sounds the same to me to the point I got bored listening, and the album doesn't seem to have any real identity like BTD, Paradise or Ultraviolence.

I'm hoping it will grow on me with more plays but signs are pointing towards a disappointing effort from Lana and what will probably be my least favourite album of hers thus far.

I really like the album and think some of her best tracks are on it, for example: Freak, Art Deco and The Blackest Day are superb while God Knows I Tried, Music To Watch Boys To, Swan Song and Salvatore are also brilliant!

I'm listening to it right now (I'm up to '24') and I think it's a beautiful album! Definitely a mood piece, sure. You have to be in a relaxed, laid back mood and ready to just absorb and general feel and flow of the album, otherwise yes, a lot of it can sound the same. I think there are some terrific songs on it though, some of Lana's best. I'd already heard the title track, plus of course High By The Beach and Terrence Loves You (all of which I love) plus I think Music To Watch Boys By, God Knows I Tried, Freak and Art Deco are beautiful songs and The Blackest Day is simply amazing! It's true I wish she'd do some more upbeat songs (like Kinda Outta Luck, for example) and I guess in some ways she's in danger of being labelled a One Trick Pony for doing so many similar tempoed songs but when she does them as beautifully as this I can't really fault her. Her voice is so calming and soothing and her music just transports me to some dreamy place.

Those who are not keen on the album, give it another go, when you're in a more receptive mood, perhaps, and now that your expectations won't be as high, now that you've already listened to it. I think some of the songs will stand out a lot more to you on repeated listens. If nothing else give The Blackest Day a go. Her singing is amazing on it.

I forgot to say I really like Salvatore too. Honestly, I think the album is one of Lana's most cohesive and I think I love every track on it, whereas with her past albums there are some songs I find myself skipping as I don't think they're as good. The only track on Honeymoon I can say I'm not completely crazy about is the cover of Don't Me Be Misunderstood. It's a good cover, sure, but it's always been a song I can take or leave really. Lana's done a good version of it though. The rest of the album though - sheer beauty!

Thank-you bananashake and spaceygal, great positive comments. I finally bought it yesterday, just had too much on at work to get it any sooner. Avoided all the internet leaks as I wanted to hear it in high quality on CD and I am glad I did. It was bliss listening to it as it was intended to be heard.

Best album of the year IMO, she's done it again. Tempo is irrelevant, the songs are just magnificent. Her vocals heavenly and out of this world.

Really don't get all the negative comments on here from fans about it being dark and not up-tempo, like they want her to make some dippy dancy pop crap or soft rock bollocks or something.

It’s like going on a film board about Quentin Tarantino and seeing comments from fans moaning that all his films are 18/R rated and it’s about time he did a nice family friendly Disney film with Demi Lovato singing the soundtrack instead of all the "weird" music he usually uses. I'm sorry but that is just not what the artist in question specialises in!

Despite its apparent darkness also I found parts of Honeymoon to be light and romantic too. It’s a great blend of emotions I think even a more casual music listener could potentially enjoy it if they give it a chance. Dare I say it there's enough swirling synths on her for a pop fan to enjoy it, yet its mixed with alternative, jazz and some beautiful cinematic sounds that make it different. I hate to use all these genre tag words, it just sounds like Lana, but in a fresh new way. I love the fact that all her albums have their own distinct sound.

Great song writing and production on its superb too. Really impresses me how Lana has gone from having a million producers on Born To Die and now it’s just her, Rick and Kieron.

She's doing a great job of promotion going on radio shows and doing signing sessions. I believe about 200 lucky UK fans got to meet her at Rough Trade Records over in London. I shall even credit Interscope with their publicity-maybe the Urban Outfitters tie in was a good idea afterall (not like there are as many big record shops stateside now) and the US media seem more interested than before.

Not that I pay much attention to reviews but so far it seems to be her most critically acclaimed album too - averaging 80% score on Metacritic. Hell even some of them (only some mind) seem to be finally dropping the tedious she a made up "character" line and admitting she's authentic after all.

Oh and I've also heard its number 1 in the iTunes charts too?

I think Lana can take a lot of satisfaction the icing on the cake is she's stuck to her artistic principals, made the album she wants and not sold out. Job well done, brilliant .

STOP CRITICISING MY FAVOURITE, IT'S NOT FAIR!!!

