Track-by-Track Review: Electra Heart

Marina and the Diamonds released her second album, Electra Heart on April 30th, 2012. It was a departure from her debut album, The Family Jewels, as she created a character named Electra for Electra Heart, which was, as Marina put it, “the antithesis of everything [she stands] for.” Marina has also said: “the point of introducing [Electra Heart] and building a whole concept around her is that she stands for the corrupt side of American ideology, and basically that’s the corruption of yourself. My worst fear—that’s anyone’s worst fear—is losing myself and becoming a vacuous person. And that happens a lot when you’re very ambitious.”

She cited her inspirations as Marie Antoinette, Madonna, and Marilyn Monroe. The styling for some of her music videos (“Primadonna”) definitely reflects this.

I thought it was an interesting idea for Marina to experiment with another character. However, not everyone has reacted as positively. Some people seem to think that Marina used Electra in this album as a way to “sell out”, since her first album was less mainstream-sounding. Yet, the Electra concept isn’t Marina’s alter ego, as she has explicitly stated in interviews, but a vehicle to communicate dysfunctional love and the American Dream. Electra Heart is also Marina’s take on the four archetypes  – Primadonna, Sue-Barbie-A, the Teen Idle and the Homewrecker.

What ever the case, Electra Heart is an overall decent album, and although it has the tendency to sound a bit cheesy, Marina’s voice sounds great.

 

Bubblegum Bitch
“Bubblegum Bitch” definitely isn’t one of my favourites on the album. The beginning reminds me of the Sohodolls’ “Weekender”, which I don’t particularly enjoy. To me, both songs sound dissonant, and not in the good way. The lyrics to this song save Marina here, as it provides a decent introduction to what/who Electra Heart is all about: “Hit me with your sweet love, steal me with a kiss / I’m miss sugar pink, liquor liquor lips.”

Primadonna
“Primadonna” was a single released on March 20th as a single. When I first heard it, I just couldn’t stop listening to it. It’s a catchy, poppy beat about a vacuous, spoiled woman: “Primadonna girl, yeah / All I ever wanted was the world.” She’s seemingly innocent, needy, manipulative, and wants the world. It was one of my favourites out of all the other previews I’d heard prior to her album release.

Lies
“Lies” is about dysfunctional love: “You’re too proud to say that you made a mistake / You’re a coward ’til the end / I don’t want to admit that we’re not gonna fit / That I’m not the type that you like / So why don’t we just pretend?” The lyrics are intriguing, as Marina sings about a relationship that has clearly run its length.  The melody, tempo, and lyrics of the song contrast from “Primadonna”, and show a more personal side to Electra. One of my favourites on the album.

Homewrecker
As someone who isn’t a fan of “talking” in songs, “Homewrecker” wasn’t one of my favourites. But it’s catchy, and kind of grew on me. The song is clearly a portrayal of Marina’s Homewrecker archetype: “I break a million hearts just for fun / I don’t belong to anyone”.

Starring Role
“Starring Role” was the first song I heard off of Marina’s album, and was on YouTube in November 2011. It’s sad, haunting, and beautiful: “You’re hard to hug, tough to talk to and I never fall asleep / When you’re in my bed, all you give me is a heartbeat”. The lyrics are a bit cheesy for me at some parts, but the song is still evocative. Yet another song about heartbreak.

The State of Dreaming
This track, along with “Lies”, leaked a couple weeks prior to Electra Heart’s release. It didn’t stand out to me back then, and it doesn’t now. Marina’s voice sounds beautiful, but the song’s melody is just too cheesy-sounding to me, and mildly reminiscent of Coldplay’s “Viva la Vida”, especially with the violin and bells. Next.

Power & Control
Although it didn’t stand out to me at first, it grew on me after a few listens. It sounds like it’d be a decent dance track.

Living Dead
The introduction sounds a lot like the one in Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams”. This song is more energetic, upbeat, and sounds like something I’d listen to when I’m sad or upset: “I’m living dead dead dead dead / only alive-live-live-live”. However, the repetitive “dead”s and “alive”s can be irritating after a while.

Teen Idle
Definitely Marina’s take on the Teen Idle archetype. As bad as it sounds, it reminds me of young girls on Tumblr: “The wasted years, the wasted youth / the pretty lies, the ugly truth”. The melody itself doesn’t catch me. Next.

