(Weird hours in a weird time zone. . .)
― _Rudipherous_, Sunday, 28 March 2010 09:17 (fourteen years ago) link
Took a while to get around to getting a physical copy of the album, but loving it so far. I'd actually forgotten how much I liked the stuff I'd heard some time ago (Mowgli's Road, Obsessions) - they've really grown on me. I don't find her style annoying at all, but I do listen to a LOT of female singers with 'unique' voices, so I guess it doesn't stick out so much for me.
― Not the real Village People, Tuesday, 30 March 2010 05:05 (fourteen years ago) link
Too lazy to dissect (and incapable of doing it in terms of music theory), but one thing I particularly like in her songs is how often they go through a lot of changes. Multiple choruses. Coming out of a chorus and arriving somewhere new melodically, rather than returning to what came before. Etc.
― _Rudipherous_, Sunday, 4 April 2010 23:28 (fourteen years ago) link
She has a song which gets into the Libra thing (though not in a way I'd expect):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mG6BrtIRd9w
Lots of stuff of hers on youtube that I haven't noticed until now. Not necessarily great but it's actually pretty good.
― _Rudipherous_, Saturday, 17 April 2010 10:23 (fourteen years ago) link
How many of her songs are out there online already that weren't on the album?
― _Rudipherous_, Saturday, 17 April 2010 10:27 (fourteen years ago) link
Most of the Mermaid vs. Sailor ep (which is really just crude bedroom demos and, truthfully, not so great). Everything else ended up on the album pretty much, but "Numb" and "Hollywood" were significantly bettered by the time of the album recordings.
― Johnny Fever, Saturday, 17 April 2010 10:33 (fourteen years ago) link
Some of this stuff sounds pretty good to me. Better than the fucking Bush Tetras. (Why the Bush Tetras I'm not sure except the raw demo quality of some of this leaves it sounding a bit post-punk at times.)
― _Rudipherous_, Saturday, 17 April 2010 11:07 (fourteen years ago) link
Saw a (song-by-song) interview with Marina in which she said that "The Outsider" was the song that had the most takes. Interesting to me because I guessed a long while back that "I'm a fucking wild card" would be the segment that had that massive number of takes that one of them had. She didn't mention that particular line, but it seems like something she would struggle with. (I no longer listen to this album all the time, but do throw it on pretty frequently. It's sounding good tonight.)
― _Rudipherous_, Wednesday, 28 April 2010 07:08 (thirteen years ago) link
Oh yeah, and she got all indignant in the interview, because the interviewer tosses off something like: "So was 'The Outsider' done pretty quickly in just a few takes?'" And she responds: "Why would you say that?" (or the like). I guess I should just find it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Qq4AYyKa1s
haha!
― _Rudipherous_, Wednesday, 28 April 2010 07:11 (thirteen years ago) link
She looks nice & Greek there, too, I must say.
― _Rudipherous_, Wednesday, 28 April 2010 07:12 (thirteen years ago) link
Maybe from those outdoor concerts giving her some more color.
these interviews are really interesting, thanks. particularly the way she almost disowns 'girls'.
― m the g, Thursday, 29 April 2010 15:41 (thirteen years ago) link
The thing I like most about her reception by the music press is that there's a genuine interest in the process. Nobody ever digs this deep into La Roux's motivations or techniques, they don't care about Shakira's writing trials and errors. Marina is sort of an open book that way.
― Johnny Fever, Thursday, 29 April 2010 19:53 (thirteen years ago) link
If this is really the track-list for the U.S. release, I don't like what they've done with the sequencing. This may be a bit knee-jerk, but I think "Numb" is a bit too much of a downer as a closer, though maybe it's how she's feeling at the moment. "Guilty" was also a downer in a way, but it feels like the most personal revelation on the album, so coming at the end it felt like a sort of climax. Also, the abrupt ending seems to form a circle with the beginning (and its "hyper-meta" lyrical theme, which gives "Are You Satisfied?" a certain thematic abruptness).
― _Rudipherous_, Tuesday, 18 May 2010 02:18 (thirteen years ago) link
Interesting that "Seventeen" comes back from the dead for the US version. While I doubt she'll have a big radio single, that's one of her better chances.
― Johnny Fever, Tuesday, 18 May 2010 02:31 (thirteen years ago) link
Hmmm. I don't know. I like that song reasonably well, but I think some of the others might have a better chance. Like what? well maybe Hollywood, maybe Shampain, maybe even Mowgli's Road or I Am Not a Robot--probably I am dreaming though. Kind of hoping they will at least get a lot of college radio play (but maybe they already have).
― _Rudipherous_, Tuesday, 18 May 2010 02:35 (thirteen years ago) link
This is blowing my mind again at the moment. So musical is what it comes down to.
Well I. . .
― _Rudipherous_, Tuesday, 29 June 2010 00:41 (thirteen years ago) link
Video for "Oh No" just showed up. Bright and shiny!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cr-SqRWImmI
― Johnny Fever, Tuesday, 29 June 2010 01:13 (thirteen years ago) link
Hmmm. It's okay. The derriere of the dancer in blue is kind of subverting any pop self-critique going on here, but I don't take the pop critique angle that seriously to begin with. A bit much that Marina ends it with the same smile that "Hollywood" ends with (if I recall corretly).
― _Rudipherous_, Tuesday, 29 June 2010 01:31 (thirteen years ago) link
can we talk about that video? it's so painful it needs a safety word
― little rattlesnaker, Monday, 19 July 2010 06:13 (thirteen years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4D1HSL7P98
reminds me too much of this video in a not good way
― little rattlesnaker, Monday, 19 July 2010 06:16 (thirteen years ago) link
I don't know why I'm cutting her slack for being a giddy 23 year old, because I'd crucify anyone else who did that probably. tbh, I'm not listening to The Family Jewels with the regularity I used to, but I still think that in five years she'll be better instead of worse.
