AUGUST ☾ ☽ Ancient Dreams In A Modern Land by MARINA
**She is an artist with serious content and touches on some controversial topics, viewers discretion is advised
Welcome wildflower to the album of the month [August]
A mini series where we discuss THE album you should listen to this month!
Filled with artists who truly deserve the hype in our audience.
This artist of the month that you need to listen to is MARINA!
Let’s discuss Marina!
– lauren & alexia x
Marina’s fifth studio album, Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land, is the pop record for the modern age, and she calls it her “best album” yet. Two years in the making, Marina ditches the pop formula into a fresh, alternative and authentic mode, touching on a diverse range of topics.
Despite holding No 1. albums with a strong fanbase, Marina has never become a household name, this album is about to change that stigma!
The family jewels, in 2010, was mainly written by her, with a rough around the edges appeal, but unapologetically honest with a range of tracks of assertive and sarcastic lyrics. From mental health to societal issues the album was a success and began her music career.
Six months later she accepted commercial help, recording the next album, Electra Heart. This led to the development of a new, theatrical persona called Electra, complete with a blond wig, long eyelashes and pink bows -- commenting on female archetypes.
Most of Marina’s infamous songs have either reached greater audiences (with a majority being a popular TikTok song - Oh NO!, Bubblegum B–– ). However, her older album received a lot of backlash in comparison to her newest album ‘Ancient Dreams In A Modern Land’. It seems like Marina’s original works didn’t embrace the full potential of what she is capable of creating.
Returning in 2015 to write all the tracks for her third album 'Froot', it became a more mature and self-aware approach. Commercially, it was her lowest performing album in the UK, 'Froot' was the work of a woman brimming with confidence, with 'Froot' as the beginning for Marina’s authentic self in music.
In 2018 Marina shortened her stage name from Marina and the Diamonds to just Marina, stating ‘It just feels more me’. After spending years battling depression and self doubt, Marina returned with a new album ‘Love + Fear’. An album addressing a range of societal and personal issues from self love to poverty, it may not have been the same commercial success of Electra Heart but was a success to herself as an authentic album.
Her newly released album, ‘Ancient Dreams In A Modern Land’ really took a divine feminine entity of its own accord. According to the PitchFork news headlines:
“ Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land'' is Marina’s boldest music yet. She wants you to know it from the first seconds of the title track: a glam schaffel beat that Marina turns into her own personal pulpit. “
The album is simply put as modern femininity in an 80s aesthetic, expressing a woman's place in our contemporary society; critiquing the male patriarchy and the capitalism deeply tied in it.
“ It wants to be a curative for every societal ill in the zeitgeist: COVID-19, racism, capitalism, misogyny, “every single war,” Harvey Weinstein, #MeToo, the collective societal whoops-my-bad over 2000s-era Britney Spears coverage (written, Marina says, before the buzzy Framing Britney Spears documentary, though she admits it was tangential.) "
Delving into an appreciation of each song and the zodiac sign we vibe with it, Alexia and I got lost in discussion about how outstanding this album is, it is simply out of this world.
Click any of the buttons to go to your star sign <3
☾ ☽
Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land
(such leo energy oh my; you confident and beautiful human beings - a)
“ I am not my body, not my mind or my brain / Not my thoughts or feelings, I am not my DNA
/ I am the observer, I'm a witness of life / I live in the space between the stars and the sky “
LAUREN: This enchanting disco-inspired beat preaches “not fitting into the norm”, straying away from conformity in society. The existential lyrics are beautifully complemented with the catchy beat, stunning vocals, and aesthetic music video, allowing us to really question the hardship of the human condition.
ALEXIA: ‘Ancient Dreams In a Modern Land’ gives me such ‘Dark Horse’ by Katy Perry vibes. This upbeat, catchy, and introspective dreamy tune complements the current hardships and mentally exhausted society.
☾ ☽
Venus Flytrap [E]
(y'all’s spice which you bring is giving me life however, there are only 3 Gemini's I love in this world - a )
“ I got the beauty, got the brains / Got the power, hold the reins / Nothing in this world could change me “
LAUREN: Venus Flytrap has a carnivorous vibe to her 2010 song ‘Hollywood’ -- casting herself as a star rather than a wallflower in life. The authenticity and brutal honesty in her lyrics and stunning camp music video creates such an interesting sound as you merge all of her past and present personas in the music industry.
ALEXIA : The mentioning of self-ownership and pride within Marina’s ‘Venus Flytrap’ takes on an entity of its own accord. The expression of freedom is extremely poignant and explicit in both Marina’s lyrics and music video as she takes on the accord of ‘holding the power in my veins’ to a universal and powerful approach.
