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A bit of background to this album to begin with. 'Electra Heart' is a persona created by Marina (and described as the antithesis to everything Marina stands for) used to tell a story of self-corruption. As a result, this album feels darker than 'The Family Jewels' (Marina's first album).
We begin with "Bubblegum Bitch": an in-your-face, self-centered song that serves as a brilliant opener to the album and gives a clear insight into the character of Electra Heart. Next up is "Primadonna", an instant classic that hits the heights of "Hollywood" from the first album. A 'celebration' of materialism, hedonism and the absolute desire to be famous. "Lies" feels like it probably should have been a single, it's that good. A sad reflection on a past partner who seemed to lack the courage to tell the truth or say how he really felt. "Homewrecker" follows and is a very catchy track where Electra Heart boasts about her ability to "break hearts for fun".
As we approach the middle section of the album, "Starring Role" and "The State of Dreaming" are probably the least catchy songs, but are fascinating insights into the eponymous character. The pace picks up again slightly with "Power & Control", a memorable song about the constant power struggle in a relationship, however the tone only dips from this point.
"Teen Idle" reflects mournfully on the wasted years of youth, obsessing over popularity. "Valley of the Dolls" appears to be about the book of the same name which I must confess I haven't read, but the dark tone is once again palpable. "Hypocrates" is another of Marina's clever portmanteaux combining the word 'hypocrite' and the ancient Greek physician 'Hippocrates'. Here, Electra Heart seems to be realising that she has failed to achieve the "American Dream" and attacks the hypocrisy of showbusiness. In my view, the best song of the album is saved for last. "Fear and Loathing" is a deeply moving song about anxiety and depression, aided by Marina's breathtaking vocals.
By the end, you realise this is a rather brutal album as you witness the rise and fall of Electra Heart. Marina may have only released two albums to date but it's difficult to see how this won't always be considered her magnum opus. A truly brilliant display of songwriting, production and vocals. One of the best pop/alternative pop albums I've ever had the privilege to listen to.
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Product description
Product Description
Electra Heart is the second album from Marina Diamandis, better known as Marina and the Diamonds. It is tasked with maintaining the standards of her debut album The Family Jewels and is produced by a cache of old school and A-List producers: Dr Luke (Katy Perry) and Liam Howe (Sneaker Pimps) but mostly (9 out of 12 songs) Greg Kurstin (Lily Allen, Kylie) and Rick Nowels (Madonna, Stevie Nicks, Lykke Li). The deluxe edition includes four bonus tracks.
Review
Marina Diamondis, aka Marina and the Diamonds, doesn't make things easy for herself. For her follow-up to 2010's excellent debut The Family Jewels, she's created a sort of semi-concept album about female identity, focusing on various character types (Bubblegum Bitch, Homewrecker, Teen Idle etc) and disseminating their traits over throbbing electropop and plaintive piano. Songs focus on a recent breakup, creating a strange dichotomy between tracks that want to be enjoyed from a distance, almost ironically, and those that pull you sharply into her world.
Opening with the fizzing, Avril Lavigne-like stomp of Bubblegum Bitch, a sort of intro to the concept (“Dear diary, we fell apart, welcome to the life of Electra Heart”), it's an album that takes the template of The Family Jewels – slightly off-centre pop songs with dramatic vocals – and refines it. First single Primadonna, produced by pop behemoth Dr Luke, keeps a lot of Marina's charm but bolts it onto a big reverberating beat that explodes into a sky-scraping chorus. The State of Dreaming sounds like Kate Bush (sorry, sorry) fronting Coldplay, while the vampy Homewrecker mixes spoken-word verses with a stompy chorus of “I broke a million hearts just for fun”.
But it's when she's dealing directly with her emotions that Electra Heart shines brightest. Lies – given extra gloom wobble sadness by Diplo – unpicks a relationship falling apart in devastating detail, with Marina's unique voice pushed to the front as the entire song seems to sigh and shrug to an end. Similarly, Starring Role is heart-rending in its simplicity, Marina exposing herself (musically speaking) over a toy box piano riff and drum patters. Perhaps Electra Heart's oddest moment is Teen Idle, wherein the album's two opposing sides merge to create something singular. “I wish I'd been a teen idol, wish I'd been a prom queen fighting for the title / Instead of being 16 and burning up a Bible, feeling super super super suicidal” she sings in a childlike falsetto as a million Marinas repeat the “super super super suicidal” refrain like some mawkish choir.
There are moments where the songs themselves aren't quite interesting enough to prop up Marina's voice; and the inclusion of the teaser single Radioactive would have perked up a second half that sags slightly. But these are minor quibbles. Electra Heart manages to balance the ironic and the heartfelt, the quirky and the mainstream, the real and the fake with remarkable aplomb.
--Michael Cragg
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