Marina and the Diamonds is the moniker for Welsh powerhouse Marina Diamandis. She stomped onto the music scene in February, guns blazing, with her amazing debut album The Family Jewels. This is the first album in a long time that I find myself able o listen to the whole way through repeatedly. Her songs are absolutely infectious; are they pop, dance, electro, soul? She keeps us guessing with her mix and match tracks. They are filled with snappy lyrics, versatile vocals, and pounding beats. She takes all the best parts of Lady Gaga, Kate Bush, Lilly Allen, and Florence + the Machine, throws them in a blender, and makes them all her own.
The best track on the album is “Oh No!” in which Marina wails about only wanting success in life as she sings, “I know exactly what I want and who I want to be!” At 24, that’s quite a hefty achievement, but she proves it on every single track. If this is who she wants to be, god bless her future endeavors; if only all albums could all be as fresh and wonderful as this! Her voice is silky and gorgeous; it reaches heights and depths like nobody else her age can possibly hit. Her vocals alone convey an amazing breadth of emotion, and her lyrics only lend to that cause.
The best track on the album is “Oh No!” in which Marina wails about only wanting success in life as she sings, “I know exactly what I want and who I want to be!” At 24, that’s quite a hefty achievement, but she proves it on every single track. If this is who she wants to be, god bless her future endeavors; if only all albums could all be as fresh and wonderful as this! Her voice is silky and gorgeous; it reaches heights and depths like nobody else her age can possibly hit. Her vocals alone convey an amazing breadth of emotion, and her lyrics only lend to that cause.
Some amazing remixes of her sparse, haunting track “I Am Not a Robot.” The best, by Passion Pit, takes what was essentially an acoustic track and ships it straight to the dance floor. It is quite literally the best of both worlds. Passion Pit initially seems like an odd choice to rework Marina’s tracks, but on further inspection it makes perfect sense; the band knows how to work a synthesizer to their advantage and work it they do on “Robot.” The second remix, by Lovers and Gambles (anchored by electro princess Little Boots), also transforms the single into a dance smash, but a smooth, sexy, synthy anthem.
Passion Pit:
Lovers and Gambles:
And the original for comparison:
I would like to personally thank whoever was responsible for signing Marina Diamandis to her record label and for believing in such a fantastic, exciting record. I would also like to thank her promotional team for successfully picking singles that slowly expose audiences to her genius. I can’t wait to see what Marina has up her sleeve next.
Girls:
Shampain:
Are You Satisfied?:
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