Marina and the Diamonds - Froot

Stonkingly self-confident in person, on record Marina Diamandis has often seemed oddly unsure of herself. Against her better judgment, she was, for instance, cajoled into collaborating with a conveyor-belt worth of producers on 2012’s Electra Heart, a record she hasn’t quite disowned but which she nonetheless appeared inclined to write off as an interesting experiment.
For her entirely self-penned third LP, the Welsh-born, Greek-educated 29-year-old continues to work hard at finding a style to call her own. It’s fun watching her try on and discard varying personas– Lana Del Rey-style doomed chanteuse on the stripped-down ‘I’m A Ruin’, Iggy Azalea-derived pop tease on the title track.
And yet, there’s a sense Diamandis hasn’t quite figured how to best employ her musical gifts. She’s a decent singer, with a keen ear for hooks. But she also comes across as endlessly determined to be a pop star – an ambition that arguably runs counter to her creative instincts.
It is easily forgotten now but, early in her career, she was regarded as an avant-garde artist – more Bjork than Britney. Maybe it’s time she went back to the underground. It might make for better music. More to the point it would, you suspect, be a considerable weight off her shoulders.

Key Track - 'I'm A Ruin'