Our wishlist for the singer's second release
Michael Baggs

14:40 30th January 2014

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Lana Del Rey's new album, Ultra Violence, is finished - according to the singer herself, so all that is left is for fans is to play the waiting game until we get to hear new music from the pouting, maudlin superstar.

Del Rey's debut album was a hugely successful, and hugely brilliant, introduction to a new artist, who, despite the huge concepts in her sound and oceans of pretentiousness, caught the hearts, minds and ears of music listeners across the globe. She became a worldwide superstar with just one record, and quite rightly so. It was excellent.

Since the announcement of her second album in December 2013, fans have been hugely excited about the release of Ultra Violence, and that number includes us. Here's what we want to hear on the second album from our favourite gloomy pop star. We hope she's paying attention.

  • Collaborations: Incredibly, Lana Del Rey made it through an entire album without a single collaboration. The closest she came to a guest spot was A$ap Ricky appearing in her 'National Anthem' video. Whether A$ap makes a return for the record, or perhaps another artist she name-dropped on Born To Die (Bruce Springsteen would be AMAZING), let's get someone seriously cool on there.

  • More darkness: Born To Die wasn't all about rainbows and unicorns. It was dark and heartbreaking in places. However, according to the singer, tracks like 'Lucky Ones' were a walk in the park to what she has planned for round two. "It is absolutely gorgeous - darker then the first - so dark it's almost unlistenable and wrong," she told fans. Bring it on.

  • More hip-hop: Lana's done drama. She's done Americana and she has done the big orchestral numbers, but we know she's a hip hop girl at heart. We'd love to see her explore that side of her sound, as hinted at on tracks like 'Off To The Races' and 'This Is What Makes Us Girls' on Born To Die.

  • More orchestras: Some of Lana Del Rey's most accomplished and dramatic work has come AFTER the initial release of her debut album, Born To Die. Tracks such as 'Ride' and 'Young & Beautiful' had more drama and a sound far more grand than on the album, and truly established Del Rey as a music superstar. We want more orchestras, more drama and more enormous songs like these on Ultra Violence.

  • More shocking lyrics: Despite the gorgeous sounds of Born To Die, the album threw a number of lyrical curveballs, shaking the listener out of an Americana lull. Examples? Opening line of 'Cola' was "My pussy tastes like Pepsi cola" or 'Gods & Monsters' "In the land of gods and monsters I was an angel, looking to get fucked hard". Shocking, but brilliant.

  • None of the demos: Poor old Lana Del Rey had a hard-drive stolen in late 2013, containing loads of unheard music. Since then, the internet has been flooded with leaks of her music. While all pretty impressive, we're hoping the tracks were, as promised, early material and not Ultra Violence demos. We'd like something fresh when the record comes around.

  • Clockwork Orange references: Her second album is titled Ultra Violence, a reference to iconic book and movie, A Clockwork Orange. Certainly in keeping with the darker sounds promised, we're expecting the album to pay homage to the source material and be packed with easter-eggs for those familiar with Anthony Burgess' novel and Stanley Kubrick's movie.

  • More pretentiousness (like Tropico): Lana Del Rey is so pretentious - but she gets away with it. How? She is an artist who knows exactly who, and what she is. So, when she releases an extended music video, calls it a short film and launches it with a Hollywood premiere, everyone nods in agreement, because that's just who she is. Lady Gaga could learn a thing or two.

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Photo: Press/WENN