Florence and the Machine - Ceremonials

*since

oh wow that's kinda fun

I'm not a huge fan, but I really am liking this one because she's singing full throated and forceful and deliberately without any sort of parlor trick acrobatics. More of this plz.

"parlor trick acrobatics"?

Please, no lessons on how to talk about singing. I know what I mean.

So... you're talking to yourself?

When am I not? (Basically I just mean no weird runs or surprise falsetto moments or whatever.)

we can has video now (potentially NSFW depending on yr workplaces)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgeKHTcufLY

I think with Florence it's more been the long sustained notes rather than the weird runs or surprise falsetto that have sounded ugly to me

I hated most of the second album but am willing to keep an open mind on this one

The song was OK, but I hate the video. The aggressive gangbang dance number was OK, but it's become such a visual cliché that if you linger on two people having a conversation in a car, photographed sideways, for more than 30 seconds it's guaranteed you're building up to the car getting T-boned.

haven't hated any of the 3 songs premiered from this album so far and i might go as far as saying i really like this one?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9v8jLBrvug

This is one of my favorite songs of the year. Tremendous.

weird how they left this off the proper version of Ceremonials, it's better than most of the record.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFpKwQBkJqQ

They did? Did I buy a deluxe version then, because it's on mine.

yeah this was on the deluxe one.

new album might be the most theyve sounded like a full band ever

definitely the most guitar-heavy, and in a good way

new one's her best

it's absolutely terrific.

if a little front loaded?

i really like it!!

if a little front loaded?

but "caught" and "third eye" are the best songs!

i dig the midtempo soul vibe on "caught" and "mother." overall, welch's voice has never been better and also more varied, like on the ballads

Best album.

to wreccccccck

YOU ARE. FLESH AND BLOOD.

it's still melodramatic to a ludicrous extreme (i love how the narrative to this album was that it's her stripped back, personal one, and then she's got a huge symphony orchestra negotiating the outtro on the title track) but it's probably her best album, definitely loads better than the last one but i still yearn for more light & shade

Ship to Wreck reminds me so much of Remember Me by British Sea Power when it starts.

Just watching the Hurricane show at concert.arte.tv and even though it's great and everything, I'm ever so slightly distracted by her weirdly emotionless eyes :-/

I'm probably imagining things because you can't see her eyebrows behind the bangs

The new album is okay. It feels weird to say this but I miss the histrionics.

Florence's histrionics are like Mumford's banjos. They're annoying until they go and then you kind of miss them.

Afaic she peaked with Breaking Down

The album is still plenty histrionic to my ears

her songwriting also got a little more subtle. do you at least like "third eye" djp

third eye has become my strange personal anthem to mental health issues.

Wow, me too. Powerful track.

this album deserves more discussion b/c it's good.

"third eye" is my favorite florence song now

It's the first Florence record I can relate too. The big poetic concepts didn't get to me in the last two records, this one seems grounded in a way that actually makes the scattered 'big poetic concepts' more powerful. In every aspect she learned how to sequence things better and right now I have very high hopes for her.

Also crap, this is a collection of 11 good songs.

"third eye" is my favorite florence song now

― insufficiently familiar with xgau's work to comment intelligently (BradNelson)

'Cause there's a hole where your heart lies
And I can see it with my third eye.
And oh my touch, it magnifies
You pull away, you don't know why.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCM8Qf3eGMQ

Every year I've got an album I don't place in a top ten but which I play more often subsequently.

This is the one.

same and same

after my last breakup this album and ten love songs were all i could listen to

I get "Queen of Peace" stuck in my head every week.

SUDDENLY I'M OOOOOVERCOME

i think i like florence now? not sure how to feel about this.

my wife is a huge fan so we went and i tell you what she is a pretty goddamn amazing live performer!

vocals incredible and she's constantly dancing and running around..really sweet and engaging with the crowd, great band and arrangements (the backup singers also doubled as a brass section on certain tunes also some live harp which was cool)...def striking some middleground between stevie and kate bush....

it's interesting that people so hold on to like lumpy bands like foo fighters like "we need realy rock staaars man" and like florence is a rock star totally, she had the arena in her hand

my wife is a huge fan so we went and i tell you what she is a pretty goddamn amazing live performer!

vocals incredible and she's constantly dancing and running around..really sweet and engaging with the crowd, great band and arrangements (the backup singers also doubled as a brass section on certain tunes also some live harp which was cool)...def striking some middleground between stevie and kate bush....

it's interesting that people so hold on to like lumpy bands like foo fighters like "we need realy rock staaars man" and like florence is a rock star totally, she had the arena in her hand

yall love to let you hear my remix of st jude, PM me if you're down

kind of a bummer but the new record is whatever

actually, nm, second time through, there's a lot of great stuff in the second half

The London song on the first side is good; reminds me of Tracey Thorn's memory pieces.

wait the new record is out?????

yeah!

big god is really good.

The leaked tracks suck.

i'm happy florence seems happier..but man she reps hard on the "illuminati' imagery

whoa alfred, which songs>

When she tones down the excess, she's boring.

still banging this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1l4pDXbkic

i really like this record but i'm a florence stan

i'm not huge on grace but patricia is for patti smith so YEAH

alfred, what do you think of this?

dunno think this album is amazing. her best since Lungs

New ones her best since lungs easily. Effortless and less convoluted / arrangements are more sparse and for the songs. Not like the last, as beautiful as it was, overly
Ornamented. This is much chiller and one of the best records this year.

Smart move on her part to release a 40 minute record with 10 songs, as most of her other records are quite long and factoring in special editions-deluxe versions even more expansive. Feels like she really cut the fat on this one, my only complaints are some of the lyrics are corny like the one about falling in love but the person could be anyone - that seems like such a cliche in music that needs to die a slow death. Also the part in Hunger where the song slows down and she talks about drugs kills the momentum for me, but it is pretty much saved by the reading of the line about staring at a phone - which seems mundane but is delivered with a real shaken beauty

Florence chronology

Lungs: ended up in hospital 2 weeks, this music saved my life

Ceremonials: moved to another city, stressed and uncertain about life, played ceremonials every day and souvlaki by slowdive.

How big, how beautiful: with my ex of three years, best friend, sowing on the couch and singing St Jude. Thinking I want to be with her forever

High as hope: Time to reconcile, get older, try to break down less and be “mature”

i need to get back to the new one....how big how beautiful ended up becoming my fav over time

Mine too. This new one mostly sucks.

the second half is great do not listen to alfred

Yeah brad second half is very good

I stan for florence tho