The second studio album from Marina Lambrini Diamandis finds the mercurial Welsh singer/songwriter assuming the role of diva in waiting, trading in the ballsy, quirky retro-pop of her 2010 debut,
Family Jewels, for the glitzy (and still relatively ballsy) electro-thump pomp of
Ke$ha and
Lady Gaga. Produced by
Dr. Luke (
Katy Perry),
Liam Howe (
Sneaker Pimps),
Greg Kurstin (
Lily Allen), and
Rick Nowels (
Madonna),
Electra Heart is a brooding, sexy, desperate, overwrought, and infectious record that's both aware and unashamed of its contrivance. In short, Diamandis is trying to expose the artifice of big-box pop music by using its own voice, and despite the obvious trappings of the concept, she does a fairly respectable job. Her resonant operatic voice is expressive enough to make a lyric like "Candy bear, sweetie pie, I wanna be adored/I'm the girl you'd die for," from the capricious opener "Bubblegum Bitch," feel less like a floozy come-on and more like a malicious schoolyard taunt. When she sticks to that persona, as she does on standout cuts like the
Lykke Li meets "Viva la Vida"-era
Coldplay-influenced single "Primadonna" and the saucy,
Lana Del Ray-inspired "Teen Idle,"
Electra Heart beats with the feral blood of an army of disenfranchised high-school loners coming into their own, but deeper, more depressive cuts like "The State of Dreaming," "Living Dead," and the grim, dancefloor-ready downer "Homewrecker," despite their catchy melodies, clever wordplay, and meticulous, radio-savvy production, reveal the lonely rebel, defiantly eating lunch alone, secretly wishing for acceptance. ~ James Christopher Monger