Marina - "Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land"




Video is fun, but runs out of steam too soon. and I feel slightly the same about the track. it feels like an interlude dragged out into a (Tik Tok length) song.
 
Nothing from this era has really grabbed me as yet. I'm hoping as an album it will all work together.
 
RANK

10 Purge the Poison
08.5 Ancient Dreams
08.5 Man's World
07 Venus Fly Trap
 
Probably her best tune since “I’m A Ruin” and the only single I’ve wanted to press repeat on instantly from this era.
 
Venus Fly Trap is the best so far. That chorus is brilliant.

ADIAML is fun too, if not a little annoying, but damn her lyrics are still dismal.
 
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Pandora's Box is absolutely lovely. love the lens on toxic masculinity/men don't cry culture in Highly Emotional Peeps.
 
First listen: Giving me more Froot vibes than Family Jewels but neither is a bad thing at all (New America is literally the same tune as Froot!). Definite return to form after those awkward years of trying to catch a hit. Definitely revisiting this a lot (after only listening to Love + Fear a grand total of 3 times)
 
Jark's hot take: Love+Fear is underrated. bloated for sure, but Handmade Heaven, Enjoy Your Life, To Be Human, End of the Earth and Soft to Be Strong are among my favourite Marina songs. people just had the pitchforks out for her from the off with that record and its best songs weren't given a chance.

anyway it was missing some flavour which is clearly back with a vengeance now so yay. RATE

08.5 Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land
07.5 Venus Fly Trap
09 Man's World
10 Purge the Poison
08.5 Highly Emotional People
09 New America
08.5 Pandora's Box
07.5 I Love You But I Love Me More
08 Flowers
09 Goodbye

excited to see how this beds in.
 
First listen and this sounded liked a compilation of unused tracks from all her previous albums. This sounds like a criticism but it’s not, I generally really like her. I’ll need a few more listens before committing to opinions, I’m in more of a Liz Phair and Garbage mood at the moment.
 
this quote about her mental place during Love+Fear is sad:

"I felt so deeply depressed and so lost for a good two years that I tried everything to get out of it," she says. "Songs like 'Orange Trees' and 'Enjoy Your Life,' they were just desperate attempts to create happiness in my life because I didn't have it."
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(she ended her 5 year relationship with Jack from Clean Bandit last year, for context)

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I love this shoot. also Goodbye is somewhat obliterating me today.
 
It's a pretty solid cohesive album. Marina by numbers, but who's complaining?!
 
I enjoyed it on first listen. Washed over he a bit after the first few songs but I think I'll enjoy it better with a few listens
 
This album is QUITE GOOD. I really like Ancient Dreams and New America in particular. Ancient Dreams is the best thing she's put her name to since the Froot album. I can't see me playing it much, but it's quite a decent warrior cry reminder that she's not dead yet.

She sort of reminds me of Tori Amos (not musically) in that the mainstream all but abandoned her (aside from Baby) a while back, yet she still seems to be flourishing with quite a dedicated fanbase.

Personally I think I'm a bit post-Marina and don't have much need for her anymore, but happy she's recovered after the disaster that was Love + Fear and that AWFUL TOUR that accompanied it. Enjoy Your Life must be one of the worst songs ever written by anybody ever.
 
I'd say she's back on track. Massively better than that last pissweak effort and more suited to the cut of my jib than Froot so I'm feeling it. £12 for a plain 10-track CD mind you - suggests the label don't give a shit.
 
Gangsta Nancy Lam said:
Why do they HATE her so much, and why do they POST ABOUT IT so much?
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I think because she was absolutely revered and adored to an extreme extent between TFJ and Froot there, and the higher the pedestal the higher you fall...

her brand of on-the-nose lyricism also seems to get right on their tits. but half of those posters will defend Rebel Heart and Madame X to the hilt. I call DOUBLE STANDARDS!
 
Jark said:
I think because she was absolutely revered and adored to an extreme extent between TFJ and Froot there, and the higher the pedestal the higher you fall...
Click to expand...

In fairness, Love & Fear was shite. I could scarcely believe what I was hearing. OK, we're now getting some context but it's still a donkey. I'd stopped following her on Twitter and Instagram because all this self-care earth-mother shit was getting right on my nerves. I guess now we know that she didn't really believe in it either, we can all move on but it was all lurching towards Paltrow territory.
 
Venus Fly Trap sounds like it has a bit of Duran Duran about it musically. I rather like it. Haven't got round to the album yet.
 
The new album is solid fan service and musically and lyrically interesting enough to be a step up from Love + Fear. I agree it does have a feel of Marina leftovers about it but not complaining. New America is 11/10 for a start and the upbeat songs have their own meandering style that feels a BIT different to what she's done before

Only thing is it feels very front-loaded, and maybe it's just me but the uptempos sound like they're playing behind a closed door.

Otherwise loving it, the songs are growing quickly and it's a TREAT to have her back so soon. That voice will never not be amazing
 
I’m ready to rate the album after a good few listens. I’m enjoying it, but it feels a bit short. Another couple of songs would have rounded it out perfectly.


08 Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land
07 Venus Fly Trap
10 Man's World
10 Purge the Poison
07 Highly Emotional People
07 New America
08 Pandora's Box
06 I Love You But I Love Me More
07 Flowers
08 Goodbye

SOLID
 
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