Flashback Friday - Marina and the Diamonds - 'Mowgli's Road'

Is it that time of week again already? It feels like barely five minutes since I did this post last week. Anyways, here we are and if you're British you'll know that our promising looking summer has dissipated into perpetual GLOOM. Perhaps I cursed us all by posting that summer playlist a tad too early.

This week, I've been listening to a lot of Marina because - let's face it - when is there ever a wrong time to listen to Marina? Those unacquainted with her pre-Electra Heart efforts will find themselves met with a less mainstream sound which, whilst still electronic, is far more piano based, as seen in songs such as 'Obsessions', 'Hermit The Frog', 'Numb' and 'Guilty'. 'Mowgli's Road'  - the first single taken from Marina's 2009 debut, The Family Jewels - is easily one of the singer's most bizarre, seeing her cuckoo (literally) her way through three minutes of cartoonish shtick that is reminiscent of a Noughties Kate Bush. As always, Marina's voice is her best asset which - though no doubt irritating for some - is capable of many feats, her whooping vibrato channeling many a character as she embodies her role as a lost Mowgli, stumbling along the path of life unsure of their aim, with the lyrics 'There's a fork in the road/ I'll do as I'm told/ Well I don't know (don't know, don't know, don't know)/ Who I wanna be' reinforcing this dilemma of being controlled - most likely by her label - in her quest for recognition.

Marina is currently touring the US in support of her second album Electra Heart (which is out now), along with support from  Charli XCX.

Do you like Marina? Which do you prefer - her first album or Electra Heart? What is your favourite Marina song?

http://www.marinaandthediamonds.com/
https://twitter.com/MarinasDiamonds
https://www.facebook.com/marinaandthediamonds
https://soundcloud.com/marina-and-the-diamonds

New Waves.. Marina and the Diamonds & Charli XCX - 'Just Desserts'

I must say that seeing this on my Twitter feed today was rather unexpected, but after I saw Marina (of Diamond ilk) post about getting ready to drop a track that she recorded with Charli XCX, I got more than a tad excited; two of may favourite pop artists collaborating!? What on Earth could be better?

The song - 'Just Desserts' - sounds like a perfect blend of the two singers, combining Marina's dark electronic pop with Charli's quirky delivery. Whilst Marina's voice is unique, Charli's contribution manages to compliment it, whilst many other voices wouldn't have been able to pull it off without it sounding more than a bit awkward; however, that said, at times it get a little difficult to differentiate between the two voices.

As for the song itself, it grows with each listen, however it definitely feels as though it is leaning closer to the Marina side of the fence, and 'Just Desserts' would have been perfectly at home slap bang in the middle of Marina's 2012 concept album, Electra Heart. Lyrically, the content is similar - in this instance, an ode to revenge - with Charli declaring in a sickly sweet manner 'Yeah baby, I know that it hurts when you're about to get your just desserts'. For fans of either or both of the singers, the song is definitely an unexpected treat!

What do you think of 'Just Desserts'? Do you like Marina or Charli XCX? Was it a collaboration worth having?

http://www.marinaandthediamonds.com/
https://twitter.com/MarinasDiamonds
https://www.facebook.com/marinaandthediamonds

http://www.charlixcxmusic.com/
https://www.facebook.com/charlixcxmusic
https://twitter.com/charli_xcx

Rapid Review.. Ellie Goulding - 'Halcyon'

Again, not so rapid! Apologies, apologies! It's my own fault, recently I've just been trying to keep on top of reading and seeing family and friends and the boyf and generally pondering the point of my own existence to really commit to on here, or writing and drawing or anything of purpose in general.

I know, I know, by my own admission, my excuses are getting old, and now I appear to be rambling, but a combination of all of these little things led me to not keeping up to date with music in general, procrastination for the nation!

(Deeeeep breath!) To la review!

Ellie Goulding's woken up!

Her second album, Halcyon, far surpasses both her début and extended editions (Lights and Bright Lights - old old review!) which, similarly to Marina and the Diamonds' The Family Jewels and Electra Heart, slips into an unsatisfying mid-tempo slumber a third in. Halcyon, however, is slathered in synths, and as much as Goulding denies boyfriend, Skrillex's influence on her work, it can't be denied, as this is an oddly workable combination of folk-pop and commercial dubstep.

Luckily, there are many songs superior to the aggravatingly repetitive 'Anything Can Happen', and why she chose that as the lead single, I'll never know. 'Figure 8' for example, is far superior and immediate and would sound huge live. That said, this entire album is far more upbeat and memorable; the gems are surprisingly again hidden on the deluxe release, namely 'Ritual', 'In My City' and 'Without Your Love' all being brilliant additions.

A few collaborations are snuck in here too, the Calvin Harris song 'I Believe Your Love', as well as the teaser track that Goulding released a few months back, 'Hanging On' (feat. Tinie Tempah (review here!), is also on here, as well as an alternate, albeit un-extended version of the track minus his cliché rap efforts.

Forgetting those, it is worth a second to state that Halcyon appears a far more mature and experimental effort than the first; at times it is dark and haunting in sound ('Don't Say A Word'), whilst lyrically it seems less naive, but always always with pop sentiments close at heart. It's say to say that Halcyon was the surprise of my week; a die hard fan of Goulding's first album, I doubted that it's successor would live up to the recent hype surrounding Goulding, but it did, and for that I'm glad!

Goulding tours the UK in December!

