The Family Jewels

Marina and the Diamonds | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 25, 2010)
• Original Release Date: 2010
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Atlantic
• ASIN: B003HARV98
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (53 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #559 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #52 in Music > Pop > Adult Alternative

Track Listings

1. Are You Satisfied?

2. Shampain

3. I Am Not a Robot

4. Girls

5. Mowgli's Road

6. Obsessions

7. Hollywood

8. The Outsider

9. Guilty

10. Hermit The Frog

11. Oh No!

12. Seventeen

13. Numb

Editorial Reviews

Highlighted by the UK Top 20 hit single, 'Hollywood,' 'THE FAMILY JEWELS' is proving an early contender for 2010's most distinctive debut. Songs like the dramatic 'Oh No!' (produced by Greg Kurstin of The Bird And The Bee), 'Obsessions' and the boldly ambitious 'Mowgli's Road' see Marina gleefully melding the theatrically lavish vocal and orchestral flourishes of Kate Bush with the wonderful pop eccentricity of everyone from Sparks to the Scissor Sisters. 'Astonishing,' declared NME of 'THE FAMILY JEWELS' in its nine-out-of-10 rave. 'Raining down on the ears like an explosion of sonic confetti, ('Hollywood') boasts a chorus so killer it should probably be investigated by the police.' The Times' Pete Paphides awarded the album four-out-of-five stars, praising it for 'parachuting you into the world of a singer who wants your attention but hates compartmentalization.' The Telegraph decreed 'THE FAMILY JEWELS' an 'arch, clever debut,' hailing Marina for having 'a larger-than-life quality, coming on like a drama queen using her personal neuroses as a prism through which to view the world.'

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Delicious.... May 27, 2010

By Madeline

Format:MP3 Music

I haven't enjoyed a cd this much since Florence and the Machine's "Lungs" from last year. Marina Diamandis is like a mixture of Regina Spektor, Kate Nash, and Santigold with dare I say it, a little Katy Perry attitude thrown in. But make no mistake, Marina has her own distinct voice and unique interpretation on a genre that is starting to gain in popularity. Marina has till this point received virtually zero recognition in the States, and I sincerely hope with this lp people everywhere will gain an appreciation for this wildly talented artist.

If I had to describe this album in one word-it would simply be fun. From the catchy, intelligent lyrics to the sic beats with an underlying dance vibe, this is an album that will make you smile and probably tap your feet to as well. I really appreciate the inclusion of several different instruments into the music as well, making the music just as intricate and entertaining as her lyrics. The actual music is pretty diverse as well with bubblegum pop, punk, disco glam, and cabaret all making appearances, though all of it falling firmly in the adult pop category. Despite the range of different musical styles, the cd is extremely cohesive in large part to the upbeat tone that pervades every track even the intense emotional tracks like "The Outsider" and "I Am Not a Robot."

Marina has a very interesting voice quality that I suspect could get on some people's nerves especially when she purposefully sings odd lower notes sometimes. However, I love it. I think it's just the right amount of different but still accessible and not too weird. In general though, while not broadway material, it's pleasant and powerful with a tremendous amount of delicious attitude....

Marina has something new and fresh to offer, and if you like good music I would highly recommend this album! Read more ›

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Marina deserves to be huge May 27, 2010

By Gerard M. Nichols

Format:Audio CD

Hollywood is one of the catchiest and best songs of 2010. On the strength of that song alone I imported the album from the UK and it is awesome. The only thing that puzzles me has been the singles choices so far. I Am Not A Robot, Mowgli's Road and Oh No are fine songs but for me there are some tracks that I'd have thought would have made much better single choices - Are You Satisfied, The Outsider and, especially, Hermit the Frog. I take four teenage girls carpool to school every day (pity me) and they usually despise my music choices. Marina is the one artist we (nearly) all enjoy. Hermit the Frog could be a massive hit record if they are a representative sample of teen musical tastes today!

There's no one else quite like Marina. Very catchy and upbeat songs indeed and a unique voice. Somehow on Shampain she sounds just like the ABBA girls in the chorus.

Hope to see her in the US in concert before she gets too popular.

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Sophomoric, But Promising March 10, 2010

By Robert Szarka VINE™ VOICE

Format:Audio CD

Many people will probably dismiss this album after hearing a track or two. Honestly, I wouldn't blame them, but it would be a shame.

Half the lyrics are deeply-felt and earnest but slightly-comical, like those of generations of college sophomores who think they're the first to experience an intellectual and moral awakening. (Think Avril Lavigne without the attitude or Bono without the poetry.) The other half are mostly just banal. Even the worst songs have the occasional clever turn of phrase, though: "I'm obsessed with the mess that's America" (from Hollywood) has been running through my brain all week. And, in her own defense, Diamandis would probably say (as in I Am Not a Robot) "better to be hated than loved, loved, loved for what you're not".

The music is also in some ways simply standard pop fare, right down to a very hot mix presumably designed to compete with the over-processed garbage that currently infests the airwaves. But at least the elements stuffed into that mix are tasty, from some clever sequencer riffs to an honest-to-goodness string section. In fact, at times the production rises to the level of something between Imogen Heap and one of the better synth-happy 80s acts.

Ultimately, Diamandis is, if not wholly original, too quirky to be pigeonholed. Think Lene Lovich meets Tori Amos, with a pinch of Kate Bush and a dash of Feist. The first song I heard from this album was "I Am Not a Robot", and for me it's the most interesting and charming of the 13 tracks on the UK release. (As I write this, the US release is still months away.) It has something of the same flavor as Yael Naďm's New Soul or Feist's com/1234-Feist/dp/B000RPSVIG">1234 (certainly a plus in my book), but I think the reason I like it best is that we actually get to hear Diamandis' voice--and its an interesting voice, worth hearing.

So, buy this album or not, but I'd recommend checking out at least "I Am Not a Robot". And I'm looking forward to hearing what Marina & the Diamonds' does next. Read more ›

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I love this album September 29, 2010

By P. M. ONeill

Format:MP3 Music

I'm not given to gushing, but this album is great. Marina arrives by way of Kate Bush's strangest (and IMHO best) album, The Dreaming. I believe Marina when she says she was unaware of most people she has been compared to, including Kate. She's not copying the sound, after all, but it's the same wellspring of weirdness. She chirps, and on "Mowgli's Road" (my favorite of the lot) she actually cukoos. She wails, and belts out some tunes ("Hollywood"). She makes perfect sense out of seeming contradiction when she pleadingly asked for understanding that "I Am Not a Robot" but on "Oh No!" confesses that she knows exactly why she walks and talks like a machine. I also love "Shampain," even with it's painful misspelling. The music tends towards banged-out chords and big drums, but all quite tuneful and melodic. If the vocals were AutoTuned, it doesn't sound like it. There's real warmth here. All in all, there's a lot to love.