Marina and the Diamonds' "The Family Jewels"
Marina Diamandis‘ debut album has been two years in the making, every day of which more than worthwhile for the end product: The Family Jewels, a truly unique and dazzling debut. The album has everything from sparkling and theatrical pop gems (Shampain, Hollywood, Oh No!), to heartfelt piano-backed ballads (I Am Not A Robot, Obsessions, Numb) and the quirky classics that make Marina downright different (Mowgli’s Road). Her eccentric and powerful vocals are showcased well in every track, I Am Not A Robot and Guilty perhaps being her best songs vocally.
The most refreshing thing about The Family Jewels is the unconventional lyrics, it’s amazing to find an album that isn’t full of love songs. The only song Marina says is “about love” is Hermit The Frog, and even that doesn’t immediately strike the listener as a love song, it’s a brilliantly catchy rework of a song that originally appeared on her first-ever EP and now fits perfectly into place just over two years later. Not opting for the usual, Marina’s bizarre yet meaningful lyrics cover topics from not being a stereotypical female in the witty and wonderful Girls “Girls they never befriend me ‘cos I fall asleep when they speak of all the calories they eat”; to alienation in the world of celebrity in The Outsider “All I know is I cannot pretend, I’m sitting on the outside again”; and our obsession with American culture in Hollywood “Hollywood infected your brain, you wanted kissing in the rain”.
At first I thought it would surely be impossible for a track on the album to stand out more than Mowgli’s Road with it’s “cuckoo” shrieks, that was until I heard Oh No!. It’s instantly infectious from the very first listen and, along with a great electro-pop beat and lyrics that show-off Marina’s song-writing ability, has one of the catchiest choruses I’ve heard in a long time, it can be played over and over again and still leave you wanting more. The song was only added to the track listing in November after Marina wrote it while in L.A, now I can’t imagine the album without it.
Marina’s hugely anticipated debut lives up to all the hype, it’s one of the most exciting albums of this year and makes you wonder what she can do next to top such a shining debut!
4.5/5- Very nearly perfect
Track listing: 1. Are You Satisfied? 2. Shampain 3. I Am Not a Robot 4. Girls 5. Mowgli’s Road 6. Obsessions 7. Hollywood 8. The Outsider 9. Hermit The Frog 10. Oh No! 11. Rootless 12. Numb 13. Guilty 14. The Family Jewels (iTunes only track).
The Family Jewels will be released on 22nd February in the UK.
[...] a more mainstream audience. That is just before the release of her eagerly anticipated debut album The Family Jewels on the 22nd February which is guaranteed to be one of the best albums of 2010. I’ve also [...]
[...] it for free by clicking or right-clicking here! Marina’s sure-to-be stunning debut album The Family Jewels has been pushed back a week for release due to the Brit Awards and Valentine’s Day albums and [...]
[...] a short time before Hollywood is released- 1st February and her eagerly anticipated debut album The Family Jewels- 22nd [...]
[...] Diamandis’ third single from her debut album The Family Jewels is a re-release of the brilliant I Am Not A Robot. At first I was a bit unsure if the re-release [...]