Marina and The Diamonds – The Crown Jewels EP
Marina and The Diamonds
Operating quietly under the mysterious hype radar that identified the ones to watch in 2009, Marina and The Diamonds follow up the well received single ‘Obsessions’ with ‘The Crown Jewels EP’. There is usually an act that arrives seemingly from nowhere to much fanfare and confetti, and since this brief EP is packed with hooks, perfect for repeated radio play there is a genuine sense that something big could be coming around the corner, the next pop juggernaut.
A lot of fellow scribes are making comparisons between Marina and Kate Bush, though she is perhaps best described as sharing vocal qualities with Feist, Amanda Palmer and Gwen Stefani. I am rather taken by the dreamlike quality of ‘I Am Not A Robot’ that cleverly covers personal vulnerabilities. The song is empowering without dwelling in cliché. Marina’s vocal quirks are clever rather than annoying.
‘Seventeen’ bounds along like an energetic puppy. In terms of content it is Kate Nash without the glaring falseness. Yes, in terms of subject matter this is your run-of-the-mill tale of boy trouble, and in less capable hands this kind of tune would be horrible. The difference is that Marina has the ability to cover new ground; there is a compositional cleverness that allows the song to catch the wind kite-like and soar.
‘Simplify’ is stripped back in terms of production values, just voice and piano. A useful alternative to ‘I Am Not A Robot’ and ‘Seventeen’ in that it does away with all the gimmicks, proving when required Marina can do serious. This versatility could hold her in good stead when it comes to crafting a full length album.
These songs have bucket loads of character; they are vivid, moving and powerful. To get a bitter pop cynic like me to offer such praise is really quite something.
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