Mermaid vs. Sailor (stylized as Mermaid vs Sailor) is the first demo extended play (EP) by Marina Diamandis, released under her previous stage name 'Marina and the Diamonds'.
She entirely self-composed and produced it using GarageBand. The EP was self-released on November 23, 2007, and sold as handmade CD-Rs through her MySpace page.
Background[]
On June 3, 2007, Hermit the Frog's demo was the first self-produced song to be shared on her MySpace.[1] On the 22nd, Horror Pop was on the website.[1] On July 7, Simplify was posted on her page.[1]
On October 28 of the same year, The Common Cold was shared on her MySpace.[1] Two weeks later, on November 11, a "new version" of Hermit the Frog was on the site,[1] prior to the full project being released two weeks after.
Composition[]
Writing[]
Plastic Rainbow was the first song Marina ever wrote, leading her to want to become a songwriter.[2] In an interview for The Family Jewels she revealed Hermit the Frog was written before Seventeen.[3]
Production[]
In 2006, Marina hired an unknown producer via a website similar to Craigslist or Gumtree.[4] However, not liking the sound, she decided to write and self-produce the EP entirely in her room,[5] using the free macOS software GarageBand.
Artwork[]
 Credits
Photographer
Marina Diamandis
Designer
Marina Diamandis
|
Photoshoot _(1).jpg "Mermaid vs. Sailor (12 Jul 2007) (1).jpg (36 KB)") Untagged _(2).jpg "Mermaid vs. Sailor (12 Jul 2007) (2).jpg (33 KB)") _(3).jpg "Mermaid vs. Sailor (12 Jul 2007) (3).jpg (27 KB)") Media  EP artwork  (Fan-made square version) _(2)_edited.jpg "Mermaid vs. Sailor (12 Jul 2007) (2) edited.jpg (36 KB)") Edited |
CD[]
_(1).jpg "Personal Photo (Nov 30 2007) (1).jpg (73 KB)")
_(1).jpg "Personal Photo (Dec 13 2007) (1).jpg (61 KB)")
_(2).jpg "Personal Photo (Dec 13 2007) (2).jpg (72 KB)")
Tracklist[]
| Standard Edition | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Co-Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
| 1. | Seventeen | N/A | Marina Diamandis | 2:40 |
| 2. | Horror Pop | N/A | Diamandis | 3:57 |
| 3. | Hermit the Frog | N/A | Diamandis | 3:39 |
| 4. | Daddy Was a Sailor | N/A | Diamandis | 3:15 |
| 5. | Simplify | N/A | Diamandis | 2:34 |
| 6. | Plastic Rainbow | N/A | Diamandis | 4:07 |
| Total length: | 20:03 | |||
| Alt. Track List | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Co-Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
| 1. | Daddy Was a Sailor | N/A | Marina Diamandis | 3:15 |
| 2. | Simplify | N/A | Diamandis | 2:34 |
| 3. | Hermit the Frog | N/A | Diamandis | 3:39 |
| 4. | Seventeen (Different BGV) | N/A | Diamandis | 2:40 |
| 5. | Horror Pop (Alt. Version) | N/A | Diamandis | 3:57 |
| 6. | Plastic Rainbow | N/A | Diamandis | 4:07 |
| Total length: | 20:03 | |||
Outtakes[]
The Common Cold available on her MySpace in October 2007.[1]
Give Me The Money![]
On June 4, 2012, 12 songs surfaced online through a fan-made album titled "Give Me the Money!"[6] One of the included tracks was a cover of Perfect Stranger (incorrectly labelled as "Katyb.") recorded in 2010,[7] and at the time it was believed that the remaining 11 tracks were all Mermaid vs. Sailor outtakes made in 2007.
Since the original leak it has been discovered that two included tracks, Happy Meal and Supermodel's Legs, were created after the EP had been finished,[8][9] throwing doubt on the timeframe of the other tracks. The other songs to come from the fanmade album are:
- Hot, Cross Bun
- Hubba
- Lonely Bones
- Pancake Karma
- Perfect-Oh
- Silver Walls
- Starlight
- Where Diamonds Grow
2006 Songs[]
Plastic Rainbow was initially produced by an unknown artist in 2006, but not liking the sound Marina decided to self-produce the song instead.[5] It is possible she reconsidered the other "prog-rock" songs for the EP, but there is no current evidence to support this. The song are
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Rockabilly
- ↑ Rolling Stone Published: 15 Aug 2015 (Transcript)
- ↑ LAist Published: (06 Jul 2010)
- ↑ BBC Music (Unavailable in certain countries) Published: 29 Sept 2009 (Transcript)
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 NachtClub Published: 25 Apr 2010 (Transcript)
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20130509092922/http://givemethemoney.tumblr.com
- ↑ Live Lounge Cam Video Published: 16 Oct 2010
- ↑ InvisibleDragon Blog Published: Jan 2008
- ↑ run https://a.tumblr.com/tumblr_m38rjtMztv1rpqmfko1.mp3 through https://www.metadata2go.com
 | |
|---|---|
| Merch • Photography • MySpace | |
| Discography | |
| Releases | Mermaid vs. Sailor |
| Tracklist | Seventeen • Horror Pop • Hermit the Frog • Daddy Was a Sailor • Simplify • Plastic Rainbow |
| Non-Album | |
| Outtakes | The Common Cold |
| Speculated | Hot, Cross Bun • Hubba • Lonely Bones • Pancake Karma • Perfect-Oh • Silver Walls • Starlight • Where Diamonds Grow |
| Misc | China's Dolls • Philosopher My Arse • This Is L.A. • Troubled Mind |
| Other Eras | |
| Mermaid vs. Sailor • The Family Jewels • Electra Heart • FROOT • LOVE + FEAR • Ancient Dreams • Sixth Studio Album (Upcoming) | |