MARINA (and The Diamonds)

[letudown 154]

if she kept the production of Believe In Love & End Of The Earth it probably would’ve been her best album

[Bloody Valentine 844]

To be honest, I can't wait for her next album to be released. I just want this non ending L+F debate to stop. I want the album to slowly disappear from everyone's minds, so we can move on to a much better album/era.  Knowing her, she won't have her album released after 2 or 3 more years tho.

[howtobeaheartbreaker 1,095]

40 minutes ago, Bloody Valentine said:

To be honest, I can't wait for her next album to be released. I just want this non ending L+F debate to stop. I want the album to slowly disappear from everyone's minds, so we can move on to a much better album/era.  Knowing her, she won't have her album released after 2 or 3 more years tho.

I feel like if she doesn't release an album that is her magnum opus or whatever you'd call it, the debate will likely continue with the next album. Electra Heart being such a strong album in terms of sound (for the 2012 pop music climate), visuals, rollout, and concept (etc.) has definitely put the successive releases under a huge magnifying glass. If M had released TFJ -> Froot -> L+F, I doubt we'd be having this sort of debate, but EH has truly created a level of nostalgia and a level of quality that will always overshadow each successive release until she does it again. 

In my heart, I do feel like M5 would have been out by now if it hadn't been for COVID... It felt that she was very ready to move on from L+F. But then again we all know how Marina loves to draw out an album release, huh.

[TRENCH 15,450]

30 minutes ago, howtobeaheartbreaker said:

I feel like if she doesn't release an album that is her magnum opus or whatever you'd call it, the debate will likely continue with the next album. Electra Heart being such a strong album in terms of sound (for the 2012 pop music climate), visuals, rollout, and concept (etc.) has definitely put the successive releases under a huge magnifying glass. If M had released TFJ -> Froot -> L+F, I doubt we'd be having this sort of debate, but EH has truly created a level of nostalgia and a level of quality that will always overshadow each successive release until she does it again. 

In my heart, I do feel like M5 would have been out by now if it hadn't been for COVID... It felt that she was very ready to move on from L+F. But then again we all know how Marina loves to draw out an album release, huh.

this this this. even if some of the production in EH has been aging, those who lived through the era (i started to listen to her like 4 months before the character died) will not let that managing glass down. 

 

as silly at it sounds i feel that there is fan pressure of M5 being expected to not only go back to marina's style, but be better than most of her discography

[Danny Milk 2,469]

I made this tracklist on my phone and called the album Handmade Heaven

1. Handmade Heaven
2. Superstar
3. There's Nothing Wrong With You
4. True
5. If It's Worth It
6. You
7. Believe In Love
8. Emotional Machine
9. Karma
10. To Be Human
11. End Of The Earth
12. Soft To Be Strong

[howtobeaheartbreaker 1,095]

I wish M would work with a more left-field female producer, though. I know this is a very 2012 Tumblr-esque dream, but it would be great to see a Grimes production collab. She needs her Pynk moment.

[Vanilla Icy 29,602]

as weird as this may sound marina does best with funky production, she can be pop all she wants but her singing style is too out of the ordinary for simplistic mainstream production, even her attempts at making more mainstream music with EH was done flawlessly. primadonna's eccentric electro house production suits her exaggerated vocals so well,  TFJ is a good balance between solemn ballads and experimental pop rock which i think is best for her style, froot has vocal elements of classic marina which are brought to life with the 80s synth pop influence... and so on

[clementines 9,893]

33 minutes ago, Danny Milk said:

I made this tracklist on my phone and called the album Handmade Heaven

1. Handmade Heaven
2. Superstar
3. There's Nothing Wrong With You
4. True
5. If It's Worth It
6. You
7. Believe In Love
8. Emotional Machine
9. Karma
10. To Be Human
11. End Of The Earth
12. Soft To Be Strong

YESSSS

[drewby 9,246]

2 hours ago, howtobeaheartbreaker said:

I feel like if she doesn't release an album that is her magnum opus or whatever you'd call it, the debate will likely continue with the next album. Electra Heart being such a strong album in terms of sound (for the 2012 pop music climate), visuals, rollout, and concept (etc.) has definitely put the successive releases under a huge magnifying glass. If M had released TFJ -> Froot -> L+F, I doubt we'd be having this sort of debate, but EH has truly created a level of nostalgia and a level of quality that will always overshadow each successive release until she does it again. 

