Wednesday JAM

Jams I’ve been digging...

For a very, very long time, the world has tried to get me to like Marina and the Diamonds. But it just wasn’t working. I first came across Marina in an article for Tatler about her and her fellow artistic flatmates in their uber coole flat.  At least; I’m sure there was an article but having just spent the better part of an hour searching for it through my old magazines I can’t find it anywhere. The article exists or I’d never of heard about them, and I’m pretty sure it was Tatler because, really, who else? An article about three hip beautiful rich creatives in London? Tatler. And remember I was like… She’s super pretty; she must make great music. And I tried them and I was so wrong. It was like strangled electronica painted pink and wrapped in tissue that smalls vaguely of frangipani and spills glitter EVERYWHERE when you open it; and not in a magical way. In a decidedly annoying way. And for about a year that was it. And then I was listening to Azelia Banks and Princess Chelsea and Youtube was like: You are going to LOVE Marina and the Diamonds and I was like. Meh, maybe. After all, it took me a while to like Gary Numan. But I tried her again- I think I listened to Primadonna? And I said No deal, Noel. It just didn’t happen. And then she started getting all popular and I read about them in a couple of magazines and I was like… pffft. No. But then, just last week, I was dancing around my room doing my makeup and getting dressed in the silliest clothes I own when I gave her another shot and it all clicked.

Marina and the Diamonds is like- everything you want to be, if you’re me. Incredibly famous without too much work; incredibly gorgeous; fairly talented; feminist and fashionable; and the music makes you want to dance. You will probably hate her; unless you are a fifteen year old girl or a fan of Lana del Rey. I find her more irreverent than Lana D and when I listen to Homewrecker or Hollywood I’m vaguely reminded of Amanda Palmer in her ‘Yay Pop Culture!’ moments. I mean. They aren’t GOOD. I don’t think they’re hugely memorable or bring anything very new to the music industry but they’re FABULOUS. Marina is a sort of pin up version of Katie McGrath. (I’m reviewing Katie next week if you don’t know who she is. I don’t want to spoil the fun but it is a hugely favourable review. She might get 5 stars.) I liked her better all sexual with the dark hair like when I first came across her. The new blond look makes her seem younger and all wide eyed silliness. She doesn’t seem as strong and grown up which is possibly the point. Go to her Wikipedia page if you want to read the psychology behind her latest album; Electra Heart. It’ll be as accurate as I am.

It’s just fun. Isn’t it fun? She’s like. Watch me teenage girls; life is full of bubbles and high heels if you only look for them. I don’t think music taste means anything so I don’t feel bad saying I am having a lot of fun with many of her tracks- but not all of them. I still can’t get into Primadonna. There must be something in her indie beginnings which means she doesn’t seem to try as hard as Katy Perry or Nicki Minaj because it does feel more organically created. The acoustic versions maybe feel less so but those are the result of a bigger budget and more fame, I imagine, so it’s hardly surprising. My main complaint would be the whiteness of it all but that’s pretty much a ubiquitous complaint with everything ever. In many ways Marina and the Diamonds are a fantastic accompaniment to the HBO series Girls. They both manage to be indie enough for you to feel kind of proud of watching but mainstream enough for people not to go ‘You’re such an indie fuck’ when you mention that you like them.

I know I may have marginalised her to frilly pop for dancing to but I do have to add: Marina has one hell of a voice. Something about these Welsh girls, I don’t know. To be clear, I’m a singer and I judge a lot on whether a female singer can actually sing or if she’s just a cute pixie with a breathy sound. (Here’s looking at you Cults.) And Marina’s voice sounds classically trained to me. Which makes me she may have at least studied at school and I respect respect for music: by actually studying an instrument. I think passion only gets you so far; at least it can get you SO FAR but you won’t have the integrity as a musician unless you can be bothered to study. Which definitely isn’t the point of Marina but hey. 

I’ve been digging Marina and The Diamonds and I’m not ashamed.