☾ ☽
Man’s World [E]
(my politically active queens, you thrive in this song! - l)
“Mother Nature’s dying / Nobody’s keeping score / I don’t want to live in a man’s world anymore.”
LAUREN: The stunning music video featuring all types of women, with poetic and magical lyrics simply transforms you when listening to it. This song is an exposure to the patriarchal behaviours of contemporary society, with ties to capitalism in effect to that. Not only does Marina successfully break gender roles and the gender binary, but the effect it had on Mother Earth as well.
ALEXIA: This song is so enchantingly divine that it incorporates a vibrant colour scheme into the patriarchal stricken society of the 21st century. From topics on climate change to rights and freedoms of groups, Marina ties capitalism to heighten the effect of breaking the stigma. Additionally, the body positivity and inclusivity weaved within her lyrics and music video beautifully contrasts contemporary society.
☾ ☽
Purge the Poison [E]
( the naturesque energy oh my y'all are such grounded and beautiful people - omg virgo risings SHEESH; you guys won the beauty lottery - a )
“ Need to purge the poison from my system / Until human beings listen / Tell me, who do you think you are / It's your own decision “
ALEXIA: Purge the poison takes a retrospective but modernised perspective through the use of upbeat tone. Marina speaks on COVID-19 to Hollywood drama lying within a current world of terror by owning power and voice in a diversely corrupted culture.
LAUREN: This song takes on a variety of societal issues, listing them and confronts in a Billy Joels “We Didn’t Start the Fire” modern vibe, which I don’t know how she does it, but she executes it flawlessly. From the COVID-19 pandemic, to Britney spears, Hollywood elites, women in power, capitalism and global warming, ultimately concluding with a powerful exploration of the ills in society.
☾ ☽
Highly Emotional People
(y'all seem cutesy and nice at first but when y'all gotta vent - it goes on for a whole day; conversations become about you. - a)
“ Emotions are a part of our design / 'Cause we're just highly emotional people / And you don't need to hide / Sometimes it's hard to tell me how you feel / I never see you cry “
LAUREN: This song makes me highly emotional. (quite literally - a).
It’s a stunning ballad with ethereal vocals of femininity in a woman’s gaze! With sensational lyrics and a bittersweet piano-led track about an emotionally unavailable man. Whilst others may perceive it as the least eventful song in the album, I perceive it as a truly vulnerable and authentic piece of music.
ALEXIA: Another ambushing and beautiful ballad, ‘Highly Emotional People’ takes on a re-written form of human designing; emotions and feelings part of human nature. In addition, her modernised perspective of ‘hiding behind closed doors’ speaks to the vast majority of society.
Whether that may be personal or universal.
☾ ☽
New America [E]
(yall really don’t like the patriarchy and I don’t blame you. Alpha energy (aries) → chaotically stable but caps are loyal and underrated. If you are aries or cap rising oh my y'all are beautiful - a)
“ Stars are shining for you / 'Cause freedom's sparkling soon / America “
ALEXIA: The corrupted nature surrounding society and politics really ignited a flame in Marina’s song 'New America'. ‘New America’ embarks a personal attack on the corrupted roots of American politics which Marina displayed to the public audience through her lyrics and composition.
LAUREN: Marina once again confronts oh beautiful America! Attacking the dark truth behind the ‘American Dream’ of freedom and rights. It’s giving me Halsey ‘New Americana’, it’s giving me an eerie confrontation, it’s giving me a ticking bomb vibes.
☾ ☽
Pandora's Box
(literally y'all a mess staying up at 3am but I love yous' - a)
“ You opened up Pandora's box / You don't know what you just unlocked
/ I lose all control / Let go of my darkest thoughts “
LAUREN: Marina is returning the antique dramatics to the modern ballad. It enchants and hypnotises you, immersing you into its spell. As Pitchfork blog says “everything is delicate, but nothing is muted.” I couldn’t possibly say it better. It’s just stunning, it’s enchanting, it’s reminiscent.
ALEXIA: It’s giving me Frankenstein, Pretty Baby, destroy the patriarchy vibes - ‘Pandora’s Box’ is an extremely dangerous creation of Marina’s new album. It quite literally immerses the audience into a vintage stream and its such a beautiful eerie presence.
