If the upcoming Bond 25 is lacking a signature theme, then
MGM needn’t worry – Lana Del Ray’s new single ‘Shades of Cool’ is surely a
worthy contender for the role. Underscored by a guitar coda unshakeably
reminiscent of the franchise’s iconic theme, it’s awash with all the OTT
drama and eerie passion of all the great Bond songs. But it’s Del Ray’s vocals
that really steal the show (so long as they really are hers and not the result
of an autotuning masterclass, as previous ‘questionable’ live shows have highlighted – see the infamous
SNL performance of Video Games), sweeping between ethereal yet eerie,
sweetly-sinister verses to the swooning, soaring passion of the chorus. With
lyrics like ‘My baby lives in shades of blue/blue eyes and jazz and attitude/he
lives in California too/he drives a chevy Malibu’ and drenched in production values probably not far off those of the next Bond flick, is it a
style over substance affair? Of course. But then, what else do you expect from a Lana
Del Ray record? While Nick Cave it ain’t, when the style is this stylish,
its an engaging, irresistible listen. And for Lana Del Ray, it’s the sound of an
artist playing to their strengths.
@_jamesgale
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