Florence + The Machine

[Memo 176]

pls Tom play your beautiful harp more in album 3 pls :nooo:

I loved how the harp was so noticeable and the characteristic sound of Lungs, and it's still in Ceremonials but sometimes you can barely hear it (like I just noticed a song had harp the other day lmao I think it was OIFAN's chorus or something

btw someone needs to leak the Lungs bonus tracks/b-sides' instrumentals tbh, I need Swimming's heavenly instrumental with those holy violins :giveup:

[DMTT 160]

pls Tom play your beautiful harp more in album 3 pls :nooo:

I loved how the harp was so noticeable and the characteristic sound of Lungs, and it's still in Ceremonials but sometimes you can barely hear it (like I just noticed a song had harp the other day lmao I think it was OIFAN's chorus or something

 

btw someone needs to leak the Lungs bonus tracks/b-sides tbh, I need Swimming's heavenly instrumental with those holy violins

 

such yes. he/harp was so important on Lungs, and wasn't nearly as present on Ceremonials. hope he's not forgotten about

 

the only true Lungs outtake we know is Paper Massacre

[Memo 176]

such yes. he/harp was so important on Lungs, and wasn't nearly as present on Ceremonials. hope he's not forgotten about

the only true Lungs outtake we know is Paper Massacre

Oh sht woops, I meant the Lungs bonus tracks/b-sides 'instrumentals, like Swimming's instrumental, Are You Hurting The One You Love's, etc :sweat:

[Memo 176]

Since we got nothing to talk about until Flo decides it's time for us to know at least the title or the cover or the single or the tracklist or anythimg. We should discuss the Judas minicover they used as intro for Blinding

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUXWx2B6_Xw

That scream Blinding performances >>>> Blinding instrumental>>>

Blinding overall>>>>>>>>

God I LOVE this track

btw I made this for Over The Love, inspired by a Young & Beautiful cover I really liked hope you like it

[Memo 176]

Metal F+TM fans rejoice!

It's been announced that a recopilation album full of metal covers by various bands will be released in May 13, it's called "Florence + The Sphynx"

more information here:

http://www.nme.com/news/florence-and-the-machine/76346

It's not F+TM news but it's related since some of the fans who also like metal might like it

You can hear the previews on Youtube

[ASTROVEGA 108]

Metal F+TM fans rejoice!

It's been announced that a recopilation album full of metal covers by various bands will be released in May 13, it's called "Florence + The Sphynx"

more information here:

http://www.nme.com/news/florence-and-the-machine/76346

It's not F+TM news but it's related since some of the fans who also like metal might like it

You can hear the previews on Youtube

ooooh! This is interesting!!

That Periphery cover

[Memo 176]

ooooh! This is interesting!!

That Periphery cover

ikr I really don't like metal and I totally dismissed this without checking out the tracks but that OIFAN cover is actually great!

 

 

 

 

 

however, the other 2....

[Raikov 183]

I've been in a Flo+M mood lately since I read some interviews and this thread is semi-alive, so perfect!

 

Is there an index of all her interviews? I hate searching for interviews because it's so easy to miss something and half of them are really short and stupid (and this applies to every artist; so many sucky interviewers).

 

I re-heard Lungs and although I'm still not fond of the second half of it, I do think I have a better opinion of it now. Since I'm bored out of my mind, here's a mini-review along with my "interpretations" of the lyrics.

 

1. Dog Days Are Over - The song that got me into F+TM, so fantastic. I think it's about escaping a domestic violence situation (happiness hit her), first through isolation and denial (killed it with kisses, with every bubble, hid under beds). At last some goodness comes and somehow, she manages to escape (the dog days are over) and retribution is coming to her abuser ("the horses are coming" brought to mind the four horsemen of the apocalypse). The unknown narrator tells her to run fast for the people she loves but that she'll have to leave them behind to have a better life. The thing before V2 is mysterious; the narrator is saying she never wanted anything from her except her all and to leave her with nothing. Still not sure how to interpret it. In any case, the narrator does not approve of the abuser (someone who should know better than that).

 

2. Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up) - The vocals on this song are fantastic, as is the instrumental. One of the highlights. It's about a situation (according to her, fame, although I think you could expand the lyrics to cover other things) where the singer was enticed into a new world and quickly realizes that she signed a contract with the devil (it seems I've made the final sacrifice), who first assured her it wouldn't be much although that changes (but will it ever be enough?). "Wrong pill to take" reminds me of Alice in Wonderland, although the Matrix could be involved too. She questions who is really innocent (who is the lamb?) and obvs the devil-like figure, in its quest for wealth, restricts her and converts her to a possession he can sell (Midas is kind, turns me to gold). She must give a part of herself to satisfy others while hurting herself (I shed my skin [...] as towards the sky I offer it, the water turns from blue to red), and accepting this is part of her becoming the lion-hearted girl.

 

3. I'm Not Calling You A Liar - I can't stand this song for some reason. I always skip it and I don't even know the part of the lyrics after "I'm gonna let you kill me." She's trying to express to a lover her complaints without being aggressive (I'm not calling you a liar, just don't lie to me). And... yeah, I don't know the rest of it so.

 

4. Howl - This song is pretty cool, but for some reason I skip it too. I like it, yet I never hear it. It's about how the intensity of love makes you stop acting according to society's conventions and not be content unless you can be with your beloved in an animalistic union.

