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'Electra Heart' by Marina & the Diamonds

Over the course of several years, my musical tastes have dramatically changed as I’ve grown older, but one artist that I’ve never stopped appreciating is the singer-songwriter Marina Diamandis, better known by her stage name, Marina & the Diamonds. I first found Marina from a friend on this very website, and have loved her music, and her own changes in musical direction, from the first time I heard “Hollywood”.

On the last day in April this year, Marina’s second album ‘Electra Heart’ was released, after a build-up based on her YouTube channel that spanned several months. In her project known as ‘The Archetypes’ she released several demos and acoustic versions of upcoming songs that would feature on the album, showing her develop from brunette to ‘bottle blonde’ in a matter of videos. For weeks, I was beyond excited for ‘Electra Heart’, and finally, on the 1st May, it arrived.

The album is a well-refined, beautifully-produced lyrical masterpiece which improves with each song. Though the sound is at complete odds to her first album, Marina still delivers the key aspects relative to her own unique style.

1. Bubblegum Bitch

The first song on any album usually makes the greatest impression; indeed, this song jumps straight into the action with a catchy riff and simple, clever lyrics that help to show off her vocal talent, even with such a straightforward song. The chorus is particularly infectious: I’m miss sugar pink, liquor liquor lips/hit me with your sweet love, steal me with a kiss are fairly plain but nevertheless easy to sing along to. Generally, the song is fun and silly. 7/10

2. Primadonna

The first single from the album, Primadonna showcased to her fans the new direction she’d taken. Another simple, poppy song, the song is equally easy to sing along to – I find personally that the higher Marina goes pitch-wise, the more fun it is to sing along with. The song seems to follow on from ‘Hollywood’, taking a satirical approach to the primadonnas of the music and film industries. Again, the lyrics are extremely clever, albeit very flat in terms of meaning, and yet Marina still manages to turn the whole experience into something fun and silly. 7/10

3. Lies

Lies has to be one of my favourite songs on the album. It moves away from the easygoing lyrics of the first two songs, delving deeper into a story of unrequited love. The chorus is beautifully sung and incredibly emotional: I just wanted to be perfect/to believe it’s all been worth the fight/lies, don’t wanna know, don’t wanna know. It is also incredible sung acoustically, a performance of which can be found here. Overall, Lies is an unbelievable song, and one of my favourites by Marina overall. 9/10

4. Homewrecker

When I first listened to Homewrecker, I have to admit that I was a little disappointed, though it’s grown on me the more times I’ve listened to it. I think my initial problem with it was the lack of actual singing in the verses, which is entirely spoken, but the chorus is incredibly catchy and I’ve spent many hours attempting to get it out of my head. Again, Marina’s lyrics are flawless: Girls and their pearls and their gourmet vomit/Boys and their toys and their six-inch rockets, for example, is one of my favourites. In the bridge of the song, Marina’s vocal talents are explored as she dives from incredibly high to incredibly low in a matter of words. 6/10

5. Starring Role

Starring Role is another of my favourites from the album, and perhaps one of my favourite songs altogether. Perhaps because of its significance to my own life, perhaps because of the lyrics and vocals – probably because of both these things – it struck an impact on me from the first time I heard the demo on her YouTube channel. The lyrics are phenomenal (I’m going to be saying that a lot, so get used to it) and overall, the song stands out clearly as one of the best songs she’s ever written. 10/10

6. The State of Dreaming

I thought I had heard this song, labelled as ‘The Archetypes’ on her YouTube channel, but it has been drastically improved since I last heard it. Not particularly musically-driven, this song is however a lyrical strong-point in the album. As the songs progress from this point in the album, they generally stray further away from Bubblegum Bitch and Primadonna, but I think this could also be seen as her own personal growth as an artist. Generally, I have more respect for these songs, and The State of Dreaming is no exception. 8/10

7. Power & Control

The organ/piano riff at the start of this song is definitely intriguing, to say the least. Marina’s vocals are incredibly strong in this particular song; one of my favourite lyrics is: Yeah you make me good-looking but you’re not a piece of art, purely because of the way she sings it. Power & Control is another song that expands Marina’s musical range, showing an entirely different side to her, her music and her lyrics altogether. 8/10

