Marina and the Diamonds: 'Electra Heart' - Album review

Published Apr 26 2012, 15:07 BST  |  By Robert Copsey

"It was always going to be tricky leaping into a different genre that's popular at the moment," Marina Diamandis told us last year of her new album. The sound in question is the bubblegum pop one currently owned by the likes of Katy Perry and Ke$ha; and as if the market wasn't crowded enough, she's attempting to crack it off the back of her indie debut The Family Jewels.

Fortunately, those who have heard the record's lead single 'Primadonna' will know she has far from sold out. Sound-wise it has all the calling cards of your typical Dr Luke production - squelchy synths wrapped around a radio-friendly chorus - but it's Diamandis's quirky lyrics ("Beauty queen on a silver screen/ Living life like I'm in a dream"), yodelling vocal and ironic cheerleader whoops that save it from becoming generic fodder.

She continues to play out all manner of American female archetypes under the guise of Electra, largely to great success. Her roles as The Other Woman on bratty and demented 'Homewrecker', the desperate and submissive in Diplo-helmed electro ballad 'Lies' and cutesy airhead in 'State of Dreaming' are the most convincing, most likely because they're as much a part of Marina as her alter ego.

As such, where the character ends and she begins is not always clear, though it's only a problem for the record's sole weak link 'Living Dead'. Elsewhere, the earworm hooks, colossal choruses and sheer barminess ensures that Electra Heart is a thoroughly enjoyable listen throughout - regardless of whether you buy into the concept.

Tracks to download: 'Primadonna', 'Lies', 'State of Dreaming', 'Starring Role'
If you like this, you'll like: Katy Perry, Nicola Roberts, Oh Land

Watch the 'Primadonna' music video below: