March 28, 201510 yr I wouldn't give Electra Heart flack, I stanned for that era hugely. But there are some skippable tracks and I agree with Aly that FROOT is the album Marina wanted to do and feels more natural, and the fact she's had more artistic control really shows. I do think most of the songs on FROOT took a while to grow on me though. I was really meh about a few of them on a first listen but now they're addictive. Edited March 28, 201510 yr by Joe.
March 28, 201510 yr FROOT is just not groundbreaking for Marina, she's done this sound already, these themes and lyrics already. What made Electra Heart so exciting was its departure in style, sound and concept which obviously polarized listeners and critics, but what inevitably put her on the map as an artist, garnered her a flock of new fans and saw her being taken seriously. Each song was so different and unique and at the same time fell right into place with the era's image and album's concept. This album is just inconsistent and its themes tacky and recycled, she is capable of so much better. The fact critics are raving over this doesn't say much imo because Marina has essentially played it safe There's so many things I disagree with here. Firstly, Electra Heart was playing safe. What is exciting or risky about sounding like everyone else? It wasn't a departure, it was a retreat to stuff that would sell. Secondly, It didn't put her on the map as an artist. Her debut did. And Taken seriously by who? It sure did gain her new fans but it lost her many also. Electra Heart took away what put her on the map and replaced it with generic sounds, well produced but still of the mainstream pop genre. It's Electa Heart that was tacky and recycled - recyling other people's sounds and forsaking her own. The critics like Froot because there's so much more of her personality in it. It's is not exactly the most ground-breaking album to ever exist but if she was playing it safe she would have released Electra Heart part 2, wouldn't she? It's fine that you dont like it but you can't manipulate what has actually happened over the series of her three albums to support your opinion.
March 28, 201510 yr I kind of get why it's deemed her most cohesive and consistent, though I feel that is a result of FROOT being more of the same f***ing LIVING for 'Solitaire' at the moment, serving ARTPOP title track teas
March 28, 201510 yr I do think most of the songs on FROOT took a while to grow on me though. I was really meh about a few of them on a first listen but now they're addictive. And i think there is the problem with the album's commercial success (in the UK at least). They ALL take such a long time to grow, so it is only the die-hard fans that will give the album enough time and repeated listens to allow that to happen. I am sure you (you more generally, not specifically YOU) would not have given the album so many listens after initially finding it a bit "meh" if it was any other artist but your appreciation for her is what allowed the album to grow through the repeated listens.
March 28, 201510 yr I just think 'Blue', 'I'm a Ruin' and 'Savages' are some of her finest work, and really bring me back to why she caught my eye (ear) back in 2009. - I think these tracks are instant enough to warrant interest in the album. The issue with her success is that only her die-hard fans and big music fans (ones who spend time on a music forum) even know she's around with new music. Edited March 28, 201510 yr by Joe.
March 28, 201510 yr And i think there is the problem with the album's commercial success (in the UK at least). They ALL take such a long time to grow, so it is only the die-hard fans that will give the album enough time and repeated listens to allow that to happen. I am sure you (you more generally, not specifically YOU) would not have given the album so many listens after initially finding it a bit "meh" if it was any other artist but your appreciation for her is what allowed the album to grow through the repeated listens. I agree. I'm not sure I would have even bothered as I wasn't that impressed with Froot (the song) when I heard it first. I didn't even bother with her other Froots of the month at all.
March 28, 201510 yr There's so many things I disagree with here. Firstly, Electra Heart was playing safe. What is exciting or risky about sounding like everyone else? It wasn't a departure, it was a retreat to stuff that would sell. Secondly, It didn't put her on the map as an artist. Her debut did. And Taken seriously by who? It sure did gain her new fans but it lost her many also. Electra Heart took away what put her on the map and replaced it with generic sounds, well produced but still of the mainstream pop genre. It's Electa Heart that was tacky and recycled - recyling other people's sounds and forsaking her own. The critics like Froot because there's so much more of her personality in it. It's is not exactly the most ground-breaking album to ever exist but if she was playing it safe she would have released Electra Heart part 2, wouldn't she? It's fine that you dont like it but you can't manipulate what has actually happened over the series of her three albums to support your opinion. Well to me, lyrically, Electra Heart was a genius, everything was kinda Tongue-and-Cheek which is what really got me into Marina in the first place. It was a departure because she hadn't done it before and it widened her fanbase from TFJ as we can see with her improved chart peaks worldwide with each release (with the exception of a few countries of course). I don't hear anyone else's sound in it except for perhaps the Dr Luke produced tracks, and it still did well commercially, it'll probably go Gold by the time her next album comes in like 2017/2018. In other words, I agree with everything Kath said about Electra Heart :magic:
