Marina
Love and Fear

„All the things I‘ve done and see

still I don’t know don’t know what it means

to be human”

from “To be Human”

When Marina (formerly „and the Diamonds”) released “Handmade Heaven,” the first single from “Love and Fear,” everyone was generally shocked. A new name that made her more common (just the first name “Marina” like any singer from a talent show) and a seemingly very simple single. Is simplicity something positive or negative? Well, that’s a good question. In this case, simplicity seems a necessity and the only possible path both for the album and for Marina herself.

The name change, the reduction to essentials in terms of image (the singer looks beautiful on the cover) and music, are connected. It almost seems that the girl who captivated us with her twisted thoughts, dark feelings, malleable voice, and extraordinary writing has made way for a woman who has reached a point of no return: tranquility.

And so compared to the previous album, characterized by sophisticated and dark-toned pop, we find ourselves in front of an album that can almost be defined as new age. In reality, it is, according to the artist, a double concept album that wants to describe being human through two emotions common to all, love and fear.

And as you keep re-listening to this album, the intention of the record becomes clear: to surrender to truth and not be afraid to show sides that might seem weak, banal, or frivolous. And so, a very simple piece like “Orange Tree” (“Flowers in my hair// I belong by the see//where we used to be// sitting by the orange trees”) appears light, yet absolutely credible (unfortunately, the same cannot be said for “Baby,” the only discordant note on the album). The track that encapsulates the essence of the entire album is “To Be Human,” an anthem to unity in diversity and the impossibility of fully understanding the meaning of our existences based on vocals that place every note perfectly and, in the chorus, touch on ethereal melodies resembling almost ecclesiastical singing.

On a musical level, piano and light electronics dominate the stage. The sounds are clear in the first part of the album (Love), while they become darker and more sinister in the second part of the album (worthy of note is the splendid closing with “Soft to be strong”).

And so, Marina almost reaches the goal. I say almost because defining this album as a double concept album is, in the opinion of the writer, a rationalization that goes in the opposite direction of the simplicity of the whole project. In the end, Marina finds herself HUMAN between the search for naturalness and the complexities of her thoughts.