http://open.spotify.com/album/5SxudoALxEAVh9l83kSebx
On my second listenthrough on this; to my surprise, I am really, really enjoying it. I've read several reviews complaining about Florence blaring her way through every song that make me wonder if people actually listened past the first two songs because she's pretty restrained for about 80% of the album.
Current standout tracks: "What the Water Gave Me", "Seven Devils", "Remain Nameless", "Strangeness and Charm"
― dense macabre (DJP), Tuesday, 8 November 2011 15:51 (twelve years ago) link
Florence blaring her head off and making it work can be heard on "Lover To Lover"
― dense macabre (DJP), Tuesday, 8 November 2011 15:52 (twelve years ago) link
lol no one give a shit about this album, huh
― sex-poodle Al Gore (DJP), Saturday, 12 November 2011 14:19 (twelve years ago) link
Debuted in the top ten!
― lumber up, limbaugh down (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, 12 November 2011 14:31 (twelve years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=am6rArVPip8
To me Florence is like a mermaid singing songs from the deepest of oceans, like a bird singing songs from the highest of clouds. And we can only truly understand their meaning when we closely listen and let the water and the wind sweep us away.LizeAlmighty 2 days ago
― sex-poodle Al Gore (DJP), Monday, 14 November 2011 16:03 (twelve years ago) link
this comment got 50 thumbs-ups, btw
― sex-poodle Al Gore (DJP), Monday, 14 November 2011 16:04 (twelve years ago) link
i love her singles but man i cannot ever listen to her for over 40 minutes
― mutant slow drum (BradNelson), Monday, 14 November 2011 16:05 (twelve years ago) link
I thought I felt that way about her but I dunno, there are some seriously GREAT songs on this album (the ones I listed upthread plus "No Light, No Light", "Spectrum", "Lover to Lover", "Heartlines", "All This And Heaven Too").
The bellowing is still there obv, but it's tempered by some genuinely delicate singing.
― sex-poodle Al Gore (DJP), Monday, 14 November 2011 16:10 (twelve years ago) link
I was a little disappointed at first but it's really growing on me, and the live performances I've watched from her recently have been on key and not too shrieky at all.
― SirGreendown, Tuesday, 15 November 2011 04:44 (twelve years ago) link
it's less that i tire of the voice than i tire of the formula on this record
like in interviews when she said "i loved how 'cosmic love' sounded, so this record is ALL 'COSMIC LOVE' ALL THE TIME" and i was like oh noooooooo
because i love "cosmic love" but i am so tired
― mutant slow drum (BradNelson), Tuesday, 15 November 2011 04:56 (twelve years ago) link
a+ most incoherent ilx post so far for me
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGH-4jQZRcc
So this video features a man in blackface stabbing a "voodoo doll" of Florence while dancing, who chases down Florence, and then she is saved by a group of white choirboys in a church who catch her and save her after she falls because the dude in blackface does something that makes her fall off the building she's standing on. The overwhelming love and light of the choirboys then causes the dude in blackface to go into convulsions and die. And then she's held in the arms of some random white guy who caresses her gently. The end. ???????????????????????????
― Melissa W, Saturday, 19 November 2011 11:52 (twelve years ago) link
How did this video even get made or approved?
― Turangalila, Saturday, 19 November 2011 13:41 (twelve years ago) link
wow Florence, way to ruin a great song
― Much Ado About Nuttin (DJP), Saturday, 19 November 2011 15:06 (twelve years ago) link
Caught the first show of the U.S. tour last night. Catsuit, several capes, two pianos, a harp, stained glass window-looking things. Florence was channeling Dominique Moceanu, running around the stage all night, but everything sounded great. It was a bit like the video above without the rolling is this racist vibes.
― Sufjan Grafton, Sunday, 15 April 2012 17:11 (twelve years ago) link
Best thing she's ever done (especially in light of those videos per discussion just above):
http://gawker.com/drunk-florence-welch-crashes-cover-bands-party-perfor-867510699
― Ned Raggett, Monday, 22 July 2013 15:52 (ten years ago) link
I am very late to this thread but:
Isn't this the natural conclusion of the quirky, idiosyncratic, 'I payed the bus driver in BUTTONS today!' aesthetic?
i.e. if everything happens in yr own mad dream world of sparkles and spangles, eventually you're going to end up producing something that jars badly with the real social world we actually live in.
