Marina – “The Family Jewels” review

Final verdict: 9/10 ★★★★⋆˙⟡

Marina has long been one of my favorite artists – through the holy trinity that is her first few albums (the “The Family Jewels” – “Electra Heart” – “Froot” run) she has proven herself to be a greatly creative songwriter, a force to be reckoned with. Those sentiments aren’t quite in line with what was to come – but that’s a topic for another time. For now, the spotlight is on what is arguably her magnum opus; her much-celebrated (for good reason) debut LP, “The Family Jewels”.

By the time this album was released, singer-songwriter Marina (or should I say “Marina & the Diamonds”?) had seen a fair amount of success on what was, back in the day, the butthole of the internet; MySpace. With that website serving as an outlet for her to share her songwriting as it was in progress, she took a great while honing her craft – and the final result was nothing short of brilliant, for it all culminated right here.

That’s right, ladies and gentlemen – this album is, for what it’s worth, more than merely “good”. It’s great. And while hardly sonically innovative (considering other indie pop records of its time), “The Family Jewels” makes up for it by simply being its gracious self; brimming with creativity and stretching its mighty imagination to its very limits – unapologetically so. This songwriting prowess is evident on more or less all tracks – and especially “Hermit the Frog” (one of the best songs to come out of this century so far), as well as “Oh No!” (which, if it hasn’t already, is close to achieving cult classic status).

But that is not all, no. Marina makes the absolute most of her vocal ability in delivering all her wittingly-written songs (which, on a related note – she is a rare case of a British artist who actually sounds British in song). It is great, everyone loves it, no complaints whatsoever. But what really ties the loose ends together here, is the production. The chamber music setting is really fitting for this collection of songs, and I am particularly fond of the emphasis on piano accompaniment; all finished up with a healthy serving of synthesizers, which we all know and love.

9/10. Certified classic.

P.S.: Grab yourself a copy that has “Seventeen” as a bonus track. It’s a great song – sounded in my entire house on the day I turned 17. Good ol’ times.