Review Summary: No longer Numb. No longer living in Fear and Loathing. She's simply Happy.
When you lose yourself in the journey called life, it's hard to find your way back. Some of us turn to substances to help alleviate the pain, some turn to visual art, and some turn to music. Marina Diamondis, a human being who is synonymous with artistry, has openly struggled with herself, her life and her career. Whether it be honest musings about suffering with Depression and all that comes with it. The bitter loneliness, the cynicism, the tiredness and so forth or being heartbroken, exploring the reality of what it's like to be hurt in such a way, numerous times in one's life. Not only is she honest but she approaches topics in a unique manner, she isn't your typical female 'Pop' artist and that's fine, she's carved her own path and she's successful at being herself. However, from her debut album up until this point, Marina has been searching for herself, her previous effort 'Electra Heart' displayed a character that essentially was her testing the mainstream waters and to get a taste of commercialism. Unsurprisingly, she didn't like it and because of that (among other things) she took some time away from the limelight and created Froot. Froot is a culmination of Marina Diamondis as a person, as a female and as an artist, she lays herself bare once again and exorcises her demons in a breathtaking fashion. This is her best work to date and here's why...
Froot captures the sound of Marina and The Diamonds perfectly, it's sincere and real. It features a vast musical scope, from haunting vocal melodies to 80's disco inspired music, there is a lot in between during this passionate journey. Whether it be the cyber-vintage-esque sound of the title track 'Froot' to the anthemic 'Savages'. The former features quirky guitars, sizzling synths that bounce between her vocals to the seductive keys that bubble under the surface, propelling the chorus, its immaculate composition is something to admire and envy. Whereas the latter begins with an enchanting, eerie vocal melody buried beneath reverb. The track starts slow, with a simplistic 1-2 drum pattern only to build into one of her most memorable songs to date, it's unmistakably retro yet has a modern zest. Savages at its core is simplistic in structure, however it manages to build to a climax and it delivers, every verse is the brooding calm and the soaring chorus is the storm. It's a varied experience throughout, every song has its own identity and solidifies themselves with high replay value and memorable moments (sonically and lyrically). Froot is what it sounds like to have been in the dark for so long but also the relief and the embrace of finding the light at the end of the tunnel, which in Marina's case, is happiness and clarity. Furthermore, each song hones in on a particular emotion, subject or sentiment, from Forget's triumphant story of moving on to the tongue n' cheek, slickly delivered Can't Pin Me Down, which embodies strength and the joy of femininity. Marina simply outdoes herself on every track.
The entire Froot experience is powerful and free-flowing, each track leads onto the next in a nice, compact way. It doesn't ever drag and it never really becomes too convoluted with its tone or message. What makes this record even more special is that it was written solely by Marina herself and it shows. The witty quips are back in full-force along with the oddball metaphors which were sorely missing on Electra Heart, it's good to have her back in her own skin. The general composition flourishes. Yet, no one is perfect and Froot does suffer from a few lyrical mishaps, whether it be some strange choice of words or brief run-ins with the cliche, but all is forgiven because Froot, as a whole is a consistent, well-thought out and expertly delivered body of work.
So there you have it, Marina and The Diamonds rises like a Phoenix from the ashes, reminding us what she's capable of and that she is a force to be reckoned with. Above it all, her identity, her personality and her artistry has been sorely missed. Froot is Marina and The Diamonds, it isn't perfect because it's the embodiment of a human being and their experiences, it highlights mistakes, emotions, difficulties with sheer honesty and that imperfection makes it far more beautiful than a sterile, frivolous sense of artistry the music world is accustom to.
Froot is simply
fruitful.
