Lana Del Rey’s “Shades Of Cool” Video Is A Portrait Of Faded Glamour: Watch The Epic Visual

Mike Wass | June 17, 2014 11:10 am

Lana Del Rey‘s Ultraviolence era has been near-perfect thus far (brilliant music, riveting performances and a more organic image) with one exception. The “West Coast” video sucked. There, I said it. A song that compelling and atmospheric deserved a lot better than a black-and-white stroll along the beach followed by bad CGI flames. Happily, the gloomy diva gets it just right on “Shades Of Cool”.

After a slow but mesmerizing beginning that focuses on LDR’s much older lover, the Jake Nava-directed visual really comes into its own when our heroine hits the streets of Bel-Air. Before we know it, she’s serving underwater glamour and dancing around an ever-so-shabby mansion. Then there’s the soon-to-be-iconic slow motion swim that would be exploitative in anyone else’s hands but just seems appropriate for a song about the underbelly of Hollywood. Watch up top.

Is this an improvement on “West Coast”? Let us know in the comments below.

Get an eyeful of even more pop music coverage, from artist interviews to exclusive performances, on Idolator’s YouTube channel.