Top 5 Concept Albums of the 21st Century

1. Electra Heart // Marina and the Diamonds

The modern soundtrack of teenage angst and the epitome of the 21^st century’s ideals, ‘Electra Heart’ is the album that propelled Marina and the Diamonds from moderate chart success to international pop starlet. Centralised around the creation and exploration of the eponymous protagonist, Diamandis presents archetypal characters of American society, writing songs through their personas or as an outsider analysing their character. Electra Heart herself seems to boast a multiplicity of personalities which serve as a tool to portray ‘The Archetypes’; ‘Primadonna’ tells the story of the beauty queen, ‘Teen Idle’ serves as a reflection of the idle/idol teen, Su-Barbie-A becomes the epitomised housewife whilst the ‘Homewrecker’ character flows throughout. Marina has crafted a fully-rounded, flawed character through which she pens pop ballads and musical numbers which effectively depict Electra as a narcissist with self-loathing issues, driven for pop stardom so as to create a conceptual album bursting with feminist critique and societal criticism.

What elevates this concept album above others is the visual feast offered alongside. Each archetypal side to Electra Heart came with a string of artistically brilliant photos, witty captions and a variation of videos and stories to bring both the album and the character to life. Marina combined the album and the internet to create a 21^st century sensation flowing with criticisms, artistic visions and, most importantly, a fully imagined protagonist. Coupled with lyrics such as “I wanna be a virgin pure / a 21^st century whore” and “I broke a million hearts just for fun” the singer has created a pop concept album that is yet to be matched. The album stands alone in the world of concept albums, boasting a visual cornucopia of goods alongside a musical offering of pop ballads and ethereal vocals – all factors serving to create the best conceptual album of the 21^st century.

Words by Adam Levick
@_adamlevick