In my heart, I do feel like M5 would have been out by now if it hadn't been for COVID... It felt that she was very ready to move on from L+F. But then again we all know how Marina loves to draw out an album release, huh.

No I think we'd still be having the same discussion even without EH in her discography. Froot was as least a fully realized concept when it came to promotion and it has lyrics that actually feel personal to her.

L+F just feels like a faceless album she made because she was tired of singing about her personal experiences and honestly every artist has one of those so it's fine, but it was unexpected from someone who showed 3 albums of consistency and vision... and it certainly doesn't help people treat it like a high-brow artistic statement that we just didn't get. It's a (mostly) well-written album let down massively by the production, which sanded off all the quirks that make a Marina album a Marina album.

We can hear that in the demo for You

[howtobeaheartbreaker 1,095]

21 minutes ago, CocainePrincess said:

as weird as this may sound marina does best with funky production, she can be pop all she wants but her singing style is too out of the ordinary for simplistic mainstream production, even her attempts at making more mainstream music with EH was done flawlessly. primadonna's eccentric electro house production suits her exaggerated vocals so well,  TFJ is a good balance between solemn ballads and experimental pop rock which i think is best for her style, froot has vocal elements of classic marina which are brought to life with the 80s synth pop influence... and so on

!!! This is very well put. This really is the reason why I prefer the You demo to the album cut, as it shows her vocal quirk a bit better. Emotional Machine almost goes there too, but the vocals are just so smoothed over in a way that we loose that Marina-ism that you get in earlier tracks. What I really think separates Marina from any old pop girl is her singing style. The glossiness/smoothness of the vocals are what really turns me off on L+F. It adds so much personality to the music and I feel like I would have received L+F so much better with vocals like her earlier works. When you read the lyrics to Karma, you wouldn't expect it to sound the way it does... lol

 

1 minute ago, drewby said:

No I think we'd still be having the same discussion even without EH in her discography. Froot was as least a fully realized concept when it came to promotion and it has lyrics that actually feel personal to her.

L+F just feels like a faceless album she made because she was tired of singing about her personal experiences and honestly every artist has one of those so it's fine, but it was unexpected from someone who showed 3 albums of consistency and vision... and it certainly doesn't help people treat it like a high-brow artistic statement that we just didn't get. It's a (mostly) well-written album let down massively by the production, which sanded off all the quirks that make a Marina album a Marina album.

We can hear that in the demo for You

I wonder if those are the people who got into Marina with Froot...lol. Wasn't the Love vs Fear concept sort of last minute? If I recall correctly wasn't the album "Handmade Heaven" until not long before release...

[Bloody Valentine 844]

3 hours ago, howtobeaheartbreaker said:

I feel like if she doesn't release an album that is her magnum opus or whatever you'd call it, the debate will likely continue with the next album. Electra Heart being such a strong album in terms of sound (for the 2012 pop music climate), visuals, rollout, and concept (etc.) has definitely put the successive releases under a huge magnifying glass. If M had released TFJ -> Froot -> L+F, I doubt we'd be having this sort of debate, but EH has truly created a level of nostalgia and a level of quality that will always overshadow each successive release until she does it again. 

In my heart, I do feel like M5 would have been out by now if it hadn't been for COVID... It felt that she was very ready to move on from L+F. But then again we all know how Marina loves to draw out an album release, huh.

I agree, people still treat EH as her best album. Most fans want a EH 2.0, that's why some people dislike anything post EH. In my opinion, M5 is her last and only chance. If her next album ends up being worse than L+F (which I doubt it could be possible ), people are gonna keep hating on her and the L+F debate is gonna get even more aggressive. She already lost many fans, all that's left is hope that M5 is as good as FROOT at least.  

[drewby 9,246]

4 hours ago, howtobeaheartbreaker said:

I wonder if those are the people who got into Marina with Froot...lol. Wasn't the Love vs Fear concept sort of last minute? If I recall correctly wasn't the album "Handmade Heaven" until not long before release...