And this isn't glam - glam involves escaping from yr mundane reality that you know all too well, and is rooted in the conditions of the seventies.
Whereas this new, C21st thing Florence is an example of involves never, ever having to live in the real world, seeing it off in the socio-economic distance and sneering at it, while you do your crazy art diva schtick, or your flat caps and waistcoats farmer indie chanting schtick, in a hermetic space of your own.
― cardamon, Tuesday, 23 July 2013 04:15 (ten years ago) link
Or, having a bit of a sing up down the pub?
― Mark G, Tuesday, 23 July 2013 05:30 (ten years ago) link
sourberry or whatever's cute girl singer at least looks like a good sport
― akm, Tuesday, 23 July 2013 05:35 (ten years ago) link
Yeah, and Flo didn't take over entirely
― Mark G, Tuesday, 23 July 2013 05:40 (ten years ago) link
saw her this weekend at the Bridge School Benefit -- honestly went in thinking I would skip them altogether bc I didn't really know much of their stuff & all I knew was loud shouty lady lol.
but hooooly shit is she ever captivating on stage. like, it's not just her voice but the way she moves, everything, like a fairy or something! and seeing the people around me react to her songs, one woman in particular on the verge of tears for the whole set, I wanted to hug her afterwards people came down from the back rows to stand in the aisle for Dog Days & everyone was jumping and singing and dancing, it was amazing
this was the first song that completely floored mehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iaz7xmoUnzw
― difficult-difficult lemon-difficult (VegemiteGrrl), Thursday, 30 October 2014 02:45 (nine years ago) link
Yeah, not universally, but she/they get great live reviews. Should headline many of the major festivals over the next 18 months.
― benbbag, Thursday, 30 October 2014 03:55 (nine years ago) link
No Light No Light is an incredible song and if you would like to continue to enjoy it unreservedly I recommend never watching the video.
― kissaroo and Tyler, too (DJP), Thursday, 30 October 2014 13:32 (nine years ago) link
copy that
― difficult-difficult lemon-difficult (VegemiteGrrl), Thursday, 30 October 2014 14:16 (nine years ago) link
Ultimately this album is too much of a good thing but when you break it down into chunks it's fantastic. You can build one of the best EPs of 2011 out of the songs I list upthread.
― kissaroo and Tyler, too (DJP), Thursday, 30 October 2014 15:28 (nine years ago) link
i dont enjoy Lungs as much, it's cool as a document of ~feels~ etc but it's a bit too all over the place & maybe a bit too unrestrained? idk
Ceremonials though I def like
― difficult-difficult lemon-difficult (VegemiteGrrl), Thursday, 30 October 2014 19:28 (nine years ago) link
http://pitchfork.com/news/58445-florence-and-the-machine-announce-new-album-how-big-how-blue-how-beautiful-share-what-kind-of-man/
new single premiered on BBC radio - it's pretty good, sounds anthemic but not in the way that got kinda samey, game-of-thrones-trailer-soundtrackish on ceremonials. this may be the most present the guitars have been on a florence song singe "kiss with a fist," I guess?
voice kills it, because duh
― slothroprhymes, Thursday, 12 February 2015 20:53 (nine years ago) link
*since
― slothroprhymes, Thursday, 12 February 2015 21:00 (nine years ago) link
oh wow that's kinda fun
― emo canon in twee major (BradNelson), Thursday, 12 February 2015 21:00 (nine years ago) link
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.
― Johnny Fever, Thursday, 12 February 2015 21:08 (nine years ago) link
"parlor trick acrobatics"?
― "Go pet your dog" is the name of my dog (DJP), Thursday, 12 February 2015 21:15 (nine years ago) link
Please, no lessons on how to talk about singing. I know what I mean.
― Johnny Fever, Thursday, 12 February 2015 21:16 (nine years ago) link
So... you're talking to yourself?
― "Go pet your dog" is the name of my dog (DJP), Thursday, 12 February 2015 21:23 (nine years ago) link
When am I not? (Basically I just mean no weird runs or surprise falsetto moments or whatever.)
― Johnny Fever, Thursday, 12 February 2015 21:26 (nine years ago) link
we can has video now (potentially NSFW depending on yr workplaces)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgeKHTcufLY
― slothroprhymes, Thursday, 12 February 2015 21:40 (nine years ago) link
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
― bae sremmurd (monotony), Thursday, 12 February 2015 21:54 (nine years ago) link
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.
