Marina and the Diamonds, "Family Jewels"

Having made a significant impression on the live circuit in 2009 - including a stunning set at Nottingham Dot To Dot Festival last May that I was fortunate enough to witness - Marina Diamandis and her Diamonds ended their year as one of fifteen bands the BBC tipped for great things in their Sound of 2010 feature, which in the past has proven to be an extremely useful launching pad for several bands. The 2009 version included Lady GaGa, Florence and the Machines and La Roux, all of whom have gone on to do very well for themselves. For Marina and the Diamonds, the signs of success are already evident. The venues are getting larger and the gigs are still selling out, and quickly, and before their debut album Family Jewels had even been released. Exactly how big they might become is uncertain; the suggestion that they might one day headline stadiums is not as fanciful as it would've been a year ago.

Indeed, the shadow of imminent fame casts itself over Family Jewels from beginning to end, as the band show no fear of being too self-referential. Lead single "Hollywood" comes across as a direct address aimed at potential superstardom, the line "I'm obsessed with the mess that's America" very much intended as both a critique of our infatuation with celebrity culture and a rejection of any such lifestyle for themselves. In the midst of the song, the lyrics craft a scene where photographers and bystanders confuse Diamandis for Shakira and Catherine Zeta-Jones, prompting her to confidently assert that "actually, my name's Marina," a non-too-subtle declaration of her intention to retain her own sense of identity, no matter how successful she might become. It's a bold statement, and she's created a rod for her own back if fame does end up changing her, as well as a tune that is something of a grower.

Elsewhere, the strongest songs are those from earlier EPs - "I Am Not A Robot" and "Obsessions" both have a similar structure, proving to be perfect distillations of the best elements of the band, with fragile, introspective beginnings flowering into bombastic pop that perfectly showcase Diamandis's range. Her vocals are possessed of a theatrical quality not entirely dissimilar to Amanda Palmer, an approach that is sure to alienate some listeners right off the bat. That's something of a shame; like Palmer there's a depth to her singing that goes beyond the attention-grabbing screechy nature of the catchier singles, as she proves to be capable of subtlety when it's required. Another single, "Mowgli's Road," wouldn't feel out of place on Gwen Stefani's "Love. Angel. Music. Baby." which, let's face it, is no bad thing.

However, it's several songs too long. In most cases, I tend to be an advocate of the ten-song LP - only the very special bands are capable of all killer, no filler albums, and Marina and the Diamonds aren't there yet, stretching themselves a little too much in places. "Girls" and "Hermit The Frog" are both humdrum studies in gender politics, and "Rootless" is a rather plodding Kate Bush impression. Their presence ends up interrupting the flow of the album, and a less-is-more approach would have served them well. For the large part, though, the album is simply pop done very well, certainly an improvement on the efforts of the aforementioned trio of 2009 success stories, and an impressive statement as to the ambitions of this band.