Marina - The Family Jewels


  1. Are You Satisfied - Damn, right out of the gate and she’s already on fire. This song is awesome.
  2. Shampain - another sweet song, the hook at times reminds me of ABBA, and I love all the little flourishes throughout the song.
  3. I Am Not A Robot - this is pretty cool, kinda delves in certain things I dislike with most pop but makes it work.
  4. Girls - fuck this is so biting I love it. Really feisty attitude with this one and it’s awesome. I’m loving her vocals too, they keep evolving with every track.
  5. Mowgli’s Road - not too sure about the lyrics here but damn I’m digging the vibe.
  6. Obsessions - once more I’m digging it. Not really a flashy song but it’s so cool.
  7. Hollywood - I’m digging the snarky dance vibe here and it’s another hook that’s kinda ABBAesque.
  8. The Outsider - “I’m a fucking wild card.” Yes yes yes because I did not expect such a quality album as a DEBUT!!!!
  9. Guilty - the vibes are what make this song. Lyrics I’m not too sure about but the vibe is great.
  10. Hermit The Frog - cool title, and the entire song is just so cool. Damn this album’s good.
  11. Oh No! - “tv taught me how to feel now real life has no appeal” fuck
  12. Seventeen - great
  13. Numb - this one goes a little long but it’s pretty good still.
Shit this was a fucking yes album crap TO CONCLUDE: I loved this.


Rating: 95%
 
Well, so that's that...

Huh. I wasn't expecting this album to sound like this at all. I liked it, I dig her style, and while there are one or two songs I most definitely did not like, I thought it was a solid effort overall. I didn't love it nowhere near as much as you did though. I didn't like "Mowgli's Road", thought it felt completely misplaced and was a real letdown after the first four tracks (all of which were so strong, "Shampain" being the standout for me). I believe "The Outsider" was the other one I disliked.

I agree about "Guilty", the lyrics are very cheesy, but the vibe more than makes up for it. "Oh No!" has what might be the catchiest and most memorable hook in the album, and "Numb" just rounds the whole thing off perfectly.

Overall, I think the album might grow on me with future listens. I'm impressed, I'd be lying if I said otherwise, but it didn't quite grab me on first listen.

I give it a 6/10.
 
Huh

EDIT: there were actually several times where I thought the album was gonna dip but the songs ended up being great after all
 
Now, I'm excited for Electra Heart. From what I've seen, it's a concept album and a near 180 shift from the sound that's found in The Family Jewels. It appears to be more electropop and dance-pop oriented, which is more my thing.
 
Marina - Electra Heart


All scores out of 5.


  1. Bubblegum Bitch - good opener but it’s not really blowing my mind or anything. Very solid though. 4
  2. Primadonna - it’s solid but I’m not really feeling this song. Don’t think I like this new style of hers as much as I did that of the first album. 3
  3. Lies - yeah same sort of thing as the previous song. 3
  4. Homewrecker - digging the intro. The chorus is solid. Better than the previous two songs. 3.5
  5. Starring Role - wow, best song so far. Great lyrics, great vibe, bridge was excellent. 4.5
  6. The State Of Dreaming - The beginning was awesome but as soon as the beat kicked in it kinda fell. Good but could’ve been better. 4
  7. Power & Control - liking the ABBA vibes I’m getting but it smacks of filler. 2.5
  8. Living Dead - I’m loving this one. Relatable lyrics, cool beat, great song. 5
  9. Teen Idle - these lyrics are fucking amazing. 5
  10. Valley of the Dolls - I like it, but the chorus isn’t blowing me out of the water quite enough. 4
  11. Hypocrates - nice to hear guitars. Very nice song. 4.5
  12. Fear And Loathing - goes on for a bit too long and the chorus feels weak, but it’s otherwise solid. 3
  13. Radioactive - The Firm and Imagine Dragons did it better. Decent but repetitive. 3
  14. Sex Yeah - dig it. Smart lyrics help a lot. 4.5
  15. Lonely Hearts Club - undoubtedly a bonus track but it’s got a nice chorus. 3
  16. Buy The Stars - quite a nice song. Quite beautiful in ways. 4
  17. How To Be A Heartbreaker - good closer, not mindblowing but I liked it. 3.5

Step down from the previous album. Inconsistent, some good stuff, some meh stuff. Hopefully Froot is better.


Rating: 75%
 
It depends on the artist. Usually I do well with an out of 10 scale, but I think my feelings were better represented out of 5 yesterday.
 
It depends on the artist. Usually I do well with an out of 10 scale, but I think my feelings were better represented out of 5 yesterday.

Just a thought - if you have a five point system with half points, isn't that basically the same as a ten point system?
 
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