The Family Jewels (Marina and the Diamonds album)

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The Family Jewels
Marina and the Diamonds - The Family Jewels.png
Studio album by
Marina and the Diamonds
Released15 February 2010 (2010-02-15)
Recorded2007–2009
Studio
Genre
Length45:35
Label
Producer
Marina and the Diamonds chronology
Mermaid vs Sailor
(2007)		The Family Jewels
(2010)		 Electra Heart
(2012)
Singles from The Family Jewels
  1. "Obsessions"
    Released: 16 February 2009
  2. "Mowgli's Road"
    Released: 16 February 2009
  3. "Hollywood"
    Released: 1 February 2010
  4. "I Am Not a Robot"
    Released: 23 April 2010
  5. "Oh No!"
    Released: 2 August 2010
  6. "Shampain"
    Released: 11 October 2010

The Family Jewels is the debut studio album by Welsh singer-songwriter Marina Diamandis, released under the stage name Marina and the Diamonds. It was released on 15 February 2010 by 679 Recordings and Atlantic Records. Diamandis collaborated with several producers including Pascal Gabriel, Liam Howe, Greg Kurstin, Richard "Biff" Stannard, and Starsmith during its recording. She identifies the lyrical themes as "the seduction of commercialism, modern social values, family, and female sexuality."

Contents

Music critics gave The Family Jewels fairly positive reviews, with the vocal delivery dividing opinions. The record debuted at number five on the UK Albums Chart with first-week sales of 27,618 copies. The album was eventually certified Gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and has sold 195,358 units in the United Kingdom. The Family Jewels performed moderately on international record charts; it peaked at number 138 on the Billboard 200 in the United States, selling 4,000 copies its first week.

The Family Jewels was supported by five singles, all of which were supplemented by accompanying music videos. "Mowgli's Road" was released on 13 November 2009, although "Hollywood" became its first charting track after reaching number 12 on the UK Singles Chart. Follow-up singles "I Am Not a Robot", "Oh No!" and "Shampain" respectively peaked at numbers 26, 38, and 141 in the United Kingdom. The record was additionally promoted by Diamandis' headlining the Family Jewels Tour, which visited Australia, Europe and North America from January 2010 through December 2011.

Background

Diamandis performing on the NME Radar Tour, October 2009 Marina & the Diamonds live NME Radar Tour 2009.jpg
Diamandis performing on the NME Radar Tour, October 2009

Born and raised in South East Wales, Diamandis moved to London at the age of 18 to study music, despite not having a musical background. After dropping out of four institutions and failing in auditions, she began composing her own music. [1] After the success of her Myspace-released EP Mermaid vs Sailor in 2007, she was signed by Neon Gold Records the following year and by 679 Artists in October 2008. [2] In 2009, after playing at a variety of festivals including Glastonbury in the summer, [3] she ranked in second place in the BBC's Sound of 2010 [4] and was one of the three nominees for the Critics' Choice Award at the 2010 Brit Awards. [5] In a 2012 interview with Between the Lines , Diamandis said that the album's title came from a slang term for testes, but she had been too coy to admit it before. [6]

Composition

The Family Jewels is mainly an alternative pop, [7] bubblegum-punk, [8] electropop, [9] and synth-pop record [10] with influences of 1980s dance music and late-1990s female rock. [11] Diamandis explained that the album is "a body of work largely inspired by the seduction of commercialism, modern social values, family and female sexuality", intended to be "enjoyed and consumed as a story and theory that encourages people to question themselves". [12]

"I think it's a really diverse album stylistically speaking because I'm such a flexible writer. So there's a lot of pop on it, but there's kind of a lot of leftfield experimental stuff as well. It's basically an album about what not to be."

— Diamandis explaining the album's musical style to Clash , January 2010 [13]

In a review for Q , writer Hugh Montgomery noted genres such as disco ("Shampain"), bubblegum punk ("Girls") and cabaret ("Hermit the Frog"). [14] The opening track, "Are You Satisfied?", ponders the meaning of a fulfilling life; a writer for The Line of Best Fit likened it to the thinking of Danish existentialist philosopher Søren Kierkegaard. [15] In a January 2010 interview with The Daily Telegraph , Diamandis admitted that she "cringes" at the lyrics of the song "Girls", which "could be seen as a bit misogynistic", including the lines "Girls they never befriend me/'Cause I fall asleep when they speak/Of all the calories they eat"; she clarified that the lyrics concerned her own psychological problems with weight. [1] A Neon Gold press release for a limited double A-side of "Obsessions" and "Mowgli's Road" described the former as a "bold and ambitious ... master work" and the latter as a "a high intensity, left field pop smash". [16]

