Album Review - Marina And The Diamonds "Froot"

Oh. My. God. I started off not liking Marina one single bit. I found the idea of her somewhat jarring, but damnit if she didn't finally win me over with her previous album Electra Heart. In fact, I was so attached to that "era" in Diamonds' history that when she announced that album's character was now gone to make room for something new, I was a bit taken aback. But don't worry. This album is good. So, so good.

The best place to begin with this album is with it's title track "Froot". This was the first track to come out for the album, and it was more or less smuggled onto the internet without a lot of attention. Actually, I didn't even notice the track was up until a month after the fact. Yikes. Sorry gurl. This song is so amazing and it's definitely the way that anybody should be introduced to this new era of Marina and the Diamonds. The song is bass heavy (the guitar, not the synth junk), and really has a sound that mixes the groovy 70s with a flavor that is very now, very present.

After "Froot" came out, Marina decided to release one new track every month until the release date of the album (which I could have sworn was in April but whatever, I'll take it). The songs released before hand had me a bit worried. "Happy" and "Immortal" are both very slow songs that really don't match up to the hype that "Froot" created for me. I was a bit panicked that the album was going to be a dud outside of the one shining star track. Then "I'm A Ruin" came out.

"I'm A Ruin" is one of the standout tracks on this entire album. The song is a bit more upbeat, landing in the mid-tempo range, and really draws people in with it's melodic and catchy chorus and it's "Uhuh. Yea-ee-yea-eh" hooks. The lyrics serve as a warning to anybody willing to love her that she has ruined, and will ruin everyone in her life. These lyrics, while sad and tragic, come across a bit more apathetic, and often even kind of cheerful, as if she's giving the listener a "told you so" moment. This. Is. Brilliant. I can honestly say if I hadn't heard "I'm A Ruin" before hand, I probably wouldn't have given this album another thought.

And that, my friends, is a tragedy, because the vast majority of this album is pure gold (oddly enough I am not a big fan of the song "Gold"). Tracks like "Blue", the tale of someone who is only going back with their ex to avoid being sad, even if it means being with someone they don't care about, and "Savages", a eerie look into rape culture, really give this album the push it needs to be something amazing.

Lyrically, this album may be the best collection of songs I have ever heard. It's definitely my favorite new release so far this year, but with it's slower paced feel overall, it's definitely not for everybody. Hell, for those stuck in the time of Electra Heart, it may not even be for all of Marina's fans. But for those willing to open their minds, or those who just love her siren-esqu voice, this is definitely an album you are going to want to get your hands on ASAP.

Oh and Marina, if you're reading this, give us a video for "Savages". Or at least "Better Than That". Please.

Be sure and pick up your copy of this awesome album on iTunes.