Production - BOPS! Very modern and pop-oriented but surprisingly I actually love it! Y'all complaining about the pop production make me laugh - Marina has always had pop production in her songs. Were y'all not around for EH????
Lyrics - Definitely some of her most simple lyrics (see "True" and "Enjoy Your Life") but honestly, there's nothing wrong with simple lyrics. I don't think Marina has tried to sell this album as being super deep or philosophical or anything so I'm totally fine with a bunch of happy, simple pop songs! But the lyrics on To Be Human and End of the Earth are incredibly full of meaning in my view.
Vocals - She's definitely singing in her higher register a lot more on this album than her past albums. I love her higher register so I don't mind, but I do miss her deeper, raspier vocals a little. Perhaps we'll see her darker, deeper vocals on FEAR? That would make sense - airy, high vocals on LOVE and deeper, darker vocals on FEAR.
Themes/messages - I know the themes are quite simple but I actually appreciate this simplicity. There is beauty in simplicity. I sense a theme of universality in these songs which is a little different to her past releases where the lyrics were more centred around her life. Here, we see Marina's lyrics becoming more inclusive and universal, centring around love:
Love for nature - Handmade Heaven
Love for your home & origins - Orange Trees
Love for humankind - To Be Human
Love for a partner/lover - End of the Earth, Superstar, Baby
Love for yourself & your body - True
Love for life itself - Enjoy Your Life
Overall I am very happy! It's an incredibly life-affirming album. Sure, the lyrics are a little underwhelming on most songs, I will admit, but the production/vocals/themes are brilliant, so I can't complain! Plus, we haven't even heard FEAR yet, so it's still too early to properly judge!
Handmade Heaven - 9.5/10 (Overall a great message and nice production but a tad repetitive by the end)
Superstar - 7.5/10 (Beautiful lyrics & a nice love song, but is too generic & a bit overproduced)
Orange Trees - 9/10 (I really like this song despite others saying it is generic; I like the odes to Greek culture & nature)
Baby - 8/10 (This one really is a bop but it does feel a little out of place on the record as a whole)
Enjoy Your Life - 9/10 (Another bop with a nice, simple message to enjoy your life & acknowledge that your problems will pass)
True - 9.5/10 (This one has the most replay value for me, and it has a nice message of confidence, but lyrics are a bit lazy)
To Be Human - 10/10 (Best and most meaningful lyrics on the album, gives me TFJ vibes)
End of the Earth - 10/10 (Fantastic production, this is the grown-up sis of Immortal!)
So, I suppose my overall order going off these scores would be:
To Be Human 10/10 End of the Earth 10/10 Handmade Heaven 9.5/10 True 9.5/10 Enjoy Your Life 9/10 Orange Trees 9/10 Baby 8/10 Superstar 7.5/10
