2. Lana Del Rey, Born To Die
Easily a controversial figure in music for 'that' Saturday Night Live performance and her transformation from Lizzy Grant to femme fatale character Lana Del Rey, Del Rey immediately silenced her critics with her first major studio release
Born To Die, a stunning collection of R&B, alternative and hip hop music swathed in pop melodies and sensabilities. Lead singles 'Blue Jeans', 'Video Games' and 'Born To Die' are gorgeous Sixties-inspired songs that lie at the album's underpinning darkness and melancholia. The album is an entire love letter to love itself, every colour and shade of romance and heartbreak rolled into a single cohesive record - songs like 'Dark Paradise' are the kind of shadowy, romantic tune that would easily be the soundtrack to a Tim Burton movie and 'National Anthem' is an ode to love, wrapped in both bitterness and a nostalgic take on American patriotism. That same balance between nostalgia and faux-patriotism fills the entire album campaign - Del Rey exists in a 1960s world of Americana tinged with the tragic love stories that seem to fill Del Rey's life and issues such as femininity, often with a sense of grandeur and elegance. Every track is equally elegant and elegiac in equal measure, making a striking impact and an instantly memorable debut for a promising artist.