Miss Welch certainly knows how to keep people waiting doesn’t she? Rewind back to 2008 and it might have been fitting to class Lungs as ‘eagerly anticipated’ – that could be a slight overstatement now as she would’ve fallen off the radar altogether had she left it any longer.
Was it worth the wait then? Well, let’s say from the start that Paul Epworth got his sticky indie mitts involved (plus James Ford and Steve Mackay), so anyone opposed to music produced for the indie-kid generation you’re excused herewith as we all know there’s no pleasing you. Florence seems to have fallen victim to the evil curse ‘thou must not like anyone praised by the New Musical Express’. But, if you can get over the fact that a) you didn’t just discover her in a dingy East London venue and b) they play her on Radio One, then you might actually find that this album’s a keeper.
Florence’s music has an undeniable ethereal feel to it. From the enchanting ‘Between Two Lungs’ to the rousing ‘Cosmic Love’, there are dreamy heartfelt undertones running throughout. Fear not though, it isn’t all sickly-sweetness, in fact quite the opposite, there’s a definite hint of darkness surrounding this record.
Each an every track has an unbridled passion that lurks silently in the background before bursting out in a cacophony of instruments and/or vocals. This is a theme which runs through each song: a softly softly start leading into a climatic peak full of emotion and feeling.
‘Dog Days’ is nothing new for those familiar with original Florence material – but it does do a good job of setting the tone for the rest of the album: a musically fresh soul-pop sound that mixes maturity with fun and melancholy with optimism.
New single ‘Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)’ is a particularly impressive nugget of pure-pop brilliance, like it or lump it, this girl’s got talent. The multi-layered aspects of this and many of the other tracks on the album reflect the musical expertise that she possesses. And her vocals – well they quite literally leap from your stereo (although there is a possibility that the sometimes incessant warbling might offend a few ears…).
It’s certainly a well-polished record – some may argue almost too much so – ‘Hurricane Drunk’ and ‘Blinding’ take things to all new levels with heavily enhanced, almost gospel-like backing vocals that sometimes over-power what could be delicate tracks. But then Florence is a character and the in-your-face style production does seem to reflect this.
‘I’m Not Calling You Liar’ and the bluesy ‘Girl With One Eye’ sit in slightly more muted territory, perhaps reflecting the path that could have been taken, without the big studio production.
The album draws to a close with her invigorating cover of Candi Staton’s ‘You’ve Got The Love’. The decadent injection that she has given this track pretty much sums up the album: a spirited mix of old and new.
It’s a cliche to say, but this album’s a grower. Dispel any preconceptions and give it a chance – you may just find yourself slipping into her fairytale world.
77%
Florence & The Machine on Myspace
June 30th, 2009 at 7:59 pm
I hate to say it, and I know it’s narrow minded, but I don’t actually think I can get past the preconceptions I have of this already. When I first heard F&TM I actually really liked. This was a few years back, so in that time a fair bit of hype has occurred. Except, that’s not my issue here.
My issue is with her as a person: so kooky, crazy, and try hard – which she says is just how she is. Fair enough, but it over shadows the music for me, or the desire to go and listen to it.
When there are much more earnest (and less annoying) female songwriters out there right now, such as the wonderful Blue Roses, Alessi’s Ark, and even Emmy still, I can happily miss out on this.
Maybe I’ll check this out later in the year, the hype has died down, and I’m a little more open minded to hearing this for what it is, rather than based on the person behind it.