Marina and the Diamonds
The Family Jewels
(Chop Shop/679)
Releasing: 22 February (UK) / 25 May (US)
On Marina Diamandis’ MySpace, she asks herself a simple yet penetrating question, one any young artist who is looking to build a fan base without having to submit to the confines of the tabloid mainstream might ask themselves: “Can you be within popular culture without becoming it?”
The query could be considered rhetorical. However, after close inspection of Diamandis’ lyrics, you slowly begin to think otherwise. (Case in point: on her song “Hollywood” she boasts “I’m obsessed with the mess that’s America”.) Marina Diamandis, better known as Marina and the Diamonds (she is a solo act; the Diamonds is a reference to her fans), is a burgeoning singer-songwriter of Greek-Welsh descent who has already made a big splash on the UK pop music scene. Her first studio album, The Family Jewels, debuted at number five on the Britain charts back in February. The record will see its US release on May 25.
SONG LIST
01 Are You Satisfied?
02 Shampain
03 I Am Not a Robot
04 Girls
05 Mowgli’s Road
06 Obsessions
07 Hollywood
08 The Outsider
09 Hermit the Frog
10 Oh No!
11 Rootless
12 Numb
13 Guilty
14 The Family Jewels (iTunes Bonus Track)
