Lana Del Rey Born To Die

Wreathed in internet-melting mystery and B-movie drama, the former Lizzy Grant’s mainstream debut journeys to the dark heart of the American dream. However, for all the layers of carefully cultivated artifice (the hardboiled Lolita narrative of “Off to the Races”, say) there’s nothing false about both Del Rey’s bewitching baritone and indisputable songcraft. Then there’s “Video Games”: a stately, slow-motion bomb blast of matchless melancholy that still has the power to stop you in your tracks.