Album- Electra Heart
Artist- Marina and
the Diamonds
So apparently Marina wanted to release Electra Heart under a
different moniker and embrace a pop artist identity. But her label persuaded
her to not do it, most prominently so that her more alternative fan base was
not alienated. But I kind of feel that anyone who has listened to Marina that
she has always had a pop sensibilities and most of her songs have that pop
undercurrent, and that it’s just natural for her to embrace that. And despite
this album being more pop orientated, I also feel that the album still has some
alternative sensibilities. Being a very concept driven record in which Marina
puts on different personas, has she created a massively great modern pop
record?
Track 1- Bubblegum
Bitch
The opening track is a bratty, in your face vitality in
which Marina puts on the kind of Rachel McAdams Mean Girls kind of persona and
boldly declares that she is going to be a bubblegum bitch, all the while using
sugary sweet imagery and stereotypical ideologies that make for a clichéd but
catchy listen, with the hook being a strong statement and highly catchy.
Vocally she keeps it on a simple level and lets the energy of the track really
do the work, with the production matching the lyrics in a great way in terms of
the fast paced drum beats and guitar riffs that make for an almost aggressive
but cool sound.
3.5/5
Track 2- Primadonna
The first Dr Luke collaboration is a strong pop orientated
affair with a cool dance energy that finds Marina vocally putting on the
persona of a diva kind of girl who lives for adoration. Lyrically the track was
inspired by a former beau who referred to Marina as a mega drama queen centred
in this need for global love, and so she taps into this quite superficial and undesirable
energy into the track to create a powerful hook within the chorus and a bratty
but sweet energy that shows the dual sides of this character in a strong way.
Luke brings his great pop sound to the track in a great way by allowing the
chorus to be a bit more stripped back, with simple piano melodies and a kind of
music box twinkling rhythm, then getting the powerful dance beats to be
unleashed in the verses and helping to emphasise this personas craving for
adoration. Vocally Marina is also great, employing a nice falsetto in the
chorus to make for a sugary sweet listen, and then going into a deeper register
for the verses to emphasise the calculated nature of this character. The melding
of the high vocals and dance beats at the end makes for a powerful finish that
should have you singing along by that point.
4.5/5
Track 3- Lies
The second Dr Luke collaboration is a simple electro pop
affair with a ballad feel and an emotional sound as a whole. The track opens
with simple layered vocals that give an almost haunting quality to the song,
and then Marina begins to fully sing in an emotionally loaded way. The vocals
are strong, particularly in terms of the slow lyrical stresses in the pre chorus
and the transition into a strong, higher register in the chorus. Lyrically the
track finds Marina singing about this relationship that has gone wrong, in
which the man is too proud to say things have gone wrong and everything is just
built on lies. It’s a simple ideology that is melded into a strong pop hook and
which taps into a mind-set that will be familiar to many people. Production
wise the song is strong in terms of maintaining the tone of the piece, with the
guitar riffs in the middle section being particularly potent and allowing for a
big finish, although the dance pop beats are perhaps potentially a little
overpowering in the chorus.
3.5/5
Track 4- Homewrecker
Opening with a radio crackling kind of voice over where
Marina speaks of the ways in which relationships and characters go in life,
before she boldly sings “And I don’t belong to anyone”. The song’s lyrics find
Marina putting on another persona in which she is basically the girl who sets
out to ruin relationships just because she thinks its fun. However whilst the
hook is a bold statement and has a catchy quality, the track is a little too
lyrically repetitive and is not as tight as the previous numbers, as she
vocally switches between powerfully sung hook to radio sounding spoken word verses
that just become annoying after a little while. The production however is
strong, being toned down in the verses to allow for a great kick in the chorus
with its booming bass line.
3/5
Track 5- Starring
Role
Here Marina brings a really emotionally loaded performance
in which she lyrically speaks of a relationship within the metaphorical
ideology of acting. In simple terms the track finds Marina singing about the
end of this relationship and how this guy just won’t really open up and has
just really messed up, so if she doesn’t get that place she wants in his heart
and mind (a.k.a. the starring role) then there is nothing in the relationship
for her. The lyrics are an intricate meshing of ideas and are really helped by
a strong vocal performance in which Marina really reaches into the higher
realms of her voice to give a sense of vulnerability to the number, whilst the
layering of her vocals works well in giving a sense of strength to match the
vulnerability. The production of the track is also another example of where the
producers really meld well with the lyrics and vocals, with the two beat music
box rhythm and the wind chime effect of the introduction making way for
clattering, forceful beats that in the pre chorus almost feel like they border
on dubstep, but instead throughout the song they keep the track in a light pop
territory, with the transition back to the simple beats and wind chimes in the
outro making for a nearly haunting finish.
3.5/5
Track 6- The State of
Dreaming
The delicate and dark energy continues with this track which
finds Marina employing the soft quality of her voice to great effect and
lyrically speaking of how she is living in this non-existent state where her
life is a play and she just is so much better in this life of make believe. The
track starts off in a vulnerable and haunting way before building into a big,
vocal and production driven number that reflects the dreaming ideology of the
track and beautifully taps into that notion that many people have of losing
themselves in their own minds. The big sound of the track comes through not
only in the vocal performance in which Marina really belts out the chorus, but
also in production with its booming bass and small moments of haunting violins.
