Marina and the Diamonds – The Family Jewels

After really loving all of her singles Marina had a lot to live up to when it came to releasing the album. Luckily The Family Jewels is a very strong debut. At its high points, of which there are many, it’s thoughtful and beautiful combining honest lyrics with catchy choruses and melodic piano. On the other hand it’s not perfect.

Are You Satisfied channels an Elizabethan ball while going on about what it takes to be satisfied. Shampain and Oh No! are its huge pop moments. Oh No! is especially big and brilliant and we’re so glad that this very late addition was included on the album since it’s easily a contender to be a very good single. Previous singles I Am Not a Robot and Obsessions are really wonderful and delicate and lyrically brilliant but sometimes get lost because there is so much going on on the album. There is also the terrific Hollywood, about dreaming the American dream because it’s better than an average life, Mowgli’s Road, about the music business and The Outsider, about being an outsider.

On the other hand, on Girls Marina trills “I look like a girl but I think like a guy” convinced that she must be a man trapped in a woman’s body and throughout the song Marina seems to think that the opposite of a shallow and vain person is a man. This is frustratingly completely at odds with the feminist image she’s pushing. Also, as much as being honest about yourself and the way you feel is a brilliant and rare thing, in some songs, like Numb, sometimes it’s better to sacrifice that for a more interesting song.

It’s a brilliant album and it’s a shame it trails off at the end. With thirteen songs on the album perhaps two or three songs could have been left off for a more perfect album. On the other hand it’s packed with a lot of perfect songs and there is no doubting Marina as a great lyricist or performer who, despite what anyone else says, is unique and relevant in today’s musical landscape.