The first stunning album of the year


Lovers of female vocals synthpop, with an eighties edge, for sure you can say they are living a marvelous and golden age. After Ladytron and Goldfrapp took off some years ago, it seems a new wave is coming from the UK again. To name some Little Boots, La Roux, Polly Scattergood and the stunning Marina & The Diamonds.

After releasing the singles 'Mowgli's Road' and 'Obsessions' and the EP The Crown Jewels, expectations were very high for the Greek/Welsh singer Marina Diamandis. Hollywood was the next single a very strong synthpop song with Keane alike piano base, strong Hazel O'Conner alike vocals and wow what a sound.

And just after releasing 'I Am Not A Robot' as a single, already available on last years The Crown Jewel, the album The Family Jewel is released. And what an album, all four singles are on it. But the album contains another nine great songs and to be honest the album rocks from start to end and asks for a replay at once.

My highlights of the album are opener 'Are You Satisfied?', 'Shampain', 'Hollywood', "Oh No!' and the beautiful "Rootless' . Marina is original, mixing diverse styles in her great songs. Okay you hear the influences, Florence And The Machine in 'Girls' and 'Are You Satisfied?', Goldfrapp and ABBA in 'Shampain', in fact it sounds like Goldfrapp going all the way to play ABBA, Kate Bush in the vocals and the piano of several of the songs, Hazal O'Conner in the rocky vocal bits. But overall this album is so strong. And I know the year is young but this could turn out to become the best I will hear this year.



If you visit the official Marina & The Diamonds website, you can download the radioproof remix of 'Hollywood'. When you become a Diamond member you get access to a link to the Passion Pit remix of 'I Am Not A Robot'.

Tracklist:

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

score: 9 out of 10

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