Light the candles and settle down for an intimate evening

Honeymoon serves as a lush showcase for Lana Del Rey. Surrounded by strings and noir-ish beats, the enigmatic singer casts haunting shadows, her voice confidently floating like an apparition. Songs like “Swan Song”, “Freak” and “Religion” simmer with tension and obsession. “High By the Beach” is the album’s “oh snap!” moment as Del Rey tosses pointed barbs at an unresponsive suitor. She closes with a spare cover of Nina Simone’s “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” which is as elegant and fragile as anything you’ll hear all year.