One of the main things that strikes you when listening to Marina and the Diamonds is quite how much personality is packed into one album. The Family Jewels is fresh, cheeky with a hint of pop opera, making it distinctively different to anything else on the market right now.
Quirky, full of energy and a touch of darkness is normally the perfect combination when choosing an album, but I am left feeling uninspired by Marina’s presence and find the album quite overbearing.
The style of the album does change frequently making each track a pleasant surprise. However the lyrics seem to stay the same. From ‘don’t do love, don’t do friends’ on track 10 ‘Oh no!’ to ‘it’s not my problem that I’m never happy’ on track 1 ‘Are you satisfied?’.
Dull and a tad self-deprecating comes to mind quite often.
There is no doubt that Marina Diamondis has talent and judging by the brilliant reaction to debut single Hollywood, there are many people who would jump to defend the half Greek, half Welsh starlet from any criticism. It isn’t quite the album of the decade that we were expecting but it has enough catchy choruses and kooky tempos to keep us happy for the time being.
Female first: Jessica Leal
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