I’ve recommended a few other bands so far in my series on music, like The Lumineers and The Black Keys. Both of those bands have a simpler sort of sound, from a folk origin like with the former, or from just being two musicians with the latter. So how about a different sort of band?
Florence & the Machine. It sounds even from the name like it’s a large thing. The sort of band where you might expect a song called Cosmic Love. Theirs can be both a large sound, and can focus in and be all about the haunting vocals of the lead singer, Florence Welch. Also, they have a harp.
I thought I would share a bit of the fun of this band, and a few of their songs. The recent news is that they are working on a third studio album, but along with the first two, there are also deluxe editions and B-sides and live albums galore to choose from while you wait – plenty to check out!
Great Lyrics and Intensity
What the songs are about, the lyrics and images and ideas, are part of what is so great. Some songs are full of images, full of ideas and things we would understand. Full of love and emotion and feeling.
Okay, and not Doctor Who references. Well, maybe… They are British…
I found that image a while ago on Tumblr, and lost the original provenance from where I found it, but it stuck with me. I love her intensity in the image used – it combines well with the lyrics and the song. I think intensity is a good word – thinking of songs like Kiss With a Fist or Girl With One Eye.
Along with strong images and intense songs, however, they also work with a lot of metaphorical and poetical language. I love it. And, as is fitting with the name of my series, I don’t understand it much at all.
How about a Vocal Duo?
I think sometimes, I just have to let the musicians speak for themselves. I would definitely recommend checking them out, checking out some of the songs I’ve linked and more. But for now, how about a vocal duo?
I love this cover of Jackson. It fits my observation that a lot of vocal duos happen as one-off songs, and this one is certainly an example of that. Nonetheless, it’s fun and I hope you enjoy it. For more Florence & the Machine, you can check them out on their YouTube channel:
Where to Start?
I wouldn’t always recommend a first album as a starting place, but with Florence & the Machine I think it’s a good starting place – Lungs. The second album, Ceremonials, is good, but it does a lot with the backup singers and things and the band is maybe almost too large – it’s a good place go from there, but Lungs is the good place to start.
I’d love to see more thoughts in the comments below – where would you start with this band? Or if you don’t know them, what do you think?
I love Florence and the Machine! The first song I heard was “Heavy,” and that was back when it was on the soundtrack for one of the Twilight films. A friend had heard it and gone to hunt up who the singer was, and she’d bought the album. Listened to that song first, then Lungs. It’s a good starting place and a good introduction to the way the work is themed.
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I’ve now had “Heavy in Your Arms” stuck in my head all afternoon.
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It could be worse, I suppose. At least it’s a good song. hehe
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Another great soundtrack song they did was on Snow White and the Huntsman. The song was called Breath of Life. Good stuff! 🙂
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I’m glad other folks associate “Drumming noise”with Doctor Who. It seems like part of a pair with “Heavy” to me, referring to the Master and the Doctor,respectively.
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Nice comparison! Definitely some connections. Because they’re British?!?
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“Drumming Noise” I associate with the Master because of… drums, which doesn’t sound like the strongest connection. “Heavy” makes me think of the Doctor because I imagine a Companion singing it as the Doctor carries them. The Doctor loves his Companions, but he also has to take care of them while saving the world, and sometimes the combined weight demands a sacrifice – “he took me to the river, and slowly let me drown”.
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Sorry, I was just being flippant to reinforce what I’d said in the post, as in, they’re British so there might actually be Doctor Who references in there, intentionally or not…
And I think I now have my plan for a Monday Meme over on my own blog! 🙂 Thanks!
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Very nice. The first thing I thought was Kate Bush and then Siouxsie (or however you spell it) and the Banshees. Nice version of the Johnny Cash song.
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More music recommendations for me! Ah ha!
And yeah, I love that cover 🙂 They do a great cover of Addicted to Love as well.
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I love her voice – it’s so haunting and very unique.
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Agreed! I’m excited for their new album 🙂
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I LOVE Florence & the Machine and the song “What the Water Gave Me”.I am on my lunch break at work and what a nice treat to come across this posting and video!
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I love that song so much! I think I might actually prefer the Demo version on the Deluxe version of Ceremonials – definitely worth checking out if you haven’t heard it 🙂
Thanks for stopping by!
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Reblogged this on DBCII and commented:
Here’s the first of three band reviews I did in a row over on Sourcerer. First up is Florence & the Machine – a band which I think is just a ton of fun. Let me know what you think!
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