― the top man in the language department (誤訳侮辱), Thursday, 12 February 2015 22:42 (nine years ago) link
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
― bae sremmurd (monotony), Monday, 13 April 2015 12:53 (nine years ago) link
This is one of my favorite songs of the year. Tremendous.
― kornrulez6969, Wednesday, 27 May 2015 18:13 (eight years ago) link
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
― piscesx, Wednesday, 27 May 2015 19:21 (eight years ago) link
They did? Did I buy a deluxe version then, because it's on mine.
― DJP, Wednesday, 27 May 2015 19:26 (eight years ago) link
yeah this was on the deluxe one.
― piscesx, Thursday, 28 May 2015 16:02 (eight years ago) link
new album might be the most theyve sounded like a full band ever
― slothroprhymes, Thursday, 28 May 2015 20:11 (eight years ago) link
definitely the most guitar-heavy, and in a good way
― #SatisfyingMoment #WarriorsFamily (slothroprhymes), Thursday, 28 May 2015 20:29 (eight years ago) link
new one's her best
― insufficiently familiar with xgau's work to comment intelligently (BradNelson), Tuesday, 2 June 2015 17:09 (eight years ago) link
it's absolutely terrific.
― Van Horn Street, Wednesday, 3 June 2015 17:41 (eight years ago) link
if a little front loaded?
― Van Horn Street, Wednesday, 3 June 2015 17:42 (eight years ago) link
i really like it!!
― difficult-difficult lemon-difficult (VegemiteGrrl), Wednesday, 3 June 2015 17:46 (eight years ago) link
but "caught" and "third eye" are the best songs!
― insufficiently familiar with xgau's work to comment intelligently (BradNelson), Wednesday, 3 June 2015 18:01 (eight years ago) link
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
― dellevadova depression beard (slothroprhymes), Wednesday, 3 June 2015 18:02 (eight years ago) link
The album is still plenty histrionic to my ears
― carly bae jepsen (monotony), Thursday, 2 July 2015 21:40 (eight years ago) link
her songwriting also got a little more subtle. do you at least like "third eye" djp
― insufficiently familiar with xgau's work to comment intelligently (BradNelson), Thursday, 2 July 2015 22:08 (eight years ago) link
third eye has become my strange personal anthem to mental health issues.
― Van Horn Street, Monday, 20 July 2015 23:26 (eight years ago) link
Wow, me too. Powerful track.
― A. Begrand, Monday, 20 July 2015 23:56 (eight years ago) link
this album deserves more discussion b/c it's good.
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 20 July 2015 23:58 (eight years ago) link
"third eye" is my favorite florence song now
― insufficiently familiar with xgau's work to comment intelligently (BradNelson), Tuesday, 21 July 2015 00:27 (eight years ago) link
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.
― Van Horn Street, Tuesday, 21 July 2015 16:10 (eight years ago) link
Also crap, this is a collection of 11 good songs.
― Van Horn Street, Tuesday, 21 July 2015 16:11 (eight years ago) link
― insufficiently familiar with xgau's work to comment intelligently (BradNelson)
'Cause there's a hole where your heart liesAnd I can see it with my third eye.And oh my touch, it magnifiesYou pull away, you don't know why.
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 24 July 2015 03:23 (eight years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCM8Qf3eGMQ
― HYPERLINK TO RAP GENIUS (BradNelson), Thursday, 19 May 2016 21:02 (seven years ago) link
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.
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 19 May 2016 21:08 (seven years ago) link
same and same
― HYPERLINK TO RAP GENIUS (BradNelson), Thursday, 19 May 2016 21:18 (seven years ago) link
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
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 19 May 2016 21:20 (seven years ago) link
i think i like florence now? not sure how to feel about this.
― call all destroyer, Monday, 6 June 2016 03:05 (seven years ago) link
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
― rockpalast '82 (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Tuesday, 7 June 2016 16:11 (seven years ago) link
yeah at the bridge school benefit 2 yrs ago she was incredible, looked like a sorcerer up there. it was almost like she could have levitated the audience if she had wanted to
― Flamenco Drop (VegemiteGrrl), Tuesday, 7 June 2016 17:50 (seven years ago) link
yeah that album is still pretty terrific, i'm signing up for a few more like this.
