Marina & The Diamonds – The Family Jewels

The Family Jewels is the debut studio album by Marina & the Diamonds (Marina Diamandis), released in 2010. The record is adventurous in scope—mixing glittery pop, punk-edged hooks, synth textures and theatrical flair—to match Marina’s distinctive vocal persona and lyrical ambition. Tracks like I Am Not a Robot, Oh No!, Hollywood and Mowgli’s Road reveal her interest in tension between vulnerability and performance, identity, fame and authenticity.

Musically, the album is bold and whimsical without losing sight of melody and emotional weight. The arrangements often feature layered synths, piano, occasional strings, and propulsive rhythms, and Marina’s voice shifts between breathy intimacy and fierce intensity. The result is a memorable debut that established her as a striking, idiosyncratic voice in pop.

Reviews

“An album with a distinct dual personality, Marina’s dazzling ‘The Family Jewels’ pitches the confident, MTV Awards-headlining superstar of our dreams against a more self-deprecating girl-next-door Marina who’s dead set on Supertramping and vamping her way out of her fug.” — NME

“The Family Jewels is a record that is creatively ubiquitous and aggressive, traits that make this album not unlike Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black or maybe even Liz Phair’s Exile in Guyville.” — AllMusic