Yeah the title got changed and so was the art direction, so I assume the final concept was quickly thrown together.

To me the album trailer, unused cover for Handmade Heaven and Superstar single cover hint at a colorful mix of organic and futuristic -- modern love. Half of the problem sits in the presentation and poor execution of the loose psychology concept, and I believe her uncertainty about the material itself (I think Eclipse said she dumped some 2017 tracks that were intended for the album) led to things being overworked. 

I do hope she is more confident in herself in the next album because every artist has a misfire in their discography and I'd like to see if she at least recognizes she can create something better without pandering to people stuck in 2012

[Tulips 3,731]

4 previously unseen pictures from the Hollywood music video have been leaked 

 

[Yosemite 23,787]

21 hours ago, howtobeaheartbreaker said:

AND ALSO! She needs to release under Marina Diamandis. Who though MARINA would be a good name change?

Very much this. 

Marina Diamandis would be great. It would be reminiscent of "the Diamonds". 

 

[bluefiona 8,050]

The name "Marina" sounds so basic. I loved it with "the diamonds" . 

[house of balloons 12,793]

20 minutes ago, Deadly Cruel Girl said:

The name "Marina" sounds so basic. I loved it with "the diamonds" . 

merna has no star quality, MATD was so iconic and still is 

[howtobeaheartbreaker 1,095]

I totally get wanting to move away from the "Marina and the Diamonds" moniker considering it makes her sound like a band and definitely was something she thought up when she was really young and moody, but how do you have such an amazing last name like "Diamandis" and you go only by your first name?? Makes no sense to me aesthetically, but also from the record label's standpoint I don't know why they didn't urge her to go with that due to the other artists named "Marina". It would also give more recognition to people who don't follow enough to know that MATD is now Marina. And plus, she always seems so proud of her Greek culture, and using her surname of Diamonds in Greek would have been perfectly on brand for her.

[5adboy 5,015]

I honestly feel like L+F was her Lust for Life; some songs are bops but the overall project feels... less authentic than her previous? I was shocked when she stated in an interview <I didn't really have a concept for this album. I was just writing music. Then I realized some songs represented "love" and others "fear", giving me the idea to make a double record.> ...Like why waiting 4 years and taking a 6 month psychology class to 'find yourself', when at the end you came up with a very basic concept in a few days

Still don't think this is a bad album, but definitely didn't top my favorite which is FROOT.

I remember being SO hyped for her comeback when she dropped Handmade Heaven, I wish she had kept the original concept it looked perfect

[Veinsineon 76,982]

15 hours ago, howtobeaheartbreaker said:

I wonder if those are the people who got into Marina with Froot...lol. Wasn't the Love vs Fear concept sort of last minute? If I recall correctly wasn't the album "Handmade Heaven" until not long before release...

I mean I had been the kind of fan to only listen to a handful of songs before FROOT, 2015 was just a great year for concepts and FROOT was, and is, one of the strongest and most lavish concepts ever! THAT is what made me stan. It all started with I'm A Ruin believe it or not  and also a good friend who used to run @Lona.Delery and Merna Dimandis LOL

[sunday afternoon 1,037]

Marina is so talented that we have to put a lot of pressure on her. I was disappointed with L + F, except the acoustic clip versions and Handmade Heaven. With Baby, I thought his heyday had finally arrived (the clip has several hundred million views, and continues to air on TV), and then not much happened.

She deserves so much more recognition from the mainstream, and I can understand how frustrating it is for someone as creative as she is to be left out when the whole top 50 is filled with shit, and that in addition she gets attacked hard when others release very bad albums and are praised by their non-talent. Actually, she should be as famous as Lana (if you take the alt singers).

I think we shouldn't blame her so loudly, even though L + F was disappointing because we all expected an album with a strong character and a strong musical identity like its previous ones, let's encourage it for its next opus. It can surprise us.

Like you, I hope for something a little crazy, like in her "and The Diamonds" period, but I think she doesn't want that anymore, she doesn't want to be an extravagant artist anymore ( judge the simple and basic name of Marina, the look, the more serious side and her age). I hope she won't lose all the magic and perfection that made her reputation that said, she can surprise us and take us far with little.