☾ ☽
I love you but I love me more [E]
( if your a libra, can you please hand me over some of your beauty genes I’m actually jealous - a)
“ You say you'll ch-change, you say you'll transform / How can I trust you, after what I've been through? / You only care about me when it suits you “
ALEXIA: This song displays an extremely important message, one of self-worth and sacrifice. ‘I love you but I love me more’ gives me such Leo vibes not only because of the title, but because of the emotional, heart-wrenching entity this song portrays.
LAUREN: This song is such an important message for our audience, the confident portrayal of choosing yourself in a relationship! Don’t sacrifice yourself for the other person, crumbling under the pressure of a failing relationship, it’s not your responsibility to fix it or stay. The song is addicting, it’s heartfelt, it’s intense and most importantly, it’s authentically honest.
☾ ☽
Flowers
( the most emotionally unstable and dramatic people you will ever meet, how does it feel to not be in a relationship? I don’t make the rules - a)
“ With every careless action you let me slip away / If you just bought me flowers, maybe I would've stayed / You didn't think I was serious, I guess you felt so safe / If you just bought me flowers, maybe I would've stayed “
LAUREN: This song is the Olivia Rodrigo of the album for sure! It can make anyone immersed into the emotional atmosphere of a breakup. The lyrics and stunning vocals are simply ethereal, it’s heartfelt, and delicate, a contrast to other songs on the album. A true masterpiece of deserving more from someone!
ALEXIA: Oh my goodness, this song is literally going into my feels sesh playlist! Emotions rise so much when you just listen to this one song. The beautiful rhythm and melancholic lyrics make it so euphoric and touching. Through the use of flowers as a recurring motif, it relates to femininity and the innocence with first love relationships.
☾ ☽
Goodbye [E]
( if you're a taurus you are very stubborn but have amazing taste and style. If you're an aquarius you’re also stubborn but open-minded and intuitive at the same time -a )
“ And broken hearts are quick to burn / And slow to heal easily / I've been a mother to everyone else “
ALEXIA: The final song of her album. ‘Goodbye’ quite literally is a rebirth of Marina’s old album style into a stunning, ethereal, innovative and alternate dimension. I think that it's quite refreshing to finally see an artist step out of his/hers/their comfort zone, and to write a final song with the words ‘goodbye’ amplifies that.
LAUREN: The final farewell. It’s a farewell to her late persona, the person she once was. The imagery of women as the givers of life to the world is simply stunning. It’s so refreshing and simple as a farewell on the album. The deep comfort of caring for everyone else but yourself is such a relatable concept that we need to realise isn’t the healthiest thing ever.
OUR TOPICS FROM THE ALBUM
ALEXIA: FLOWERS
✰✰✰✰✰
" The seeds we planted grew / But not like roses do / We had the thorns and leaves / But the buds, they never bloomed "
‘Flowers’ easily is one of my favourite songs in Marina’s new playlist as it is simply such a beautifully enchanting and vocally pleasing song. Personally, the lyrics, the melody is just a poetic dream which just takes a feminine entity of its own. The world revolves around making the concept of ‘love’ in such a romanticised and fantasised way. Marina approaches love in a warped manner; heartbreak. To me, this song just gets me in my feels and the amount of times I can listen to it over and over again is insane! If I had an amazing singing voice, this would definitely be THE SONG!
Special Mentions
Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land / Goodbye / Man’s World
LAUREN: A MAN’S WORLD
✰✰✰✰✰
" If you have a mother, daughter or a friend / Maybe it is time, time you comprehend / The world that you live in, ain't the same one as them "
This song is simply enchanting for me to listen to, simply bringing me to tears when listening to it. The message, the visuals, the vocals and the ancient poetic approach in our modern world is so refreshing to me, an obsessed ancient history student. When blasting this song in my earphones it transcends me into a whole different universe. This song was an easy pick for me as a favourite, with it replaying in my playlist over and over again! It’s a song that means a lot to me as a young woman going out into the real world in a few months. If I could sing I would definitely perform it for music for sure! It easily travels up in my all time favourite songs list (a very tricky list to receive one of the top places) well done Marina for helping me through all of my high-school journey from Electra Heart in year seven and eight, Froot in year nine, Love + Fear in year ten & year eleven and Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land saving my whole year twelve year, you are truly an angel on this earth!
Special Mentions
Highly Emotional People / Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land / Flowers
We hope you enjoyed the august edition of this mini series (first one just to say - more will be coming in the next few editions!!) Marina is so dangerously underrated it's insane how she isn’t hyped up as much as some other artists!
She truly deserves the hype!
Insta: @marinadiamandis
comment what albums you would love us to do next month!
–– lauren & alexia
♡
.png)
Commentaires