― Van Horn Street, Monday, 13 June 2016 18:44 (seven years ago) link
realized v quietly, almost unconsciously, over the past two years that how big how blue how beautiful is one of the very best albums to come out in that time
― flamenco drop (BradNelson), Monday, 11 December 2017 02:40 (six years ago) link
totally. st. jude is so amazing
― In a slipshod style (Ross), Monday, 11 December 2017 02:41 (six years ago) link
brad, you into this?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhGz6BLywIo
― In a slipshod style (Ross), Monday, 11 December 2017 05:55 (six years ago) link
Ceremonials is her best album. Highly recommend the mtv sessions
― In a slipshod style (Ross), Saturday, 16 December 2017 08:11 (six years ago) link
we got a new florence single
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1TSiB9OuVM
― after party for the apocalypse (Ross), Sunday, 22 April 2018 21:00 (six years ago) link
I'm not crazy about it, but it'll do.
Shouldn't we get her own thread by now?
― morning wood truancy (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Sunday, 22 April 2018 21:04 (six years ago) link
Sorry Alfred do you mean a general thread for Florence?
― after party for the apocalypse (Ross), Sunday, 22 April 2018 22:39 (six years ago) link
“hunger” is how big how blue how beautiful-quality good. should i make a new thread for this record lol
― flamenco drop (BradNelson), Friday, 4 May 2018 12:50 (six years ago) link
yall love to let you hear my remix of st jude, PM me if you're down
― raspberry swirl (Ross), Friday, 29 June 2018 11:43 (five years ago) link
kind of a bummer but the new record is whatever
― flamenco blorf (BradNelson), Friday, 29 June 2018 17:33 (five years ago) link
actually, nm, second time through, there's a lot of great stuff in the second half
― flamenco blorf (BradNelson), Friday, 29 June 2018 18:48 (five years ago) link
The London song on the first side is good; reminds me of Tracey Thorn's memory pieces.
― morning wood truancy (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 29 June 2018 18:50 (five years ago) link
wait the new record is out?????
― raspberry swirl (Ross), Friday, 29 June 2018 19:18 (five years ago) link
yeah!
― flamenco blorf (BradNelson), Friday, 29 June 2018 19:21 (five years ago) link
big god is really good.
― raspberry swirl (Ross), Friday, 29 June 2018 19:38 (five years ago) link
The leaked tracks suck.
― morning wood truancy (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 29 June 2018 19:38 (five years ago) link
i'm happy florence seems happier..but man she reps hard on the "illuminati' imagery
― raspberry swirl (Ross), Friday, 29 June 2018 19:40 (five years ago) link
whoa alfred, which songs>
When she tones down the excess, she's boring.
― morning wood truancy (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 29 June 2018 19:40 (five years ago) link
still banging this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1l4pDXbkic
i really like this record but i'm a florence stan
― music saved my life (Ross), Friday, 29 June 2018 23:16 (five years ago) link
i'm not huge on grace but patricia is for patti smith so YEAH
― music saved my life (Ross), Saturday, 30 June 2018 02:53 (five years ago) link
alfred, what do you think of this?
― Y'all (Ross), Saturday, 30 June 2018 03:03 (five years ago) link
dunno think this album is amazing. her best since Lungs
― Y'all (Ross), Saturday, 30 June 2018 05:15 (five years ago) link
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, overlyOrnamented. This is much chiller and one of the best records this year.
― Garden variety uncouth (Ross), Sunday, 1 July 2018 08:50 (five years ago) link
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
― Dreadnought of chicanery (Ross), Wednesday, 8 August 2018 15:59 (five years ago) link
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”
― Ross, Thursday, 9 August 2018 19:09 (five years ago) link
i need to get back to the new one....how big how beautiful ended up becoming my fav over time
― The Desus & Mero Chain (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Thursday, 9 August 2018 19:15 (five years ago) link
Mine too. This new one mostly sucks.
― morning wood truancy (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 9 August 2018 20:58 (five years ago) link
the second half is great do not listen to alfred
― princess of hell (BradNelson), Thursday, 9 August 2018 21:05 (five years ago) link
Yeah brad second half is very good
I stan for florence tho
― Ross, Friday, 10 August 2018 14:55 (five years ago) link