How is asking Lana Del Rey to vary the tempo of tracks on her album like asking Tarantino to make a Disney movie? It would be rather concerning if she can only write one type of song over and over again. Luckily, we know that this isn't the case and have heard her do it in the past successfully. It really isn't some abdication of artistic principle or anything else so pretentious - she wrote Ride, Damn You, Radio, Cola and loads of other songs that stepped it up a bit. Listening to a long album of songs that have no variety in tempo simply becomes tiring. It was my criticism of Ultraviolence as well.

I really hate this delegitimising of any criticism as if the only thing she could do is this or shit mainstream pop. Not everyone would listen to her fart into a microphone and then declare it the best song ever. Doesn't make them a 'bad fan.'

EIDT: I hasten to point out that I haven't even given a proper evaluation of this album yet. It could well grow on me more but the fact that many others share my initial criticism and that I had that worry going in suggests that I'm on to something at least.

I agree the album is a little samey but that doesn't bother me, I like every song individually and whilst they sound similar I don't think they ever sound exactly like each other. There is enough variety for me to be able to tell the songs apart pretty easily.

I think the record would have been an easier listen if she had cut a couple of the songs out or left them to a special edition. 11 songs would have been enough.

As long as her fans are happy that is all that matters because they are the ones that are paying the money to listen to it.


It's not for me to judge. As the great Eminem once said. If you take your new record, and you sit it beside your old records and you can't tell the difference between them then what is the point? You should be able to sit your albums side by side and see a clear progression. So for people saying the album sounds dreary and samey well.......maybe that's her "thing". Maybe that is her sound and what she wants her sound to be. I didn't listen to Ultraviolence all the way through but if you are a Lana Del Rey fan, like Eminem said years ago with his albums, as long as you can sit Born To Die, Ultraviolence and Honeymoon side by side and you can see a clear difference between them then that is all that matters.

The only time it would be a problem is if you put all 3 albums side by side and you can't tell them apart or they do start blending in together and sound the same. Apparantly she has plenty of songs recorded. Didn't Polydor say something about there being enough material for 3 albums when she was just releasing Born To Die? IF she really wants this to be her sound, then she doesn't need to record new material. Just release what's already been recorded and in the vaults. For all anyone knows that is what this album is. There's no proof she recorded this stuff this year. Easy and quick way to get new material out.

I love this album as with Ultraviolence I love it as much if not more than what came before. There is a clear progression here which is perfect as I was worried about her maybe regressing back to BTD/Paradise to please the masses. I still overall preffer the first half of Ultraviolence if not the entire record slightly more but that for me was underrated after the initial hype sorrounding it. I for one adore Honeymoon.

It's either a step backwards or she's settled into a comfortable hip-hop influenced rut, depending on your point of view. Calling this album a 'progression' is being fanboyishly generous.

I have to agree. To me, she's taken a big step back. The album really isn't what I hoped it would be at all.

I am still not sure what to think of this album. I just can't connect to it at the moment. I agree about the lack of progression. I could imagine a number of these songs easily slotting in on UV.

To me, the guitar work on UV gave it an edge that this album lacks so far for me. Still need more time with it.

I actually think theres a clear progression from UV. She sounds much happier on this album, even though the songs may not be particularly happy songs. She sounds freer and more happy with her career and life. I adore it! Easily my favourite album by her! I suspect I'll grow to love it more and more as it keeps getting better with each listen!

I also think there is progression here, dare I say it she actually sounds happier? Not to mention the songs themselves are tinged with a kind of hope not present on UV, which for me seemed to be a dark, dark album. The lyrics here on HM are lighter, not to mention the melodies are more colourful. She also sounds more confident to me.

I've gone though the album over the weekend and sadly it's not for me this one. There is a period of UV a run of 4 tracks (Sad Girl, Pretty/Cry, Money and F*cked) which sum up how I feel about this new album - those songs listed are decent enough songs, but played together just don't really stick out, they are kind off Lana on default. That's pretty much how I feel about the whole of Honeymoon - just feels like Lana going though the motions. Lyrically it's the same theme's we've heard before, and Lana's dead eyed vocals wears thin when that's the only delivery we get throughout the album. Musically I miss the guitars of UV and the similar beats we get here don't help get the tracks there own unique flavour.

Looking back over Born to Die and UV the songs written with Rick Nowells tend to be some of the weaker tracks for me (Summertime Sadness is the only one I'd class as really liking). For me Justin Parker was by far and away the star of BTD - Video Games, Born to Die, Ride & Radio my 4 favourite tracks. On UV it tends to be the one off writers I prefer - Cruel World : Blake Stranathan, Brooklyn : Barrie O'Neill and Old Money : Robbie Fitzsimmons. I just find Nowells stuff a bit bland - and as he co- wrote and produced everything on Honeymoon that's maybe why I'm struggling with it.