Diamandis claimed that she made producer Liam Howe take 486 vocal takes for "The Outsider". [17] [18] "Hollywood" takes inspiration from Diamandis' previous obsession with American celebrity culture, [4] while in "I Am Not a Robot", her favourite track from the album, she sings to tell herself to accept imperfection, with lines such as "you've been acting awful tough lately, smoking a lot of cigarettes lately ... don't be so pathetic"; she expected audiences to be able to relate to the song. [19] "Numb" is an orchestral pop song that reflects on the dedication and sacrifice needed during her early years in London; [20] [1] "Oh No!" and "Are You Satisfied?" have similar lyrical themes. [21] "Oh No!" was a late addition to the track listing, causing some reviews of the album to not include it. [17] The album had initially been scheduled for release in October 2009, and was delayed by Diamandis' self-confessed perfectionism. [22]

Release and promotion

Music videos

In 2008, Diamandis filmed videos for the tracks "Seventeen" and "Obsessions". [23] The following year, photographer Rankin directed the accompaniment for "I Am Not a Robot", which used much body glitter. [24] [25] The video for "Mowgli's Road" featured Diamandis and two dancers, with puppeteers standing in front of them to give them the impression of having concertina limbs; it was shot over 17 hours. [22] Polish artist Kinga Burza shot the "classic pop video" for "Hollywood", with the aim to "make her audiences fall in love her even more, perhaps crave a little popcorn and feel inspired to dress up for fun". [26] Burza also filmed the video for "Oh No!", with an aesthetic based on "zany neon" MTV graphics and the fame-hungry lyrics. [27] The video to "Shampain" made an homage to Michael Jackson's Thriller . [24] Dan Knight made a video for Chilly Gonzales' "stripped-down" remix of "Hollywood" that was intended to be the opposite of Burza's official video. In the video, Gonzales and Diamandis perform on a 1980s Estonian music show complete with subtitles. [28]

Singles

Diamandis performing "Obsessions" in May 2010 at Edinburgh's Assembly Rooms, during the Family Jewels Tour Marina and the Diamonds performing Obsessions.jpg
Diamandis performing "Obsessions" in May 2010 at Edinburgh's Assembly Rooms, during the Family Jewels Tour

"Obsessions" and "Mowgli's Road" were Diamandis' first singles, released as a double A-side in 7-inch format on 16 February 2009. [16] "Mowgli's Road" was later released digitally on 13 November 2009, pairing with a cover of Late of the Pier's "Space and the Woods". [29] She chose "Mowgli's Road" as an "uncommercial" taster due to its oddness, but it received attention after being shared by the likes of Perez Hilton and Kanye West. [30]

"Hollywood" was released as the album's second single and Diamandis' first major release on 1 February 2010. [12] It reached number 12 on the UK Singles Chart. [31] It was followed on 26 April by "I Am Not a Robot", which peaked at number 26 on the same listing. [31] "Oh No!" was released as the album's fourth single on 2 August only in the UK and Ireland; it charted at number 38. [31] "Shampain" was released as the album's fifth and final single on 11 October, again only in the same region, [32] and reached number 141 in the UK. [33] "I Am Not a Robot" was nominated for the 2010 Popjustice £20 Music Prize for best British single, eventually losing to "Kickstarts" by Example. [34]

Tour

Diamandis went on her first headlining tour to promote the album, performing in Europe, North America and Australia. Dates included the Glastonbury Festival 2010, South by Southwest and the Falls Festival. In parallel to headlining her own tour in the United States in mid-2011, she was an opening act for Katy Perry's California Dreams Tour, [35] and finished by opening for Coldplay's Mylo Xyloto Tour at the Manchester Arena that December. [36] After a performance at Manchester's Deaf Institute on 21 February 2010, Contactmusic.com writer Katy Ratican awarded Diamandis a 9/10 rating, stating, "Next time she plays Manchester, it will be to a sold out Academy 2 audience, with a top-selling album gracing the merchandising stand. Marina won't be playing to a few hundred people above a trendy bar in the foreseeable future". [37]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic? 6.8/10 [38]
Metacritic 68/100 [39]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [11]
The A.V. Club C [40]
Clash 6/10 [41]
The Daily Telegraph Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [42]
Drowned in Sound 5/10 [43]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [44]
NME 9/10 [17]
Q Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [14]
Spin 7/10 [45]
The Sunday Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [46]

