REVIEW: Hollywood Promises Stardom for Marina and the Diamonds
Tuesday, 09 February 2010
Written by Matt Hamm
Skipping down the yellow brick road of 2010 comes ‘next big thing’, and Britain’s own, Marina & the Diamonds. A flurry of Welsh and Greek, packed into a 24 year old bundle of bite and attitude, chomping at the bit of indie cool. And with her debut single out now - Hollywood, the BBC Sound of 2010 runner up is destined to clamber all over your attention.
“Obsessed with the mess that’s America”, Marina takes aim at the false and shallow US culture, sniping shots from all angles with an intellectual yet party popper approach. She teeter’s on the fine line of pop, leaning just enough to her charm to hold the song afloat and take it beyond the edge of the usual. The surging synths sparkle like a 80s disco ball, dazzling and blinding your brain into submission. While her smooth voice pours bouncing beats into your brain as the words spring around in your mind like a Disney sing-a-long, forcing you to take notice as she coolly barks “oh my god you look like Shakira, no no more Catherine Zeta, actually my name’s Marina”.
It is this individuality that pulls Ms. M Diamond away off the factory produced pop princess label that could so easily be pinned to her sparkly blouse. Marina's music has crossed the divide between the cool and commercial, teeing up her late February released first album The Family Jewel’s perfectly for imminent success. And bursting with both infectious energy and instant likeability, it leaves no wonder about her Brit nomination for Critic’s Choice award. One that she may well win before her debut is even on the shelves.
Stereoboard Rating - 4/5.
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