The Portastylistic: pop*eye...Marina & The Diamonds

“WAKE UP!!!!
...Lady GaGa.”

Marina & The Diamonds - The Family Jewels (2010)

*I Proud To Recommended!!!*

http://medias.fluctuat.net/albums-covers/3/2/6/album-18623.jpg

Marina and the Diamonds is the stage name of Marina Diamandis, a Greek/Welsh solo artist based in London.

Marina releases her debut album The Family Jewels on the 22nd February 2010, preceded by her single Hollywood, released on 1st February 2010.

Her debut single Obsessions/Mowgli’s Road was released on Neon Gold in the US in February 2009, followed by The Crown Jewels EP in June 2009.

Marina tours the UK in February 2010 (see dates on her MySpace/Website/Facebook) followed by a trip to America to play SXSW and other US dates.

The Family Jewels can be pre-ordered from Play.com and iTunes now.

Her musical style ranges from keyboard-based ballads to more up-tempo new wave-style songs with full band backing. She played numerous festivals in 2009 including BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend in Swindon, Glastonbury Festival, Latitude, Reading & Leeds and other European festivals.

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2010 comes with the promise of new talent, as all years, for that matter. One lady we should keep an eyelid on is Marina Diamandis aka Marina And The Diamonds, whose debut album, The Family Jewels will grace us on February 15. And if you’re wondering what’s with all the excitement, just listen to Hollywood, the single which gives us a taste of what’s to come. Despite Marina’s voice sounding more suitable for 90’s feminist grunge, Hollywood is the perfect upbeat new-wavey pop pill, with plenty of wink sarcasm (“Oh, my gawwwd, you look just like Shakira”) to differentiate it from the r’n'b pop we are used to. Another omen (or is it a clue?) is the fact that Hollywood’s video is directed by Kinga Burza, who just so happens was the author of Katy Perry’s video for I Kissed a Girl. It’s also cool that Marina looks her Greek/Welsh origins, so maybe we’ll get our generation’s very own Irene Papas. It woun’t be long now till ‘we’re all obsessed with the (beautiful) mess that’s Marina’…

"I'm Obsessed With The Mess That's America"

Marina & the Diamonds has given a rather emphatic "up yours" to those who have accused her of selling her soul to bubblegum pop with forthcoming single 'Hollywood', by recording this

Revealing the strength of the melodies in the song, the video serves as a reminder that there's nothing remotely 'throwaway' about Marina's music. gorgeous 'stripped down' version of the track.

Incidentally, the release of this video coincides with Marina being declared runner-up in the BBC's 'Sound of 2010' critics' poll. This should intensify the interest on Marina in the run-up to the release of her debut album, 'The Family Jewels', next month.

Disco-pop rightly points out that something that may come back to haunt her with respect to the above video is that in her, ahem, interview with The Beeb, she says: "I think that a lot of the interviews and acoustic sessions and other things that artists fill their time with are really pointless and suck the energy out of the artist."

Otherwise, she comes across better than any of the other artists featured in the countdown and things seem to be shaping up purrfectly for a 2010 takeover by Marina and her Diamonds.

No thread on Marina Diamond but i thought i'd rectify that. As one that was hard to place in a forum i held back on making a thread on Obsessions but i'm glad to see both Rock and Pop voters liked it and i think her sound is ultimately more on the pop side than the alternative side. Very Kate Bush-y/ early eighties "avant garde" pop, (her voice reminds me of Toyah and Hazel O'Connor) i suspect her eagerly awaited album will do a Bat For Lashes when released, though Obsessions deserves a BIG release, not the small indie crawl-out that happened.