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In small doses Marina can be magnificent. Her first major label single, Mowgli’s Road, includes insane lyrics about cutlery (“Ten silver spoons coming after me”), the beats and pacing of Green Day’s Hitchin’ a Ride, and Tori Amos-ish baroque soundscapes and wild animal noises. It’s as much Lord of the Flies as The Jungle Book. Guilty is just as interesting: bursts of harpsichord, beats more at home on a Burial record, looped background vocal motifs and perhaps Marina’s best vocal performance on the album. And recent single Hollywood may sound as bombastic and ridiculous as Arnie driving a Humvee through a plate glass window, but it’s superbly enjoyable.
The consistently diverting changes in style across the album are fine – the wonky 80s shoulder-pad pop of The Outsider is nothing like anything else here, for example. But over 13 songs of Sparks-voice and many similar staccato piano riffs listeners may feel bludgeoned by Marina and her slightly overbearing presence. On Oh No! she sings, “Don’t do love, don’t do friends / I’m only after success, don’t need a relationship.” Then there’s the opener, Are You Satisfied: “It’s not my problem / is my problem / that I never am happy / my problem is my problem on how fast I will succeed.” Ambition and talent is useful, but a having a massive ego and being friendless is not. Hopefully she’s just singing in character.
Judging by the auspicious critical and commercial reception to Hollywood, there will be many who find a great deal to love about Marina and her whacky voice; but there will be just as many who despise her. A tiny minority may be indifferent, but like Mika, the male act whose songs sound most like those on The Family Jewels, the Abergavenny-born singer will mostly polarise opinion. --Lou Thomas
Find more music at the BBC This link will take you off Amazon in a new window
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Customer Reviews
You really need to try this album. Rare that people say this and are right, but you will thank yourself you did.
I only dip into pop music very occasionally, and it's rare that I find an entire album I enjoy, but you can't beat pop music for an instant sugary hit. This album is an excellent example of pop at it's best. Marina has a unique vocal style and large vocal range, the album is full of memorable tunes, and the production is excellent and rewards repeated listening.
If I manage to find just two more pop albums I enjoy this much within the next 12 months I'd be amazed and overjoyed.
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