Valley of the Dolls
The introduction reminds me of a really old song that I can’t put my finger on. Regardless, the quirkiness of the beat reminds me of “Mowgli’s Road” by Marina from her debut album. Yet, like “Teen Idle”, it didn’t catch me…so I’ll move along.

Hypocrates
As soon as I heard the preview for this song, I knew I’d love this song. And I do! As soon as I got my hands on her album, I couldn’t stop listening to it! It’s a bit cheesy, on par with Metric’s “All Yours”, but not as happy: “I know you only want to own me / and that’s the kind of love you show me. / You tell me one thing, and do another / keep all your secrets under cover”. One of my favourites.

Fear and Loathing
Just as haunting as “Starring Role”, but a bit dull for me.

 

And for her deluxe tracks…

Radioactive
I didn’t like “Radioactive” at first, but it grew on me after more listens. It’s catchy, and sounds like something you could dance with…perhaps at an indie dance party. The styling and concept of the music video for “Radioactive” is reminiscent of Telepathe’s “So Fine” — complete with the messy house, grocery store aisle scene, “dancing”, blonde bob wig, and red shirt.

 

Sex Yeah
I’ve never understood songs about sex. Sky Ferreira tried it with “Sex Rules”. I didn’t get into it then, and I can’t find myself getting into it now. The repetitive “sex sex sex sex” is a turn-off.

Lonely Hearts Club
The beginning is pretty interesting. But the song is passable: “Lonely Hearts Club / Do you want to be with somebody like me?”

Buy The Stars
“Buy The Stars” is refreshingly more acoustic than her other tracks. It’s less overproduced — but doesn’t draw me in.

The way her album is structured, there is a clear distinction between the more evocative songs – “Lies” and “Starring Role” and the more vapid ones – “Homewrecker”. It might have been Marina’s intent, since she wished to portray both dysfunctional love and corruption. I think it was a smart decision in that case, but at the same time, some songs sounded like filler to me – “The State of Dreaming” and “Teen Idle”, for instance. My biggest criticism is that the album sounded a bit too overproduced for my taste, and not as raw as The Family Jewels. Then again, it might’ve been all part of Marina’s concept…

What are your thoughts?

- Joyce

Image sources: Electra Heart album cover / Marina as Electra / Marina and her bubblegum

7 Types of People You’ll Meet During Exams

When studying for exams, I often spend time in my room or at the library. I’ve noticed many things about the students at my university, especially during exams. For one, they don’t stop wearing uggs and leggings. They also don’t stop being loud in the residence hallways or in the library during quiet hours either. Oh, but they do yawn a lot more, and I try my hardest not to cringe at the sound or sight of it. Either way, here is my take on the different types of people you might find on campus while studying for exams!

The Workaholic
All this person does is work. He or she is usually a very motivated and driven individual who makes schedules and checklists of what to study and when. They tend to do well on their exams, but there are also the types who don’t do as well either. Their work ethic is enviable, yet their results are usually no match for The Patrick Bateman types, who get away with amazing marks every time.

The “Workaholic”
The “Workaholic” type on the outside, appears to be just like The Workaholic. Only they spend half their time on Facebook, updating their statuses every now and then to “Oh my gosh, working at the library!” and the other half taking selfies on their Webcam, then uploading their pictures to Facebook with the caption, “Studying at the library!”.

The Cruiser
The Cruiser usually does just well enough to get by. If they just need to pass the course, they’ll make it happen.

The Patrick Bateman
This person is like The Cruiser but does disgustingly well on exams. They may possess half the work ethic of The Workaholic, but reap twice the rewards. Because they rarely perform poorly on exams, they find little incentive to break their backs for the next exam period. They’re like Patrick Bateman because they get away with what they do. Every. Time.

When writing exams, I find that there are different types of people. Some are annoying – you’ve been there, I’m sure you understand. Some are too relaxed for their own good, and some leave as soon as the exam booklets are handed out.

