It’s been hard not to hear the likes of Ellie Goulding and Marina & the Diamonds, even amongst the massive hullaballoo of hype in the UK. Both have been tipped as the new leaders of a pop movement started by the likes of Florence & the Machine and La Roux last year. In the process they’ve managed to bag themselves a host of awards without having released an album between them. They’ve been bundled together but Qsorts of pop star. While Marina & the Diamonds is the unabashed, outspoken queen of her pop realm, Ellie Goulding is the cute and shy folk-girl turned accidental star. No matter their personality differences, the time has now come when they both drop their respective works of art and see what the masses make of them.
Marina & the Diamonds is a Londoner by way of Wales and Greece, who came to the capital with booming vocals, an uncensored attitude and the sole objective of making it in this cutthroat industry. The net result of her record deal is The Family Jewels, which plays like a dramatic adventure through the mind of a strangely confident and quirky chanteuse. The 13-track listen has tons of personality and yet manages to find a good balance between MTV-friendly hits and left-field pop. Similarly to Florence & the Machine, she has powerful lungs and isn’t’ afraid to use them.
Asking ‘Are You Satisfied?’ on the record opener, Marina starts as she means to go on with a flurry of vocal acrobatics on top of a soaring pop beat. Meanwhile, ‘Numb’ starts off slower and builds as she questions the sacrifices of the musical profession. Other highlights include ‘I Am Not a Robot’, ‘Hollywood’ and the undeniable ‘Obsessions’ which displays a more vulnerable side of her personality.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the pop spectrum, Ellie Goulding has turned into the nation’s new favourite with her instantly likeable electronic pop numbers. After dropping out of Kent University she has managed to make the transformation from folk singer-songwriter to electro-pop songstress with the help of a couple key producers in the form of Frankmusik and Starsmith.
On her debut, Lights, she has taken a slightly more mainstream approach with the obvious objective of appealing to as many ears as possible. This tactic has worked both for and against her because on one hand, she will easily make it onto Radio 1’s playlists and appeal to a massive cross section of the population. But on the other hand she is caught in the crossroads between a true folk singer (see: Laura Marling) and a sensationalist pop diva (see: Bjork), which has unfortunately seen her labeled as the new mid-market Dido.
Such critiques are harsh though, because Lights is an easily accessible slice of pop goodness with effortless commerciality. Early tracks such as ‘Starry Eyed’ and ‘Under the Sheets’ not only got the buzz going but are really super pieces of music with their blend of killer hooks with soaring and sweeping vocals. Further demonstrations of albums quality come with ‘Wish I Stayed’ and ‘Guns and Horses’ where Goulding sings about leaving home and the allure of the city on top of soft building ballads. She’s lucky to be in possession of a beautiful voice that doesn’t outlandishly demand attention but gradually earns it.
Overall, both female artists have produced very promising debuts that have been well crafted and come across as genuine – which can’t be said for a lot radio fodder these days. I thought I would be able to choose between the two by the end of this review but to their credit both stars-in-the-making have lived up to expectation and have come up with contrasting records that travel down their own poppy paths. You get the feeling both of them have more albums in them and could be around for a little while. I for one, won’t be complaining.
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