Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land Review
Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land is the fifth album from alt-pop singer Marina, formerly Marina & the Diamonds, and it is available as part of the Mercer County Library System’s physical (as a CD) and digital collections (through hoopla). It is a short album, only ten tracks, but it is a great one. The first half is socio-political lyrics punctuated by energetic pop rock. The second half is soft and tender ballads about heartbreak and emotional intimacy. Like I said, it is a great album and I am going to take you through it, single by single, so we can really get a feel for why this work is so amazing. I hope you’re ready to self-actualize, save the planet, start a coven, and smash the patriarchy, because on this album Marina pulls no punches!
“You don't have to be like everybody else
You don't have to fit into the norm
You are not here to conform
I am here to take a look inside myself
Recognize that I could be the eye, the eye of the storm
I am not my body, not my mind or my brain (Ha!)
Not my thoughts or feelings, I am not my DNA
I am the observer, I'm a witness of life
I live in the space between the stars and the sky.”
Did you hear that? She lives in the space between the stars and the sky. I have no idea what that means, but I love it. And if that didn’t open your third eye, here comes another verse, “What’s your purpose, why were you put on Earth? / You could be lost but you belong to the world / We’re now living in a seminal age / The walls are being broken and we’re ready for change.” At this point if you aren’t ready to shout “YAASSSS QUEEN!!!!! YAAAAAAASSSSSSS!!!” you might want to leave now because this album has nothing for you.
“I know that money ain't important (Ah)
And it don't mean you're the best (Oh)
But I earned it all myself
And I'm a millionairess
I did it my way, baby
Nothing in this world could change me.”
And as a lesson to the rest of us:
“They'll shame you, blame you
Pretend to even hate you
Take away your rights
Pacify you with their lies
Whatever you give life
You are gonna get back
Why be a wallflower
When you can be a Venus fly trap?”
“Venus Fly Trap” is a great song, but it’s nowhere near the best on the album. That honor goes to track three.
“Man’s World” was the first single released from the album and was created with an all-female production team. Despite the biting message about discrimination against women and members of the LGBT+ community, the song’s sound is similar to the catchy alt-pop from some of Marina’s earlier albums (her double album Love + Fear is also available in the MCLS collection). In this song, Marina conflates the abuse of Mother Earth with the abuse of mothers, daughters, sisters, etc. everywhere:
However, Marina also compares Mother Earth’s resilience with the resilience of women everywhere, “Spring appears when the time is right / Women are violets coming to light / Don’t underestimate the making of life / The planet has a funny way of stopping a fight.” Not a lot of pop stars invoke the Divine Feminine in their music, but Marina is not a lot of pop stars.
The next track is “Purge the Poison” and it lives up to its name. Marina mentions almost every social problem she can think of in a fiery beat that is a lot of fun for dancing. She touches on environmentalism, quarantines, wildfires, racism, misogyny, poverty, the media’s treatment of Britney Spears, Harvey Weinstein’s crimes, the #MeToo movement, and female representation in government. She’s doing a lot, is what I’m saying. I really don’t know what lyrics to share with you from “Purge the Poison” because the lyrics all seem to hang together in a way that just giving you the first verse or chorus would not be doing them justice. I will say that despite the song’s heaviness, or maybe because of it, this song is great. There is a reason this song was the second released single. “Purge the Poison” is one of the best songs on the album and encapsulates the entire message of the album better than any other track. It is a whirlwind of emotion, politics, and humanity set to an electropop beat.
Just when the listener was getting used to dancing out their societal rage, the next song switches things up completely. “Highly Emotional People” is a soft ballad about feeling your feelings. Whatever emotions you haven’t been dealing with, prepare yourself, because you are about to go through all of them. This is a song for people who want to slow dance, but also want to cry in the middle of it. The song is about acknowledging your emotions, but specifically about the way men are socialized to not show emotion:
This is a beautiful song, and it is our first stop into the more intimate and emotional songs, but before we do, we’ve got one more song about society’s ills.
The next track is “New America” and this is the most pointed of the social commentary songs. Marina throws some uncomfortable truths at the United States of America, and concludes that the country can no longer cover them up.
This song is another banger, but I can’t help but think it’s in the wrong position. It feels like “New America” and “Highly Emotional People” should switch places. The rest of the album is ballads or in the ballad family. “New America” is a part of the album’s socio-political dance party. I can’t help but wonder if this was some kind of mistake.
The next four songs I’m going to discuss together. They’re not bad songs or not worthy of individual breakdowns, but they are all very similar. All of them describe the end of a relationship and the sadness that accompanies that, but also the triumph of self-love over desperation. The interesting thing about these songs is that none of them were released as singles, not even one. It’s like this part of the album is a secret. The first song of the quartet is “Pandora’s Box,” and if “Highly Emotional People” is for slow dancing and crying, this song is for slow dancing with simmering resentment. The song is about the end of a relationship when it is clear it is not going to work, but the protagonist is still clinging to hope even though the pain is bringing out the worst in her. The next song, titled “I Love You But I Love Me More” is the conclusion of that bad relationship. The protagonist’s partner wants to get back together, but our protagonist is not willing to put herself through more pain just to spare her partner’s feelings. The triumph in this song is probably the reason it’s the least slow of the slow songs. “Flowers” is the next track and it is quiet and reflective. The protagonist reflects on her lost relationship and concludes that if her partner had shown just a tiny bit of attentiveness or care they could have saved their relationship, “If you just bought me flowers, maybe I would have stayed.” The final song is appropriately called “Goodbye,” and it is a song of acceptance. The protagonist holds no more bitterness towards their ex-partner and wishes them future happiness, but makes it clear they will never be in a relationship again. She also explains that she does not regret her experience, not even the painful parts.