The Annoying Kid
After The Patrick Bateman, The Annoying Kid is probably most hated. The Annoying Kid is either intentionally or unintentionally annoying during exam situations. He or she may cough, sneeze, and/or sniffle throughout the entire exam, making it difficult for others to concentrate. They may also twitch or shake their legs for the duration of the exam, so if you’re sitting close to them, all you’ll see is movement from the corner of your eye. Depending on how considerate they are, they may also leave their phone’s ringer on during the exam. Everyone sighs in relief when they leave the examination room.

The Bolter
The Bolter is the type of person who leaves the exam before everyone else. Sometimes, he or she will only stay for the first five minutes – they’ll receive their examination booklet, open it, write their names down, and walk out. Other times, they might leave after the first half hour – either because they got all the answers right away, or because they didn’t know how to answer the questions.

The Stayer
The Stayer stays until the end of all his or her exams regardless of whether or not they’ve finished. They feel guilty if they leave before anyone else. Often times, The Stayers will compete to see who can stay in the examination room longest. You can often tell who they are by the last minute of the exam.

I’m not usually one to label people, so I tried to be as specific and general wherever possible. Did you fit in anywhere? Not to worry if you didn’t, it just means you slipped under my radar.

- Joyce

Images sources: Molly Ringwald / Napoleon Dynamite

How To: Study for Finals

Brace yourselves, finals are coming.

It’s that time of year again. Some of my luckier compadres have already finished their exams. However, I have yet to write a single exam, and fear that my over-preparation during the wee days of April have left me feeling less motivated than my studious peers. It’s not that I’m ready, I’m really not — which is what has me worried.

So while I procrastinate take a break from my ten-hour study session at the library, I’ll offer some tips, dos and don’ts, and my study essentials for finals time.

The Essentials

• Find a good place to study: If you’re studying on your bed, it’s likely that you’ll fall asleep. I recommend studying at the library or a place where you can concentrate and feel motivated to work. It might be dull, but there’s nothing like the sound of pencils on paper, typing, and the sight of others studying to guilt motivate you to study!
• A study buddy: While studying with others might not be some people’s cup of tea, I definitely recommend it to anyone who wants a motivator. It’s likely that you’ll feel guilty if you slack but your buddy isn’t. As I write this post, I’m sitting across from my study buddy, who’s shooting me dirty looks and eyeing my stack of notes – “Study!”
• Take a break: You’re going to feel bored and burnt out if you don’t. It’s really up to you when you want to take a break, but some people I know like to take short 5-10 minute breaks every hour or so.
• Sleep: Some people can function on 6 hours of sleep, like my roommate, who I’m insanely jealous of. I need at least 8. Get enough sleep to keep your body satisfied. You’ll find that it’s easier to work through problems and memorize details if you have enough rest. Oh, and did I mention that it’d be helpful to regulate your sleeping hours as well? I have 9 am exams, but I’m used to sleeping at 3 am. I’m going to have to find a way between now and Thursday to correct that.
• Food: Don’t forget to eat! And not instant noodles or chips either. Your brain needs its nutrients to function its best.

Dos and don’ts

• DO start studying early. I like to study a couple weeks in advance before my first exam. It’ll make things less stressful later. Also, if you have any questions, you can always ask your TAs, professors, or peers before things get hectic.
• DO make sure you have a full set of notes. This shouldn’t be a problem if you’ve been keeping up with your classes.
• DO remember to take a break every now and then. Your brain will thank you for it. I’m taking one right now.
• DO take into account what marks you need on the final exam to get that final mark you want! It sounds trivial, but it’ll make a difference if you don’t know how much time you should be allotting to each subject and how hard you should be studying. A couple of friends have asked me how to do this:
  1. Multiply the weightings and marks for everything during the year. So if you got a 80 on a midterm worth 25% of your mark, a 70 on another midterm worth 25%, and your final is worth 50%, and you want a final mark of 80.[(80)*(0.25) + (70)*(0.25)] + x(0.50) = 80
  2. Solve for x. x = 85. This is the mark you need on the final exam to get a final mark of 80.
• DON’T get too stressed out.
• DON’T listen to music when you study. This is just something I personally recommend. I feel that listening to music while you study is distracting. Some people like to do this, especially when working on something as mechanical as mathematics. However, I like to study and write my exam under similar conditions. So if I’m not going to be listening to music when I write my exam, I’m not going to listen to it when I study.
• DON’T forget to shower.

If you have any tips you’d like to share, feel free to drop them off in the comments section. Good luck to everyone on their exams!