She was expected to do 115K in the US first week, which would've been #1 until Drake/Future dropped their surprise mixtape on iTunes (they're set for 500K)

http://hitsdailydouble.com/news&id=297761

I can't listen to it. I find it so dull and boring and I hate saying that as I've loved all her other albums. I'll skip this era and hopefully join the ride when she releases her next record

It's like Del Rey heard the 'all the same tempo' complaints against UV and trolled them with an album so relentlessly slow paced it's impossible to consume all in one go while staying awake.

I feel like her next album campaign needs another attention catching song like Video Games and maybe a big performance at an award show or something. She gets pretty poor airplay relative to her popularity.

In saying that, she's just tweeted that she's doing a Live Lounge set on Radio 1 tomorrow at 8.20pm.

FMKK: Firstly thank-you for the heads up on Lana playing the live lounge tomorrow.

It’s not that I expect rabid fan boy support of everything Lana does. It’s just that (speaking as a Lana veteran) I’m bored to death of hearing the same criticisms over and over again of her music; “it’s slow” “it’s boring” etc. etc. I’ve been hearing it since Born To Die. Uh can’t we ever move past discussions like this? If Lana had listened to such criticism herself she would have never of even made Ride and the other tunes you mention. Ride is only about 94BPM, so I don’t get why you are saying its up-tempo because it isn’t really. Still a great song though yes?

The current music scene is obsessed with high BPM dance orientated music, it’s almost like a corporate dictate that all music has to sound that way because the focus groups have said so. To me THAT’s got old and boring. I really admire the fact that Lana has got the guts to go against that. That therefore is what I was referring to rather than a personal attack on you.

I honestly think there is a lot to love about this album. I wanna see people talking about:

How seductively beautiful Honeymoon is? “Dreaming away your life.”

How awesome that multiple vocal harmonies intro splashed together at the start of Music To Watch Boys To? “I like you a lot.”

Or how smoooooth Terence Loves You is? Jazzy little wonder “I’ve still got chills when I’ve got those blues.”

How pained Lana sounds on God Knows I Tried. “On Monday they destroyed me but by
Friday I’m revived” (I feel your pain Lana).

Or that High By The Beach is actually an up-tempo song? And I really like it now as part of the album.

Or what an awesome song Freak is? “Flames so hard that they turn blue.” Future single?

Is Art Deco a diss track as some are suggesting? Think that might be just people creating mischief but it’s rather good either way.

“You’re My Religion…when I’m down on my knees you’re how I pray” –loving that one.

Salvatore- Lana’s beautiful tribute to the Godfather and her Italian boyfriend…and soft icecream.

The Blackest Day- She’s going deeper and darker to glorious effect.

24 -The Bond song that never was, or just that Lana preferred Jack Bauer all along?

Swan Song- What a chord change on the chorus with the lyric “I will never sing again.” Say it ain’t so Lana.

“I’m just a soul whose intentions are good, oh lord please don’t let me be misunderstood.” Seems to be always the case for Lana so a great choice of cover to my mind.

And yes I agree with Adzpower it does sound somewhat happier than Lana’s other work too.

I can only move past making the same criticisms because she's making the same mistakes. The album would just be a much easier and more interesting listen if not everything was a slow as hell ballad. I need a few different vibes in there. I think she needs more of a mixture between romantic/tragic songs and defiant songs. That's perhaps the thing for me more than tempo. My favourite Lana songs are the ones where she's defiant and the track has some instrumental drive. I think track placement might make a difference too. Putting three or four slow songs one after the other at the back end of an album makes it a slog to get through.

In saying this, I think her vocal performances on this album are very impressive and that makes me excited to hear her on Live Lounge tomorrow. I hope she songs High By The Beach because it's my favourite song on the album but Honeymoon may make for a more impressive performance where she can show off her vocals. I may also go through track by track if I get the time tomorrow.

I grew up on Mazzy Star and Lana sounds to me like she's influenced by Hope Sandoval. I've not listened to Lana's new one but I don't mind some of her older stuff.

Gave the album another listen after posting last night and enjoyed it a lot more than previously. However, I still stand by my criticisms and think that there were the foundations of a really great record in there if some changes were made.

On the other hand, I finally get the song Honeymoon. The instrumentation is beautiful, especially that opening. It's like the greatest film noir you've ever seen. Reminds me of Sunset Boulevard or something.