Lana Del Rey’s Riveting ‘Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd.’ Is an Emotional Tour De Force: Album Review
variety.comChris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic Before anything else is said about Lana Del Rey’s new album, let it be noted that however well the record came out, it was foreordained to come in second among her artistic works of the past year.
Because absolutely nothing could surpass the mic drop of her placing the sole billboard announcing the new project in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the hometown of a fairly recent ex-boyfriend, in what could only be seen as a clever combination of extreme advertising narrowcasting and baller performance art.
But if “Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd.” had to come in as a runner-up to that, it’s a very, very, very close second.
It might even count as her masterpiece to date, among her non-billboard-related work. The word “might” is advisable because claims to that kind of superiority can only be made after a lot of time and repeat listens have passed, of course, and “Ocean Blvd.” is such a dense set of songs to take in that your immediate response to its 16 songs might be to rise for a standing ovation… and then think that maybe you’ll need a week to rest before you settle in for a second and third listen, this time with a whole Internet’s worth of Cliff Notes.
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