O2 Academy Bristol (December 7)
O2 Academy Liverpool (8)
Nottingham Rock City (11)
O2 Brixton Academy (12)
O2 Academy Glasgow (13)
O2 Academy Leeds (15)
O2 Academy Birmingham (16)
Manchester Academy (17)
Southampton Guildhall (18)

http://elliegoulding.com/
https://twitter.com/elliegoulding
http://www.facebook.com/elliegoulding

New Waves.. Marina and the Diamonds - 'How to Be a Heartbreaker'

'How to Be a Heartbreaker' was recently revealed to be the third single taken from Marina and the Diamonds' second album, Electra Heart. Don't worry, if, like myself, you were a tad confused as to this song's whereabouts within the album; the track was apparantly written a week after the UK edition of Electra Heart was finalised and was, therefore, included on the US version of the album.

The song is fresh and catchy, a perfect summer track (unfortunately, the weather doesn't seem to be complying as of late!), and is again keeping in with the Electra Heart theme of  the rights and wrongs of love and relationships and female empowerment, and despite the song being very good, the theme feels a little tired.

It is a shame the song didn't exist before the Electra Heart UK was finished, as it would provide a bit more 'oomph' if placed strategically within the album. However, it is a much stronger song than 'Power and Control', which I was surprised to find chosen to be a single.

Marina is still on tour (!) and starts a UK jaunt in October; she's playing my hometown so hopefully I'll be able to cajole someone into joining me!

'How to Be a Heartbreaker' is due for release in September (unfortunately couldn't pin down the date) with a video to follow.

Check my review of Electra Heart here :)

http://www.marinaandthediamonds.com/

https://twitter.com/MarinasDiamonds

http://www.facebook.com/marinaandthediamonds

Leeds Metropolitan University (September 30)
Dundee Fat Sam's (October 2)
O2 Academy Liverpool (4)
Preston 53 Degrees (5)
Manchester Academy (6)
O2 Academy Leicester (8)
Wolverhampton Wulfrun Hall (9)
London HMV Forum (11)
Lincoln Engine Shed (14)
O2 Academy Oxford (15)
Dublin Olympia Theatre (17)

Rapid Review.. Marina and the Diamonds - 'Electra Heart'

OK, OK, definitely a not so 'rapid' review on this one!

When the catchy pop of radio friendly 'Radioactive' appeared last year, I got rather excited for the second album from Marina Diamandis' outfit, Marina and the Diamonds. However, after 'Primadonna' was debuted, I became far less enthusiastic; what had happend to the quirky Marina of yesteryear?

'Primadonna'

Recently however, after skimming through some of the songs on Electra Heart on Spotify, I decided to give the album a proper go, and in doing this I realised that Marina was just as smart, opinionated and self critical as she ever was, if not more so, but her wit and intelligence was far more slickly hidden.

Take the dance pop of the album's first single, 'Primadonna' for example; many a fleeting ear would dismiss it as a teenager's 'Barbie Girl', and it was largely received so, giving Diamandis her highest charting single to date (Top 10 in UK chart), however lines such as 'living life like I'm in a play', 'I wanna be adored' and 'All I ever wanted was the world/ I can't help that I need it all/ The  primadonna life, the rise and fall' hint at darker themes that are displayed more explicitly in other songs, such as 'Lies' and 'Fear and Loathing', with Diamandis bluntly stating in that latter the lyrics of 'I've lived a lot of different lives/ Been different people many times/ I live my life in bitterness/ And fill my heart with emptiness'.

'Fear and Loathing'

Whilst the actual music of the album is dark, sometimes sterile, sometimes emotive pop, it surprisingly works better than you'd think, given the contrast to her previous, more theatrical/ musical direction of her debut album, The Family Jewels. 

I'll be honest, Electra Heart surprised me as being a better album than I'd thought it would. But to me, Marina's best quality in her song writing will always be her ability to take somewhat controversial and polarising themes for her songs and mask them within catchy pop songs, and Electra Heart is a far more expansive project than The Family Jewels, spanning media forms (songs, photos, music videos, trailers - it's an entire body of work), as well as Diamandis herself committing herself to the character of Electra Heart within her daily life (the retro outfits, the blonde(?) hair) for the duration of the project and tour. You can't accuse Marina of being anything but thorough!

'Radioactive'

Electra Heart is out now, as is 'Power and Control'.

'How To Be A Heartbreaker' the next single is released in US and UK on 15th October 2012.

http://www.marinaandthediamonds.com/

https://twitter.com/MarinasDiamonds

http://www.facebook.com/marinaandthediamonds

Organisation!

I'm gonna write this post now as an attempt to organise myself and my weekly features!

Monday or Tuesday, depending on release date, I'll compile a list of weekly releases.

Sometime in the first half of the week, I'll put a few reviews up of my favourite singles of that week.

Album reviews will be uploaded in the second half of the week to allow for digestion time, and both single and album reviews will be listed (separately) on the Rapid Reviews page.

The New Waves will be updated whenever I hear/see a band or artist worth posting about.

The Life Logs will probably be the most regular, just if something worthwhile occurs in my existance or if I feel the need to have a whinge ;)


Now, time for features that I've yet to start!:-

1. Wonder Woman of the Week

This will be a weekly feature where I choose a woman who inspires me (or has been heavily featured for whatever reason in that week) and discuss them and say what exactly makes them so great! 

    2.  Fashion Files

This was inspired by some other bloggers, whom take post about their daily outfits, fashion and beauty products. As much as I like clothes and things, I don't think I'm enough of an interesting dresser to warrant photos everyday. Same goes for beauty products, I just stick to what I know. However occasionally I may post on this sort of thing, especially if my outfit has been inspired in some way (eg. yesterday I felt like Kathleen Hanna, today more a pre-Electra Heart Marina and the Diamonds) or if it's for some special purpose.

    3.  DIY Ditties

Regarding the DIY aspect, that's self explanitory - tutorials for when I feel the need to share my creativity. This will most likely increase once our little customisation franchise gets up and running.

And I think that's it! Hopefully, this won't get too hectic (although I can see it getting that way)!

Go forth! LLAP!