And that’s the end of Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land. It is a work of art that comes in screaming and ends on a shy wave goodbye. The combination of social issues and honest emotion should be too dissonant, but it isn’t. It is a real testament to Marina’s ability as a songwriter and as a singer that she brings all the different parts together and creates such a unique and beautiful album. If you have even a minor interest in pop music you should give it a listen; you won’t regret it.
“Mother nature's dying
Nobody's keeping score
I don't wanna live in a man's world anymore
I don't wanna live in a man's world anymore
If you have a mother, daughter or a friend
Maybe it is time, time you comprehend
The world that you live in
Ain't the same one as them
So don't punish me for not being a man.”
However, Marina also compares Mother Earth’s resilience with the resilience of women everywhere, “Spring appears when the time is right / Women are violets coming to light / Don’t underestimate the making of life / The planet has a funny way of stopping a fight.” Not a lot of pop stars invoke the Divine Feminine in their music, but Marina is not a lot of pop stars.
The next track is “Purge the Poison” and it lives up to its name. Marina mentions almost every social problem she can think of in a fiery beat that is a lot of fun for dancing. She touches on environmentalism, quarantines, wildfires, racism, misogyny, poverty, the media’s treatment of Britney Spears, Harvey Weinstein’s crimes, the #MeToo movement, and female representation in government. She’s doing a lot, is what I’m saying. I really don’t know what lyrics to share with you from “Purge the Poison” because the lyrics all seem to hang together in a way that just giving you the first verse or chorus would not be doing them justice. I will say that despite the song’s heaviness, or maybe because of it, this song is great. There is a reason this song was the second released single. “Purge the Poison” is one of the best songs on the album and encapsulates the entire message of the album better than any other track. It is a whirlwind of emotion, politics, and humanity set to an electropop beat.
Just when the listener was getting used to dancing out their societal rage, the next song switches things up completely. “Highly Emotional People” is a soft ballad about feeling your feelings. Whatever emotions you haven’t been dealing with, prepare yourself, because you are about to go through all of them. This is a song for people who want to slow dance, but also want to cry in the middle of it. The song is about acknowledging your emotions, but specifically about the way men are socialized to not show emotion:
“People say men don't cry
It's so much easier to just lie
'Til somebody takes their life
Emotions are a part of our design
'Cause we're just highly emotional people
And you don't need to hide
Sometimes it's hard to tell me how you feel
I never see you cry.”
This is a beautiful song, and it is our first stop into the more intimate and emotional songs, but before we do, we’ve got one more song about society’s ills.
The next track is “New America” and this is the most pointed of the social commentary songs. Marina throws some uncomfortable truths at the United States of America, and concludes that the country can no longer cover them up.
“They've got blood on their hands
'Cause they stole all the land
And all the lies they're here to raise
Made them feel like a man
Who gave you jazz, hip-hop, rock and roll, and the blues?
No matter what, the story's catching up on you.”
This song is another banger, but I can’t help but think it’s in the wrong position. It feels like “New America” and “Highly Emotional People” should switch places. The rest of the album is ballads or in the ballad family. “New America” is a part of the album’s socio-political dance party. I can’t help but wonder if this was some kind of mistake.
The next four songs I’m going to discuss together. They’re not bad songs or not worthy of individual breakdowns, but they are all very similar. All of them describe the end of a relationship and the sadness that accompanies that, but also the triumph of self-love over desperation. The interesting thing about these songs is that none of them were released as singles, not even one. It’s like this part of the album is a secret. The first song of the quartet is “Pandora’s Box,” and if “Highly Emotional People” is for slow dancing and crying, this song is for slow dancing with simmering resentment. The song is about the end of a relationship when it is clear it is not going to work, but the protagonist is still clinging to hope even though the pain is bringing out the worst in her. The next song, titled “I Love You But I Love Me More” is the conclusion of that bad relationship. The protagonist’s partner wants to get back together, but our protagonist is not willing to put herself through more pain just to spare her partner’s feelings. The triumph in this song is probably the reason it’s the least slow of the slow songs. “Flowers” is the next track and it is quiet and reflective. The protagonist reflects on her lost relationship and concludes that if her partner had shown just a tiny bit of attentiveness or care they could have saved their relationship, “If you just bought me flowers, maybe I would have stayed.” The final song is appropriately called “Goodbye,” and it is a song of acceptance. The protagonist holds no more bitterness towards their ex-partner and wishes them future happiness, but makes it clear they will never be in a relationship again. She also explains that she does not regret her experience, not even the painful parts.
And that’s the end of Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land. It is a work of art that comes in screaming and ends on a shy wave goodbye. The combination of social issues and honest emotion should be too dissonant, but it isn’t. It is a real testament to Marina’s ability as a songwriter and as a singer that she brings all the different parts together and creates such a unique and beautiful album. If you have even a minor interest in pop music you should give it a listen; you won’t regret it.
- Shanna C., Acquisitions and Cataloging
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