Album Review - Marina & The Diamonds: Electra Heart

Marina & The Diamonds
Electra Heart
Rating: Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It

Marina and the Diamonds, in reality Marina Diamandis, released her debut album The Family Jewels back in 2010 and drew comparisons to everyone from Ke$ha, Britney Spears, Gwen Stefani, to even Kate Bush and Fiona Apple. It was a solid album of standard Top 40 tracks which skirted pop, R&B, and female alt-rock, and showcased her deep, evocative voice and had a distinctness that set it apart from most of her contemporaries. It was that album that made me interested to see where she went with it. I was hoping for more of the same distinctiveness, but it appears she (and perhaps her record company) have differing points of view on that subject. Her sophomore album Electra Heart, comes saddled with a overly complicated backstory of being some grand exploration/dissection of female archetypes, which seems more like a way to deflect from the fact it is merely a glossy pop record, featuring production from a bevy of heavy hitters such as Rick Nowels (Madonna, Stevie Nicks, Lykke Li), Dr. Luke (Katy Perry), Liam Howe (Sneaker Pimps), and Greg Kurstin (Kylie Minogue). All of these producers, who know their way backwards and forwards around the studio, pile so much gloss on to these songs, it basically strips any sort of personality from them. Marina, whose voice can be very strong and lovely, becomes a mere participant in the proceedings rather than the star it should be.

There are several moments on Electra Heart where Marina's personality does shine through. Lead track "Bubblegum Bitch" is a 2:30 slab of power pop in the mold of Kelly Clarkson's "Since U Gone," with her character, hurt by love, turning the tables on men by deceiving them into thinking she's a vapid girl.



"Primadonna" has a sparkly twinkle to it which hides the dark lyrics beneath. Marina's voice stands out on this track, giving the words just enough venom while also keeping it light and frothy.



"Lies" is by far the standout track on Electra Heart, Marina showing genuine emotion and fear throughout this song about a failing relationship that neither wants to acknowledge. The dubstep textures add just the right edge to the track.



"Valley of the Dolls," while just another tale about the perils of fame, features another tender performance from Marina that upsells the track.



And closing track, "Fear and Loathing" evokes those Kate Bush and perhaps Florence and the Machine comparisons, Marina's voice, almost operatic, glimmering over a bed of sweeping electronics and booming drums.



But the album falters when it dissolves into a succession of tracks that push Marina into sounding like too many other artists, thereby losing the personality that would make her stand out from the Katy Perrys, Ke$has, Britneys, and the like. "Homewrecker" has a killer chorus that is marred by a jaded/sing-songy approach in the verses that is so off putting you want to forward to the next track.



"Hypocrates" and "Living Dead" never really overcome their tepid melodies and bland vocals.



"Teen Idle" attempts to encapsulate the mixed messages and narcissism of adolescence into a four minute pop song, but merely comes off condescending.



Thankfully, there are no outright horrors on this record, just a lot of could-have-beens. Marina's instincts appear to be in the right place most of the time, it just sounds like her producers got the better of her. When she is allowed to go slightly outside the lines, she makes some good tracks. The pleasant "The State of Dreaming" overcomes its monotonous verses to light up on the chorus,



and "Power and Control" is a slightly edgy electro-pop track, which again takes off on the very catchy chorus.



Electra Heart is a slightly disappointing record for me. Based on "Lies" and "Bubblegum Bitch" I was led to believe she was going to give us a brilliant pop album that would stand out from the crowd. Instead, we get a relatively safe record that sometimes leans towards greatness, but too often chooses a lazy path. If Marina is searching for top of the charts fame, she will likely achieve it with more music like this. If she wants a lasting career, it is the wrong path to take, as it puts her squarely in the middle of the pack, where she is likely to remain until the next batch of pop princesses make their move. Based on her first album and some selected tracks here, Marina can be distinctive as well as purely pop; I would suggest she needs to stop listening to her record label and make music that comes more from her, and less from her producers.

Rating Scale:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and piques one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.