- Joyce

Image source: Studying / Exams

Expectations vs. Reality: University

Expectation: “Waking up at 8:00 am everyday will be no problem!”
Reality: “Oh dear lord, does it have to be 10:00 already?!”

In high school, waking up at 8:00 am was a luxury. Since I went to school downtown, traveling was a journey, and so I had to wake up at 6:50 everyday if I wanted to leave the house by about 7:15 and reach school by around 8:30 for 8:40 classes. So being the silly person that I was, I signed up for half a semester’s worth of 8:30 am calculus four times a week. To this day, I still ask myself: a) Calculus? For real? and b) Why’d I sign up for a class where I needed to rise before the sun did?

Moral of the story: Don’t sign up for anything earlier than 10:30.

Expectation: People will comfort you in times of academic stress.
Reality: Other people tell you you’ll be fine because you’re Asian.

Bro, that’s borderline racist. I’m not inherently good at school. Don’t downplay my hard work and attribute my successes to my race.

Moral of the story: Complain to someone who will give you a proper response.

Expectation: People are quiet during quiet hours.
Reality: The circus has come to town.

Having a “quiet hours are in effect” is an invitation for some people to talk louder in the halls and yell louder in the washrooms at ungodly hours of the night.

Moral of the story: Do all your studying in the library…but get there early.

Expectation: You’ll switch it up and live a healthier lifestyle.
Reality: What are vegetables?

I’m not even going to touch on this one.

Moral of the story: Be healthy.

- Joyce

Image source: Clock

How To: Answer Classic Interview Questions

Ever walked into an interview and was asked “If you could choose to be any animal, which one would you choose and why?” or perhaps, the classic: “If you could be any kitchen item, what would you be and why?” If your immediate response to these questions is: “Well, that isn’t the case, right? I’m a human!”, then you’re probably like me, whose dry wit is hardly appreciated in everyday life.

I’m not sure what exactly the purpose of these questions are. To allow the interviewer to learn more about your personality? To make a funny joke? Or maybe it’s to see if you’re the serious type who will make a generic response out of such questions — an owl because you’re wise — which will leave the interviewer cringing at your lack of creativity.

I’ve thought of a few responses and justifications to these types of questions, and I’d like to share them with you.

If you could be any kitchen item, what would you be and why?

• Bowl: “I’d be a bowl because that’s the type of haircut I had up until fifth grade, and also because I’m a pretty supportive person.” Or, if you’re feeling cheeky, “A bowl because there’s nothing too hot that I can’t handle.”
• Blender: Someone once told me that they’d be a blender because you can put anything in and come up with something good. I suppose that’s a safe answer. But if you like living life on the wild side, you might say, “I’d be a blender because I’m smooth.”
• Spork: “I’d be a spork because I’m versatile.” or “I’d be a spork because there’s only a one letter difference from Spock.”
• Knife: “I’d be a knife, because I idolize Patrick Bateman. Have you seen American Psycho? It’s whack.” Maybe even: “I’d be a knife because I’m sharp.” or “Because I’m good with scathing remarks.”
• Toaster/oven/stove: “I like it hot.”
• Rolling pin: “I run my enemies over like a Donphan in Pokemon generation two.”

If you could be any animal, what would you be and why?

• Giraffe: The other day, I had an interview and told my interviewers that I’d be a giraffe because I’m tall and thin. Tip: don’t do what I did because you might come across as vain. I’m still cringing over what I said. My only consolation is that my sassy friend thought it was the best answer ever. But I digress…a better, but equally cringeworthy justification would have been: “I’d be a giraffe because I reach high expectations”.
• Parrot: “Because I just repeat what other people say. Because I just repeat what other people say. Also I can’t keep my mouth shut. Also I can’t keep my mouth shut.”
• Lion: “Because it feels good to be king.”

How would you answer these questions?

- Joyce

Image sources: Kitchen / Chopping vegetables / Parrot

How To: Stand Out

Ever wanted to be noticed for once? Feel like you’re blending in too much? Losing your individuality? Is there someone getting you down, or perhaps you’re invisible to your boss? I can help. This post will cover everything from how to look, dress, and act. I’ll teach you what to say, when to say it, and how! After reading this guide and following all my tips, you’ll be a completely changed person and the topic of everyone’s conversation.