― Johnny Fever, Monday, 19 July 2010 06:17 (thirteen years ago) link
It's a bad video. I'm not listening to the album as much as I did initially--but why would I? Things rarely stay in such heavy rotation for me for long. I still love it though.
― _Rudipherous_, Monday, 19 July 2010 13:28 (thirteen years ago) link
Such a clever album
― Anglophilia isn't a pathetic excuse for the previous post (Noodle Vague), Saturday, 18 September 2010 01:30 (thirteen years ago) link
I didn't get that "Shampain" was a play on words – I was too dazzled by it fror the first 10 or so listens.
― Stop Non-Erotic Cabaret (Abbbottt), Saturday, 4 December 2010 02:14 (thirteen years ago) link
Also I think I would marry this chick. Is that legal over there?
― Stop Non-Erotic Cabaret (Abbbottt), Saturday, 4 December 2010 02:15 (thirteen years ago) link
sort of
― gospermaban sim gishel (acoleuthic), Saturday, 4 December 2010 02:18 (thirteen years ago) link
Yay! Abbott's on board!
"Shampain" was my favorite of hers long before the album, and it's still my favorite now.
― Señor Mexico (Johnny Fever), Saturday, 4 December 2010 02:18 (thirteen years ago) link
gonna give this a good listen btw - sounds like I might approve - although I am v work-busy so verdict might take a while to arrive
She's only two years younger than me so it won't be too weird.
― Stop Non-Erotic Cabaret (Abbbottt), Saturday, 4 December 2010 02:19 (thirteen years ago) link
I think she's dating one of the dudes from Hurts, but I'm sure they swing.
― Señor Mexico (Johnny Fever), Saturday, 4 December 2010 02:20 (thirteen years ago) link
Still my second favorite album of the year!
― _Rudipherous_, Saturday, 4 December 2010 02:20 (thirteen years ago) link
I think she's brilliant musically and I expect her next album will make more of a dent.
― _Rudipherous_, Saturday, 4 December 2010 02:21 (thirteen years ago) link
http://i1044.photobucket.com/albums/b448/wotyougot/theo-marina2.jpg
I could beat this dude! I'll just start doing light eye makeup and dark lips so she & I contrast.
― Stop Non-Erotic Cabaret (Abbbottt), Saturday, 4 December 2010 02:22 (thirteen years ago) link
Having been introduced to 'I Feel Love' a little earlier I'm struck by how much in that vein 'Shampain' is!
― gospermaban sim gishel (acoleuthic), Saturday, 4 December 2010 02:23 (thirteen years ago) link
I love "Oh No!" – I relate to the lyrics 90-100%. Plus it's just good uncut pop.
― Stop Non-Erotic Cabaret (Abbbottt), Saturday, 4 December 2010 02:24 (thirteen years ago) link
As discussed upthread, she's kind of unique in that her songs are an autobiographical open book without all the flowery songwriter poetry. Pre-major label days, her blog posts on (lol) Myspace were just like her songs. In fact, The Family Jewels is kind of like a blog set to music.
― Señor Mexico (Johnny Fever), Saturday, 4 December 2010 02:30 (thirteen years ago) link
IDK I wouldn't say it's poetry free – like I said, I feel like it took me forever to figure out the conceits in Shampain. OTOH I see why choruses like "I feel numb most of the time" make you say blog-to-music. I'm just a poetry stan (or poetry "dave") at heart, hence the defensiveness.
― Stop Non-Erotic Cabaret (Abbbottt), Saturday, 4 December 2010 02:33 (thirteen years ago) link
I do agree w/you, though. She expresses a lot of feelings that are mundane* and vulnerable at the same time, feelings that don't end up in pop lyrics too often.
*not meant perjoratively
― Stop Non-Erotic Cabaret (Abbbottt), Saturday, 4 December 2010 02:34 (thirteen years ago) link
she is the frank capra of girlpop
― gospermaban sim gishel (acoleuthic), Saturday, 4 December 2010 02:36 (thirteen years ago) link
lol
― Señor Mexico (Johnny Fever), Saturday, 4 December 2010 02:37 (thirteen years ago) link
can't remember how banging Capra's tunesmithery was.
― absinthe of malithe (Noodle Vague), Saturday, 4 December 2010 02:39 (thirteen years ago) link
not as banging as this i reckon
Speaking of banging, I just watched the "Oh No!" vid and she draws a rainbow in the air. I am taking this as a "yes" to my proposal.
― Stop Non-Erotic Cabaret (Abbbottt), Saturday, 4 December 2010 02:46 (thirteen years ago) link
She told me on twitter once that she loved me because of something I wrote. I wish I would've screengrabbed it.
― Señor Mexico (Johnny Fever), Saturday, 4 December 2010 02:49 (thirteen years ago) link
:D
― Stop Non-Erotic Cabaret (Abbbottt), Saturday, 4 December 2010 02:52 (thirteen years ago) link
"easy to be sleazy" <3 <3 <3
Yes, I would have wanted to archive that somehow.
― _Rudipherous_, Saturday, 4 December 2010 02:55 (thirteen years ago) link
I saved it as a favorite tweet, but about two weeks later it was gone. I gather she deleted it on her end.
― Johnny Fever, Saturday, 4 December 2010 02:57 (thirteen years ago) link
Thus, our affair was short-lived! ;_;
― Johnny Fever, Saturday, 4 December 2010 02:58 (thirteen years ago) link