Feb 12 2010 12:41 pm,
Marina And The Diamonds
‘The Family Jewels’
(679/Atlantic)
The Fly can already hear the sharpening of knives for Marina Diamandis. Her crime? Writing her own music and wanting to be hugely successful. Indie snobs are an unforgiving lot you see, so we’re going to block them out for a second (which is waaay nicer than they deserve) to tell you that the 24 year-old singer has made a corker of a pop debut. The production team of Liam Howe (ex-Sneaker Pimps), Biff Stannard (Kylie) and Pascal Gabriel (Ladyhawke) should give a good idea of what to expect from ‘The Family Jewels’; all whopping choruses and swooping melodies to slick electro and plink plonk piano backing. It’s infectious stuff, not quite as thrilling as Gaga mind, but it’s definitely getting there.
The only sticking point is the odd clanger of a lyric which crops up particularly on the more ‘serious issue’-based offerings – ‘Girls’ for example, with its line “look like a girl but I think like a guy, not ladylike to behave like a slime” sadly reeks of cringeworthy oversimplified feminism. Not doing the cause a lot of good there, lady. Despite this, the record is hugely entertaining; a joyful romp through quirky pop-ville in fact. She’s no Kate Bush, who she’s relentlessly compared to, but then really, who is?
Camilla Pia