8. Living Dead

The beginning of Living Dead has a resemblance to ’80s synthesiser riffs, and indeed this whole song has echoes of that particular genre of music. It’s a particular favourite of mine from the album, equally because of its lyrics, and because of the middle-eight of the song, which contains some of the best vocals I’ve ever heard. 8/10

9. Teen Idle

Teen Idle is without a doubt another stunning song. I could talk about it for hours: the simple melody, combined with Marina’s innocent singing, makes for an excellent, reflective song. The middle-eight is perhaps my favourite piece of the song, and there’s nothing else I can do but quote it entirely because it has brought me to tears on occasion.

I wish I wasn’t such a narcissist,
I wish I didn’t really kiss the mirror
When I’m on my own
Oh God, I’m gonna die alone
Adolescence didn’t make sense
A little loss of innocence
The ugly years of being a fool
Ain’t youth meant to be beautiful?

10/10

10. Valley of the Dolls

An understated victory in terms of music, this song is particularly catchy because of its ethereal, otherworldly tune and presumably Greek influence. When I first heard this song, I was struck by the distinct difference of it to the other songs preceding it. This is another stepping stone in terms of development for Marina, exploring the metaphorical as opposed to literal side of lyrics. 10/10

11. Hypocrates

This song didn’t make much of an impact on me at first: the poppy tune and somewhat ‘cheesy’ guitars made for an instant skipper. But as I started to listen to the album in more depth, I began to appreciate this song from more than a musical point of view. Yes, I’m talking about the lyrics again. The chorus is particularly infectious: Who are you to tell me, tell me/who to, to be, to be? 7/10

12. Fear and Loathing

What can I say about this song that wouldn’t wholly underestimate its significance to my life? When I started to listen to the ‘The Archetypes’ project on YouTube I was immediately struck dumb by the lyrical and vocal perfection that is Fear and Loathing. The unfinished version here displays a lot of the aspects that I particularly like – the Morse code at the start spells strangers, for example – but the album also has an extra snippet and second chorus that adds to the overall feel. After a quick trip to Marina’s Twitter account I found the relevance of the singing at the end of the song: the voice belongs to her Greek grandmother, singing a beautiful and haunting song. Honestly, if there’s one song you have to listen to by Marina & the Diamonds, it’s this one. 10/10

13. Radioactive

From this song onwards, the last songs on the album are only available on the deluxe edition of ‘Electra Heart’.

Radioactive was what I thought would be the first single from ‘Electra Heart’, but despite its generally good reviews, it was not selected to appear on the standard album. However, it’s still a wonderful song, if reminiscent of the simplicity of the first few songs on the album. Her vocals are much stronger, however, than some songs: particularly in the lines Tonight I feel like neon gold/I take one look at you and I grow cold is this evident. Though fairly simplistic, Radioactive is a catchy song with wonderful lyrics. 8/10

14. Sex Yeah

Though I was initially a little doubtful of the song from the title (which could admittedly have been improved) this song is incredibly well-written and deals with a lot of important issues in today’s society. The guitars and backing vocals are particularly strong in this song and it’s an overall success. 9/10

15. Lonely Hearts Club

This is possibly one of my least favourite songs on the album, but that doesn’t say much because I still like it. It’s reminiscent of her very first demos before ‘The Family Jewels’, with the angry, quick tune, but nevertheless, it’s quite fun to sing along to, but really nothing special. 6/10

16. Buy the Stars

Another one of Marina’s best songs and a clear display of her vocal talent. With only her piano to back her up, this is definitely the most heartfelt song on the album, and a heavily recommended example of just how good she can be. The lyrics are excellent –You’re buying stars to shut out the light/We come alone and alone we die, for example. With the melody and piano, it reminds me a little of the song Numb from The Family Jewels, which was another favourite of mine. An excellent way to round off the deluxe album, and a beautiful song to listen to. 10/10

Overall, ‘Electra Heart’ has not disappointed me. Several of my favourite songs of all time are on this one CD and it’s definitely not been a purchase I regret making. Check out ‘The Archetypes’ on YouTube, especially her acoustic versions. I guarantee that Marina & the Diamonds will make an impression on you.