Marina and the Diamonds – The Family Jewels

Marina Diamandis is one seriously on-trend girl. A tidal wave of hype borne from her awesome 2009 singles ‘I Am Not A Robot’ and ‘Mowgli’s Road’ means the half Welsh half Greek songstress has a lot to live up to. One thing, upon listening to her debut full-lenth, is certain; Marina’s star (or her diamond) is sure to shine very brightly indeed throughout twenty-ten.Despite the surprisingly varied singles, The Family Jewels (TFJ) is a consistent album of seemingly disparate songs, tied together by Marina’s distinct vocal quirks and lyrical themes. Those, and the fact they’re all seriously good.TFJ starts off in up-tempo, eager to impress mode, ‘Are You Satisfied?’ and ‘Shampain’ both full of multi-part harmonies and major crescendos, foot-tapping beats and distorted power-chords. It’s not until stand out, downtempo third track (as a rule, the best track on any album) ‘I Am Not A Robot’ that Marina really shows what she’s capable of.If you’ve somehow avoided hearing it, you’ll want to know it begins with a quirky, hook laden vocal line set to simple piano hits a la Regina (in her prime no less) before fizzling into an utterly charming chorus. It’s also this track that first truly displays her vocal versatility; moments of rapid vibrato, sexy semi-whispers and a respectable range that would be meaningless but for an ear for a brilliant melody, which she most definitely has.The lyrics are perhaps the most striking string of Marina’s bow. "Look like a girl but I think like a guy" she professes, probably aware of her inevitable, commercial sexualization in the media. Then: "I’m obsessed with the mess that is America" she pouts (in ‘Hollywood’) "He said oh my God you look just like Shakira, no no you’re Katherine Zeta / Actually my name’s Marina".I’m not suggesting they’re particularly subtle or poetic, but they’re always believable and often surprisingly wry and well observed. Revolving as they do around her rapid ascension to semi-fame and her obvious preoccupation with the culture of celebrity, they add real personality to the melodies. If nothing else they mark her as a tom boy that writes cool lyrics about sleazy guys and wanting to eat apple pies instead of yoghurts.The album, as aforementioned, encompasses a lot of different styles throughout it’s forty minutes, from straight up electro pop to piano led to what can only be described as the glam rock of ‘Hollywood’. It is ‘Mowgli’s Road’ that epitomizes her sound, image and style. An absolutely gorgeous powerhouse of an alt. pop song, characterized by the bizarre image of her ‘scooping [her] way into your dreams’, a killer hook and assorted jungle noises. If it all, it will be the moment you fall utterly in love with Marina.Marina and The Diamonds’ debut is much hyped, preceded by great singles, and will drop at a time when there is an absolute dearth of incredibly talented female solo acts. What Marina Diamandis demands and deserves is that she not be lumped in with the rest.Marina might be enjoying a media buoyed rise to fame at breakneck pace, but she’s keen to remind you that she works bloody hard for it. This album represents a definite accomplishment, Marina’s arrival as a mainstay on the scene; the only challenge that awaits her now is longevity, but for the time being she assuredly deserves to let her hair down a little and rest on her considerable laurels.