March 28, 201510 yr There's so many things I disagree with here. Firstly, Electra Heart was playing safe. What is exciting or risky about sounding like everyone else? It wasn't a departure, it was a retreat to stuff that would sell. Secondly, It didn't put her on the map as an artist. Her debut did. And Taken seriously by who? It sure did gain her new fans but it lost her many also. Electra Heart took away what put her on the map and replaced it with generic sounds, well produced but still of the mainstream pop genre. It's Electa Heart that was tacky and recycled - recyling other people's sounds and forsaking her own. The critics like Froot because there's so much more of her personality in it. It's is not exactly the most ground-breaking album to ever exist but if she was playing it safe she would have released Electra Heart part 2, wouldn't she? It's fine that you dont like it but you can't manipulate what has actually happened over the series of her three albums to support your opinion. Personally, I found Electra Heart much more exciting and risky because of its full on "sell-out" pop approach, her image during that era was such a departure from The Family Jewels and it really worked and had everyone wondering what she would do next. Yes, she sounded a tad like Katy Perry at times on the Dr. Luke productions, but that is a rather predictable comparison, 'Radioactive' was sell-out, but A+ quality sell-out. The album in its entirety was not recycled and tacky. Songs like 'Teen Idle', 'Fear and Loathing' hardly fit that bill at all, each song was so unique and interesting from the other, but at the same time tied in with her alter ego for the era. This FROOT of the month thing hardly comes close to the perfection of her Electra Heart alter ego for me, and like I said the album essentially plays it safe and is more of the same
March 28, 201510 yr More of the same of what, though? If it played safe it would sound like Electra Heart and it doesn't. I fail to see how Froot is playing it any more safe than Electra Heart did. Edited March 28, 201510 yr by AntoineTTe
March 28, 201510 yr Yeh, I don't get the whole 'Electra Heart' is not very good because she sold-out. Yes, she obviously sold-out but she did it in a very clever way that she stayed true to herself as she could possibly be. The lyrics amongst the songs are still of the same quality of TFJ and 'Froot' and there are the usual tongue in cheek songs alongside the songs that show the more emotional/relateable side. Selling out completely would be her singing about partying/in the club, getting a rent-a-rapper in etc, all the themes that were occurring in 2011/12. She had fun with the whole album, creating this character and even making fun of the music industry and the whole 'selling out' in some aspects. A lot of her best moments will always come from that album though and it showed how a pop album should be and taking the work as a whole, it IS different to what pop stars do.
March 28, 201510 yr I think the issue with Electra Heart was that some people didn't 'get' the irony of the persona. Musically, there was loads of highlights though and it was unfair for so many people to overlook that because they didn't like/get the concept. But I don't see how Froot is safe though, I think she's remained fresh and it sounds like nothing else in the charts, and I do think there is artistic progression there. But I suppose we can't all like the same things, and that's what makes music interesting! Edited March 28, 201510 yr by Joe.
March 28, 201510 yr What made Electra Heart so exciting was its departure in style, sound and concept which obviously polarized listeners and critics, but what inevitably put her on the map as an artist, garnered her a flock of new fans and saw her being taken seriously. Each song was so different and unique and at the same time fell right into place with the era's image and album's concept. :heart:
March 28, 201510 yr More of the same of what, though? If it played safe it would sound like Electra Heart and it doesn't. I fail to see how Froot is playing it any more safe than Electra Heart did. The album is predominantly lyrics and melodies done on both on The Family Jewels and Electra Heart. When a FROOT track begins, you can already predict how it will it sound after just a few seconds of hearing it, which is what I would view as playing it safe and more of the same Her previous albums (songs like 'Fear and Loathing' or 'Hermit the Frog' for example) are much more unconventional and interesting, FROOT lacks this with the exception of maybe 'Solitaire' and another track or two On first listen, I thought 'Gosh it's nice' but afterward I didn't have an urge to re-listen FROOT and this is coming from someone who had Electra Heart on repeat on a daily basis for more than a year and absolutely LIVED for The Family Jewels. I see a lot of people saying her personality is on FROOT, but that was defined on her previous albums and what's lacking here for me. The album just doesn't draw me in like her previous two and I feel she's lost a lot of her character with it A lot of people I know who jumped aboard after Electra Heart are having the same issue with FROOT, many of which who haven't even bought the album after being disappointed by the FROOT of the month campaign. On the contrary, it's seemed to have benefited her with a stronger commercial following outside the UK, so each to their own I suppose
March 28, 201510 yr Have to say, with the exception of Savages and I'm A Ruin, I am thinking this about Froot, it's a fine listen from Marina but there are currently far fewer standouts than there were on Electra Heart, where so many songs were different to the preceding one that it kept you captivated all the way through. And it took me ages to come round to this era as Froot is great but somehow a little bit below the standard I expect from a Marina lead single.
March 28, 201510 yr I agree with you, Kath about the melodies being the same. It's something that concerned me at the start. There's bit of Happy and Forget that we've heard before, certainly. She does need to quit doing that and as you say she's capable of better. Solitaire and Immortal showed us that. I chose instead to enjoy the parts that were new sounding. The verses of Better than That, and large parts of Froot. What I felt was not 'more of the same' was the sounds her and her producer came up with. I was tempted to dismiss the whole lot when I heard Forgot. I'm glad I didn't.
March 28, 201510 yr I do think that perhaps working with the same producer throughout may make it sound a bit 'samey' in places but I still think it's a strong album as I do love the majority of the songs, there's only 'Gold', 'Solitaire' and 'Weeds' where I'm still a bit unsure at the moment.
March 28, 201510 yr Froot overall is more consistent than either Electra Heart or TFJ for me which makes it the more superior album for me. It takes a while for the songs to grow on you but when they do, it REALLY hits you. Maybe it's just me but Froot is definitely her best work yet without a doubt imo (although Electra Heart comes in close). Froot - 10/10 Electra Heart - 9.5/10 The family Jewels - 9/10
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