Anya Marina – Slow and Steady Seduction

Album Reviews • Saturday January 17th, 2009 • 12:06 pm

To say that the market’s been a bit flooded of late with female singer/songwriters making it big would be an understatement. Many of their ways paved by eager Starbucks marketing campaigns (Sia, Feist, anyone?) that would sell records for pretty much anybody, but really, who’s complaining? Southern California native Anya Marina hasn’t blown up to those epic proportions just yet, but she’s got all the right features – i.e. a stock pile of versatility and songwriting backbone, the kind capable of getting the attention of both indie snobs and fans of more radio-friendly fare. Marina has a tendency toward flaring anthems (a la “Sea Lion Woman” by Feist), with Slow and Steady Seduction: Phase II being the kind of album that comes prepackaged with claps, snaps and all the trappings.

Slow and Steady Seduction: Phase II skirts the lines of straight up sparkle pop and indie sensibility so finely that one wonders whether Marina is making radio pop smarter or dumbing down indie experimentation. I prefer the former assessment. Tunes like “Waters of March” fit as nicely between Colbie Caillat and John Mayer as it would between Belle & Sebastian and Headlights – both attention-grabbing and smarter than the average pop song.

“Move You (SSSPII)” starts the album with quirkily picked minor chords and Marina’s smoky voice filling the song, spooky strings quivering in the background. Then suddenly the acoustic guitars fade out and a driving percussion beat takes the song in a direction that is distinctly antithetical to the song’s folksy beginning — a dichotomy that Marina happily exploits for the rest of the album. “All the Same to Me” is a hip-shaker accented by upright bass and saxophone, and “Vertigo” sounds like Tegan & Sara might if they were a warm-weather band.

Marina blends the pop perfection and indie sensibility to total perfection on “High on the Ceiling,” a percussion-filled masterpiece of a song with some nifty time signature changes and wide, expansive atmosphere — a sound that is nobody but Marina. Her sound thrives on dichotomy – upright bass vs. handclaps, sugary vocals vs. fiery lyrics. Sometimes the mix falls flat – see “Not a Through Street” – which lacks the variation of the rest of the album. “Cowboy,” however, gets things back on track, taking a more orchestral approach.

This is the kind of album that’s going to attract fans from two distinctly different listening groups: the indie kids and those who simply enjoy a healthy dash of inventiveness. If Ms. Marina suddenly finds herself in the middle of a large marketing push (her song “Move You” was recently featured on Grey’s Anatomy), don’t say I didn’t warn you. And remember, you indie fans, turn off the snob-o-meter for awhile and just enjoy.