Marina & The Diamonds is the stage name for solo act singer Marina Diamandis from Wales. The “Diamonds” in the name are considered to be her fans rather than her backing group. She has found success from the release of her single “Obsession”, and has recently released her EP, Crown Jewels, with “I Am Not A Robot”, being the star.
.Marina & The Diamonds – “I Am Not A Robot”
Marina writes and sings pop ballads with a soulful, beautiful voice. I am reminded of Regina Spektor, but with an older sound and more popiness to the music. The song is simple but that does not make it any less enjoyable. The lyrics are honest and heartfelt and there is a little glitter and glam sprinkled across this soft touched ballad.
.The Shoes Remix
The subtlety and simplicity of the original is replaced with electronics in this mix. The great part is that the soft tempo and sincerity of the song remains and Marina’s affectionate and gentle voice still shines through. The mix just gives the song a little more power with a few synthesizers. And it’s really one main electronic buzzy riff that powers through the sentimental ballad, with the addition of looped vocals.
.Starsmith’s 24 Carat Remix
Startsmith gets a little more creative with the tinkering of this song. Again, the delicate ensemble of wispy ballads and Marina’s voice remains, but some synth glitter and rotating sequencers give this mix an added gentleness while simultaneously giving it more layers of creativity and diversity. This is one for late night drives.
.The Asprins For My Children Remix
As with the others, this mix follows suit in keeping the softness of the song intact. And it really follows the pattern in the sense where it just simply adds on a variety of synth layers, percussion hits, slow drum machine beats, which all create for an alternate and dreamy feel.
Marina & The Diamonds: website | myspace