The Family Jewels received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 68, based on 21 reviews. [39] Hugh Montgomery of Q magazine noted that the singer's "imaginative reach" was "complemented by a winning pop savviness", [14] while Luke O'Neil from The Phoenix stated that "[t]he likes of Kate Nash and company have flitted through this piano siren/exuberant dance-diva territory, but never mind, because this gorgeous genre starts now." [47] Leonie Cooper of NME praised the album as "astonishing" and wrote that "Diamandis mixes sparkling pop with beautiful darkness for a debut that dazzles". [17]

More mixed reviews were critical of Diamandis' vocal delivery. Lou Thomas from BBC Music commented that "over 13 songs of Sparks-voice and many similar staccato piano riffs listeners may feel bludgeoned", [21] and Sean O'Neal of The A.V. Club wrote that after "dozens of squeaky Regina Spektor-ish enunciations" and "Kate Bush trills", the "overbearing need to prove herself just ends up being exhausting". [40] Joe Rivers of No Ripcord praised "Are You Satisfied?", "Hollywood" and "Oh No!" but was put off by sudden "howling" in "Hermit the Frog" and a "throaty growl" in "The Outsider". [48] Joe Copplestone of PopMatters concluded that Diamandis would have to "tone down" these vocal techniques on future releases as not to overshadow "melodically inventive" music. [49]

A negative review came from The Independent 's Andy Gill who panned "Shampain" and "Hermit the Frog" as "every bit as annoying as their punning titles, with queasy, prancing piano and synth figures". He found certain vocal techniques in "Mowgli's Road" and "I Am Not a Robot" to be "infantile", and evaluated the lyrics of "Girls" and "Hollywood" as shallow. [50] At Drowned in Sound , Mary Bellamy described the album as split between original songwriting and commercial pop production "at the expense of achieving anything great in either camp". [43] NME placed the album at number 33 on its list of the Top 75 Albums of 2010. [51]

Commercial performance

The Family Jewels debuted at number five on the UK Albums Chart with first-week sales of 27,618 copies. [52] It remains Diamandis' best-selling debut week in the UK, after her second studio album Electra Heart entered the chart at number one with first-week sales of 21,358 units. [53] It ranked at number 87 in the Official Charts Company's list of the highest selling albums of 2010 in the UK. [54] The Family Jewels was later certified Gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), [55] and had sold 195,358 copies in the United Kingdom as of April 2015. [56] The record debuted at number seven in Greece and number nine in Ireland; [57] [58] it was eventually certified Gold by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA). [59]

The Family Jewels performed moderately on several international record charts. It reached number 12 in Germany, [60] and entered the Austrian chart at number 18. [61] It peaked at number 88 in the Netherlands, [62] number 100 in Switzerland, [63] and number 132 in France. [64] In Oceania, the album reached number 79 in Australia. [65] With first-week sales of 4,000 copies in the United States, The Family Jewels entered the Billboard 200 at number 138, [66] while peaking at numbers two and 49 on Billboard 's Top Heatseekers and Top Rock Albums charts, respectively. [67] [68] As of 2012, The Family Jewels had sold 300,000 copies worldwide. [69]

In an interview for Australian radio in January 2011, Diamandis said that her career that far had been "more like a failure than a success", particularly in the American market. She attributed this to the inaction of Chop Shop Records, her label in the United States, as well as a move in musical tastes to "pumping beats" by artists like Lady Gaga. She cancelled performances in the United States in order to begin work on a new album. [70]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Marina Diamandis except where noted