Hair
If you want to be like everyone else, then you can stick to your natural hair colour, or any other natural hair colour for that matter – black, blonde, brown, or red. But if you want to stand out and make a kicking impression, go for something bold and crazy like lime green or hot pink. The best part is that if you ever get lost, you’ll be like a beacon of light.

Clothes
There’s no better way than fashion to express your individuality. After all, scene kids have been doing it for years. Why not be the next it girl or boy by doing something crazy and unique? How about making a dress out of lettuce leaves, or gluing erasers on your pants? You may as well wear a picnic basket for a hat while you’re at it. You go, trendsetter!

Just say it!
Instead of waiting to be spoken to, or expressing your opinion only when asked, why not blurt out everything as if you have no filter? Who wants to talk to a wall, anyway? Boring! Take your outlandish opinions to Facebook, Twitter, and while you’re at it, you may as well start talking to the press. Everyone will be dying to hear all the enlightening things you have to say!

Make a name for yourself
Lastly, in order to complete the transformation, you’ve got to make a name for yourself. You can create an alter ego or play around with the letters in your name. Why wait until you have children to give them an unusual or new age-sounding name? May as well act now! From now on, I’m ditching boring old “Joyce”, and adopting “Gjhoisze” – the “g” is silent, and the “z” is hard.

Please be warned that your new looks and charm will generate much attention. If you hear any insults or snide remarks, you’re doing it right.

- Joyce

Image sources: Gummy bears / Nicki Minaj / Lady Gaga / Courtney Stodden / Beyonce

Top 5: Things I Irrationally Hate

5: The word “babe” and “baby”
I’m pretty sure it was Britney Spears’ autotuned “bay-beh” which forever turned me off the word “babe” and “baby”. I guess it’s meant to be a cute gesture to a lover or crush, but it doesn’t do anything for me except make me want to cover my ears and cringe.

4: Water/juice at the bottom of a cup or bottle
I don’t consider myself to be a wasteful person. However, during my childhood, I refrained from drinking the remaining contents of my juice or water from my cup. My mother never liked this habit, and said, “It’s not like it’s dirty or anything”.

3: Yellow school bus windows
Samantha Baker once said, “I loathe the bus”. I loathe school bus windows because they aren’t clean. In my experience working with children, I’ve learned that school kids enjoy breathing on them, fogging them up, and then drawing something in with their finger.

Strangely enough, I understand that school bus windows are not too different from car or train windows. After all, they’re made of glass. Only difference is that some windows are touched more often than others.

2: Yawning
It’s natural, but I still don’t like seeing or hearing yawns. I don’t like breathing around a person who’s just yawned too. For me, I imagine the air around a person who has just yawned to be warm and akin to morning breath. Ick. I cringe even more when their yawn is followed by that soft snapping sound you get when your tongue hits the roof of your mouth. It makes me lose my appetite. Yawning babies are fine by me though.

1: Feet
I hate feet. I hate seeing them in sandals in the summer months, I especially hate seeing them fresh out of the water, on the deck at the swimming pool. Oh, and don’t get me started on “toe jam”. I honestly think that feet are one of the most disgusting parts of the human body. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad I have feet – but I just don’t like them. When people say the word “feet”, I immediately imagine a smelly, sweaty foot coming at me.

Feel free to psychoanalyze me and assume that I have repressed memories of feet. Google Image “feet” and “toes”, and maybe you’ll understand where I’m coming from.

As can be seen, most of the things I irrationally hate concern hygiene. Guess I’m a bit of a germaphobe after all. What are some of the things you irrationally hate?

- Joyce

*This post is meant to come across as humourous and amusing. The author does not intend to come across as overly negative, immature, or hateful.

Thoughts: The Art of Animated Gifs

Animated gifs are perfect responses to almost everything and anything on the Internet and in real life. They’re just as cool as Internet memes, and I think that if it weren’t for the fact that most of them took so long to load, they would have been more popular by now. Still, the hilarity that ensues is well worth the wait.

One of my favourite Tumblr sites is dedicated to animated gifs and includes witty responses to various situations. It’s called #whatshouldwecallme. Here are some unanimated screenshots below. Click the screenshot to get to the Tumblr post (opens new window)!