And in giving us this sound Marina draws a great paradox in the record, drawing
a fine line between happiness and darkness and expressing how dreaming is both
a great and terrible thing to live life by.
3.5/5
Track 7- Power &
Control
This up tempo number is very much a dark fantasy kind of
piece that to me has an almost dark twisted fairy-tale aspect to it. Lyrically
the track is very light and basic, with the chorus being a powerful hook driven
section in which Marina takes the reins and tells her lover that she has a hold
of his heart and is the boss of this relationship. The tracks dark atmosphere
is brought out powerfully by the vocal performance, with the chorus being a
punchy layered vocal that offsets the more soft spoken verses in a impressive
and grand way. The production of Greg Kurstin is also brilliant, being toned
down in the choruses to simple electronic beats that still have a fast paced
energy, and then transitioning into booming bass beats in the chorus that
really strengthen the track and make it sound not only a catchy and dominant
listen but also a really believable statement.
4/5
Track 8- Living Dead
This electronic based number to me kind of has a eurhythmics
kind of a feel to it in terms of its sound, but however I wouldn’t say it is on
the same level as those tracks. The lyrics of the song talk of Marina living in
this state of where her life is just so monotonous and she hasn’t really
achieved much, and although it’s an ideology that people will connect with, the
hook isn’t as strong as her other tracks, and the sentiment feels a little bit
familiar in terms of the overall tone of the record. Vocally she is strong and
gives a punchy quality to the track through the way she switches between her
higher and lower registers, although the repetition in the track is annoying.
Production wise the track has a strong electronic base that keeps the track going
but doesn’t make it a really interesting listen.
2.5/5
Track 9- Teen Idle
Many people have noted the similarities of this track with
the music of Lana Del Ray, with Del Ray also stating that she was a fan of the
track. Whilst there are similarities, that does not mean this is not a Marina
song, and it’s definitely a rich peace that is an album highlight. The tracks
lyrics are paradoxical in terms of their embracement of innocence and darkness.
And lyrically it is just great in tapping into that search for identity in your
younger years, with Marina vocally bringing this ideology to the fore with
fragility to her voice and also highlighting the paradoxical qualities,
particularly within the cheerleading quality of the line “feeling super super
suicidal”. The production keeps the track on a simple but strong level, with
dark but minimal beats in the beginning and then a more forceful sound as the
track continues that builds and just borders on too powerful but manages to
sound good.
4/5
Track 10- Valley of
the Dolls
This more stripped back affair features simple drum beats
and an orchestral sound that gives gravitas to what Marina is singing. The
track is also cool in terms of highlighting how she is really good vocally, as
the production is kept on quite a simple level and so she shows her prowess by
vocally carrying the song, although the layering of her voice is a little bit
excessive. Lyrically the track is of a deeper grain and finds Marina singing of
this search for an identity, although the lack of a good hook, and perhaps if the song had gone
a little bit darker, means that it is a good but not great listen.
3/5
Track 11- Hypocrates
The title of the track might be a little bit misleading as
it suggests that the song has a powerful depth to it. However the track is
actually a very simple pop love and heartbreak song in which lyrically Marina
calls out this guy for telling her how to live her life and acting as if he is
perfect, thereby running the relationship effectively. Vocally she keeps a
light tone that shows vulnerability but also makes for a really chilled listen,
and in terms of production the track has more of an acoustic feel than the
other tracks, with light guitar riffs, simple piano melodies and nice drumbeats
that are a little stereotypical but also sound simple but effective.
3.5/5
Track 12- Fear and
Loathing
The final tracks title would suggest it finds Marina going
to a dark place musically, and indeed this is the case, but there is also a
touch of hope in this track as she lyrically expresses how she doesn’t want to
be in this negative state despite the fact that she very much is. The haunting production
is kept on a minimal level and here Marina just really purely sings to get the
message across. The last minute of the track with its echoing soundbite is
absolutely pointless, but all in all a strong end.
3.5/5
US Edition Track and
latest single release- How To Be A Heartbreaker
For a while this only existed on the albums American edition
but has finally been released in other territories, and I just really wanted to
highlight this song as I think it is a great pop number. Lyrically the song is
a kind of step by step from Marina on how to be a love tease and how to play
various guys, breaking people’s hearts and in the process never allowing yourself
to get hurt. The song has a vibrant tone and a strong pop hook, emphasising
that she would indeed make a very good, fully fledged pop artist. Vocally she
is really on point, with a light tone that keeps the flirtatious edge of the track
ticking along nicely and makes for a really enjoyable listen, with Dr Luke’s
production keep a nice dance and guitar based rhythm to the track that will
definitely make this a catchy number that doesn’t escape your head.
4/5
Final Review
In listening to this record I was fully in the mind-set that
she could both incorporate her alternative quirks with modern pop
sensibilities. But in listening to the record as a whole, I feel that she is an
artist torn between wanting to become a pop star and wanting to remain in the
roots of her music that got her noticed. And whilst in certain cases it works,
as a whole the record feels torn, with the latter half being to down tempo and
serious in tone, even if this does make for some great music. So for the next
record she need to add more variation, give a bit more up tempo dance energy to
the record, and fully decide who she wants to be as an artist.
6/10
Best Track- Primadonna Worst Track- Living Dead
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