The Family Jewels – Standard edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Are You Satisfied?" 
3:21
2."Shampain"
  • Gabriel
  • Howe
  • Stannard [a]
  • Howes [a]
3:11
3."I Am Not a Robot" Howe3:35
4."Girls"
  • Diamandis
  • Howe
  • Gabriel
  • Gabriel
  • Howe
3:28
5."Mowgli's Road"
  • Diamandis
  • Howe
Howe3:12
6."Obsessions" Howe3:38
7."Hollywood" 
3:50
8."The Outsider" 
  • Howe
  • Diamandis
3:17
9."Hermit the Frog" 
  • Howe
  • Diamandis [a]
3:35
10."Oh No!"
Kurstin3:02
11."Rootless"
  • Diamandis
  • Howe
  • Gabriel
  • Gabriel
  • Howe
3:28
12."Numb" Howe4:16
13."Guilty"
  • Diamandis
  • Stannard
  • Howes
  • Stannard
  • Howes
3:40
Total length:45:35
The Family Jewels – iTunes Store (bonus track) [71]
No.TitleProducer(s)Length
14."The Family Jewels"Howe4:05
Total length:49:40
The Family Jewels – Japanese edition (bonus tracks) [72]
No.TitleProducer(s)Length
15."Seventeen"Howe3:05
16."Mowgli's Road" (music video) 3:02
17."Hollywood" (music video) 3:25
Total length:59:12
The Family Jewels – American standard edition [73]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
7."Hollywood" (single version) 
  • Stannard
  • Howes
  • Starsmith [b]
3:24
8."The Outsider" 
  • Howe
  • Diamandis
3:17
9."Guilty"
  • Diamandis
  • Stannard
  • Howes
  • Stannard
  • Howes
3:40
10."Hermit the Frog" 
  • Howe
  • Diamandis [a]
3:35
11."Oh No!"
  • Diamandis
  • Kurstin
Kurstin3:02
12."Seventeen" Howe3:05
13."Numb" Howe4:16
Total length:41:27
The Family Jewels – iTunes Store American deluxe edition (bonus tracks) [74]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
14."Rootless"
  • Diamandis
  • Howe
  • Gabriel
  • Diamandis
  • Gabriel
  • Howe
3:28
15."I Am Not a Robot" (Flex'd Rework) (Passion Pit Remix) 
  • Howe
  • Passion Pit [c]
4:47
16."Obsessions" (Ocelot Remix) 
  • Howe
  • Ocelot [c]
6:26
17."I Am Not a Robot" (Starsmith 24 Carat remix) 
  • Howe
  • Starsmith [c]
5:18
18."Hollywood" (music video)  3:25
Total length:64:51
The Family Jewels – 2021 digital deluxe edition (bonus tracks) [75]
No.TitleProducer(s)Length
15."The Family Jewels"Howe4:05
16."Hollywood" (Gonzales remix)
  • Stannard
  • Howes
  • Starsmith
  • Gonzales [c]
3:43
17."Obsessions" (Ocelot remix)
  • Howe
  • Ocelot [c]
6:26
18."I Am Not a Robot" (Flex'd Rework) (Passion Pit Remix)
  • Howe
  • Passion Pit [c]
4:47
19."I Am Not a Robot" (Starsmith 24 Carat remix)
  • Howe
  • Starsmith [c]
5:18
20."I Am Not a Robot" (The Shoes - No Shoes remix)
  • Howe
  • The Shoes [c]
4:02
Total length:73:16

Notes

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of The Family Jewels. [76]

Musicians

  • Marina Diamandis – vocals (all tracks); piano (tracks 1–3, 6, 8, 12), glockenspiel (track 3); Casio VL-tone (track 8); organ (track 12)
  • Richard "Biff" Stannard – keys (track 1); programming (tracks 1, 2, 7, 13); additional keys (track 2); all instruments (tracks 7, 13); drums (track 7)
  • Ash Howes – keys (track 1); programming (tracks 1, 2, 7, 13); additional keys (track 2); all instruments (tracks 7, 13)
  • Luke Potashnick – guitar (track 1)
  • Lucy Shaw – string arrangements, double bass (tracks 1, 3, 7, 9, 12, 13)
  • Liam Howe – programming (tracks 1–3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 12); bass (tracks 1, 2, 5, 6); Mellotron (tracks 1, 3, 6, 9, 12); synths (tracks 1–3, 6, 8); electric guitar, additional piano (track 2); Philicorda (track 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 12); all instruments (tracks 4, 11); spoons, whistle, glockenspiel, acoustic guitar (track 5); Jew's harp, santoor (track 8); mandolin, recorders (tracks 9, 12)
  • Alison Dods – violin (tracks 1, 3, 7, 13)
  • Calina de la Mere – violin (tracks 1, 3)
  • Rachel Robson – viola (tracks 1, 3)
  • Chris Allan – cello (tracks 1, 3)
  • Steve Durham – drums (tracks 1–3)
  • Pascal Gabriel – programming (tracks 2, 4, 11); synths (track 2); all instruments (tracks 4, 11)
  • Alex Mackenzie – harpsichord, drums (tracks 5, 6); additional piano, mandolin (track 6)
  • Raymond67 (Freesound Project) – mechanical monkey (track 5)
  • Sandyrb (Freesound Project) – human monkey (track 5)
  • Stephen Large – string arrangements (tracks 7, 13); piano (tracks 9, 12); Hammond (track 12)
  • Niel Catchpole – violin (tracks 7, 13)
  • Oli Langford – viola (tracks 7, 9, 12, 13); violin (tracks 7, 13)
  • Anna Mowat – cello (tracks 7, 13)
  • Anna Phoebe – violin (tracks 9, 12)
  • Rebekah Allan – violin (tracks 9, 12)
  • Chris Worsey – cello (tracks 9, 12)
  • David Westlake – drums (track 9)
  • Greg Kurstin – keys, guitars, programming (track 10)