My love for animated gifs stems from lurking the Internet and a LiveJournal community in particular, known as OhNoTheyDidn’t! It’s the biggest community on LiveJournal, and it’s all about celebrity gossip. However, I must admit that it isn’t the gossip that keeps me coming back, but the comments. They absolutely slay me, and are often full of animated gifs to responses such as “popcorn.gif”, often used when something seems entertaining, or something big is about to break loose. Some gifs have even reached such a level of popularity that people simply respond with the name of the gif instead of actually posting the image of the gif — such as “whitneyhoustonreceipts.gif”, which features an animated gif of the late Whitney, saying “I wanna see the receipts”. It’s often used in response to a comment or post that seems false or unbelievable.

I must confess that I have created some animated gifs in the past, but sadly they haven’t reached the level of popularity of some of the others…

What’s your favourite? What do you think of animated gifs?

- Joyce

*All screenshots taken from #whatshouldwecallme. No source for the other animated gifs, but they aren’t mine!

Discover: Coloured Jeans

Back in December, I purchased two pairs of skinny jeans from H&M, in bright red and royal blue. I took pride in being the only one I knew who owned coloured jeans. But times changed, and evidently the trend of big, bold colours caught on. It seems as if many girls at my university also own coloured denim, especially red jeans. In Toronto, I found that coloured pants were being sold almost everywhere.

I like coloured jeans because I think that when done tastefully, they can look amazing. Not only are they a lot more interesting than regular old blue/black/gray jeans, but they draw attention to our constantly moving appendages known as legs. In short: they’re bold and make a statement. My obsession with red jeans, in particular, began when I saw Julian Casablancas (pictured above) wearing them at his shows. Strangely enough, Julian is a bit of a style icon for me – as he’s who got me into wearing leather leggings in the first place. But of course, that’s a story for another day…

Joe’s Jeans, although pricey for my taste, sells coloured skinny jeans in 55 colours at $158 per pair. I like the idea of a more understated magenta and burgundy, but unfortunately most places I’ve shopped at only sell coloured skinny jeans in your basic red, blue, green, and orange. Not even yellow, which I would very much like to pair a simple white blouse with.

Your verdict on the coloured denim trend – yay or nay? Trendy or too scene kid for your tastes?

- Joyce

Discover: Messy Bangs

Sexy, mysterious, cute, and fresh are all adjectives one could use to describe bangs. They come in many different forms, such as baby bangs, blunt bangs, and my favourite – messy bangs. There’s just something undeniably effortless, hot, and mysterious about it at the same time. My favourite model, Daisy Lowe (pictured below), sports the messy bang, and she (almost) always looks fabulous.

I have bangs too!
If you remember from an earlier blog post, I got my hair cut in December to resemble Daisy’s – mostly because I enjoyed the effortless chic look. I also wanted a change from my high school hair, which was essentially a side-swept curtain of long, straight hair, every strand practically the same length. Although I don’t have pictures to prove it, trust me when I say it’s definitely a change from what I had before!

On maintaining the messy bang
Contrary to popular belief, I find it even easier to maintain my (new) messy bang hairstyle. It’s as effortless as it looks. That being said, I have very fine, straight “Asian” hair, as some might call it.

For those interested, here is my post-shower routine with respect to my hair:

1. Wrap hair up with towel.
2. Let it sit for about 20 minutes or so. In the mean time, I do other things.
3. Unwrap. Take a comb or brush and do a middle part (otherwise my natural part is off to the side).
4. Brush bangs straight down to the front.
5. Air dry.

It sounds easy, and it is! But that’s just half the story. The other part involves trimming your bangs so they stay bangs! Some people find it annoying to maintain them as they grow out, but I like to trim them every week or so. Alternatively, I’ve heard that you can go to hair salons and they’ll trim your bangs free of charge. However, I like to put the fate of my hair in my own hands (pun intended)! I just take regular scissors and make small, vertical snips for a more feathered look. They’re messy bangs so they don’t have to be perfect.

Problems?
My biggest problem that I have with bangs is the acne that grows on your forehead. I had acne before, but my forehead acne post-haircut was a different story. For the lucky guys and girls who can pull of bangs with minimal acne, hats off to you!

What do you think of messy bangs?

- Joyce