Technical

  • Liam Howe – production (tracks 1–6, 8, 9, 11, 12); mixing (track 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 12); engineering (tracks 5, 6, 8)
  • Richard "Biff" Stannard – production (tracks 1, 7, 13); additional production (track 2); mixing (tracks 2, 7, 13)
  • Ash Howes – production (tracks 1, 7, 13); mixing (tracks 1, 2, 7, 13); additional production (track 2)
  • Richard Wilkinson – engineering (tracks 1–3, 9, 12)
  • Dougal Lott – engineering assistance (tracks 1–3, 9, 12); Pro Tools (track 5)
  • Pascal Gabriel – production (tracks 2, 4, 11); engineering, mixing (tracks 4, 11)
  • Marina Diamandis – mixing (tracks 4, 11); production (track 8); additional production (track 9)
  • Starsmith – original production (track 7)
  • Greg Kurstin – production, recording, mixing (track 10)
  • Guy Davie – mastering (tracks 1–9, 11–13)
  • Dave Turner – mastering (track 10)

Artwork

Charts

Certifications and sales

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Ireland (IRMA) [59] Gold7,500^
United Kingdom (BPI) [55] Gold195,358 [56]
Summaries
Worldwide—300,000 [69]

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release dates and formats for The Family Jewels
RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)Ref.
Ireland15 February 2010 [81]
United Kingdom22 February 2010 [82]
Scandinavia24 February 2010 Warner [83]
Australia26 February 2010 [84]
France1 March 2010 [85]
Netherlands19 March 2010 [86]
Japan21 April 2010 [72]
Poland30 April 2010 [87]
Germany14 May 2010 [88]
Canada25 May 2010 [89]
United States
 [73]
15 June 2010 LP [90]
Ireland30 October 2015Atlantic [91]
United Kingdom [92]
Brazil14 October 2016CDWarner [93]
Various5 November 2021Streaming679 [75]

Notes

  1. ↑ Tracks 1–3, 5, 6, 8, 9 and 12
  2. ↑ Tracks 1–3, 5, 6, 9 and 12
  3. ↑ Tracks 1, 2, 7 and 13
  4. ↑ Tracks 4 and 11
  5. ↑ Tracks 7 and 13
  6. ↑ Track 10

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"Froot" is a song by Welsh singer Marina Diamandis, released under the stage name Marina and the Diamonds. It was released for streaming on 10 October 2014, to coincide with the singer's birthday, and later received a full digital release as the lead single of her third studio album of the same name. Diamandis premiered the single on YouTube.

<i>Froot</i> 2015 album by Marina and the Diamonds

Froot is the third studio album by Welsh singer-songwriter Marina Diamandis and her last under the stage name Marina and the Diamonds. It was originally scheduled to be released on 3 April 2015 by Neon Gold Records and Atlantic Records, although it was ultimately released on 13 March 2015 due to unauthorised Internet leaks. Written entirely by Diamandis, she collaborated with David Kosten for production.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neon Nature Tour</span> 2015–16 concert tour by Marina

The Neon Nature Tour is the third concert tour by Welsh recording artist Marina in support of her third studio album, Froot (2015). The tour was officially announced three months after the release of the album, on 23 June 2015. The tour began on 12 October 2015, in Houston, Texas at the Revention Music Center and concluded on March 20, 2016, in Santiago, Chile, with a total of fifty-two shows over six months.

<i>Love + Fear</i> 2019 studio album by Marina

Love + Fear is the fourth studio album by Welsh singer-songwriter Marina Diamandis and her first under the mononym Marina. It was released in full on 26 April 2019 by Atlantic Records, though the album's first half was released on 4 April 2019 as a surprise. Diamandis took a hiatus after she concluded touring in support of her third studio album Froot (2015) with plans of retiring from music. However, she began working on a new record with several producers like Sam de Jong, Oscar Görres, Joel Little, Jack Patterson, Mark Ralph, James Flannigan, and Oscar Holter during its recording.

<i>Mermaid vs Sailor</i> 2007 EP by Marina and the Diamonds

Mermaid vs Sailor is the first extended play by Welsh singer-songwriter Marina Diamandis, released under the stage name Marina and the Diamonds. The EP was independently released on 23 November 2007 and distributed via her official profile on Myspace. It contains six demos recorded by Diamandis at her home and approximately 70 CD-R copies were created. She also distributed the EP to several record labels with the hope that she would secure a contract; she ultimately was signed to 679 Recordings in 2008. The EP is a collection of indie pop tracks that heavily utilise keyboards in their production.

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