 

5. Kiss With A Fist - Although the use of domestic violence as a metaphor for quote "a dramatic relationship" makes me uncomfortable, this song has a fantastic energy and I'd love to hear them do more stuff like this. This song is pretty simple; she's in a relationship of emotional extremes, but it's better than no relationship because both partners understand what they're doing and know they'll keep doing it.

 

6. Girl With One Eye - It's not an original but it's great, too. Such bitterness and hatred, ugh, I love it. Once again, I hope they explore this sound in the future. The lyrics are very cryptic; some kind of female figure prevents the narrator from engaging in risky behavior (not to step on the cracks, her pretty little face stopped me in my tracks) and the narrator took revenge by taking a token from her, saying she's lucky she didn't slit her though (she's lucky that I didn't slip her a smile).

 

7. Drumming Song - My favorite. I love the recurring beat and the harmonies. It's another intense relationship where nothing can stop you from thinking of your beloved, not religion (I thought that [the church bells] would clear my mind) or self-destruction (I pray that the water will drown out the din). The obsession cannot be silenced; it will only grow in both agony and joy.

 

8. Between Two Lungs - I'm not a big fan of this song for the same reason I dislike INCYAL; the sound isn't appealing. I'm not sure how I feel about the lyrics yet and what the lungs themselves stand for, unless she finds the respiratory system inherently interesting. I think it's about how her lover overcame his fear and was able to tell her he loved her, and this confession gives her life, which would be the breath. She wants to hold on to that feeling, although it's as thin as air because, well, it is air.

 

9. Cosmic Love - I feel weird about it. There are parts I like and dislike, so I can't say much about it as a whole. Another BTL/INCYAL, although better than both of those in my opinion. It's another song about the pain of love, about a lover who appears to have abandoned her (in this twilight, shadow of your heart, you disappeared). She put her feelings aside to concentrate on reaching stability again (I took the stars from my eyes and I made my back and I knew somehow I could find a way back), but realized that he was actually trapped in agony too, and decided to stay (then I heard your heartbeat).

 

10. My Boy Builds Coffins - I love the concept of this song, the lyrics, but I don't like the melody that accompanies them. What a shame :(. Her boy is a coffin-builder, and that is his sole occupation and pleasure. Although he does it out of necessity, he takes joy in designing the vessels to the underworld (it isn't just for work and it isn't just for play). He doesn't know anything else, nor does he want to (he has no use for sails). He takes great care in his work (each one is unique) and the singer is upset that his work can only be admired once before it's thrown into the ground (it just isn't fair). Although he doesn't have great status, death's status as the great equalizer means that beggars and queens alike come to him. He treats every man the same, be he rich or poor (he crafts every one with love and with care). He is very aware of the inevitability of death and embraces it (he's built one for him and he's built one for me).

 

11. Hurricane Drunk - One of the better ones from the second half of the album, with a chorus I like as well as relatable lyrics. The singer willingly places herself on a path of destruction (you can't hold me down cause I belong to the hurricane) because her lover has left her. Upon seeing him with another girl, she has the hope that he'll come back (I hope that you see me) but feels intense emptiness when he kisses her (I've never felt so alive and so dead). She continues drinking herself "to death" to distract herself from her feelings.

 

12. Blinding - Once again, very relatable lyrics. The music is a bit heavy and the melody doesn't really move along, but I think it might be a grower. The singer realizes that she is living in a haze because of the memory of her lover, and she is rudely welcomed back into the real world. Her fantasies are now leading to an inevitable future (Snow White's stitching up your circuit board) and she realizes that her fantasy was long dead (no more cawing like a crow for a boy, for a body in the garden).

 

13. You've Got The Love - I'm not a big fan of covers on albums with few exceptions (GWOE is clearly one of them) and this one does not pass the test. I don't like the song itself and I don't feel like it really adds anything to the song. I'd rather this song either have been cut or for it to have been replaced by one of the non-standard tracks. Maybe Bird Song? I don't really know any of the other tracks like Swimming or HIYA, so I can't talk about those. It's a shame the album ends like this because I feel it deserves better.

[Memo 176]

I've been in a Flo+M mood lately since I read some interviews and this thread is semi-alive, so perfect!

Is there an index of all her interviews? I hate searching for interviews because it's so easy to miss something and half of them are really short and stupid (and this applies to every artist; so many sucky interviewers).

I re-heard Lungs and although I'm still not fond of the second half of it, I do think I have a better opinion of it now. Since I'm bored out of my mind, here's a mini-review along with my "interpretations" of the lyrics.

First of all congratulations on joining the F+TM fanbase , enjoy your (eternal) stay

Secondly, I don't know of an index of all her interviews, there must be some masterpost with all of them on Tumblr but I will have to search for it

And I like your a--lysis and opinions, Flo's lyrics are so amazing and they can have lots of meanings.

Like, Dog Days is about the energy of happiness that you feel after sadness is over, at least that's what I got when Flo explained it and how she came up with the song

And I don'y know why everyone dislikes the second half of Lungs so much it's so amazing and it includes flawless tracks like Blinding

I'll have to disagree with some of your opinions but that's how life is anyway (also I think I love every F+TM song and I don't dislike anything )

I really like I'm Not Calling You A Liar, is so melancholic and beautiful. Howl is dramatic and has lots of energy, I love it. Sometimes I skip Between Two Lungs too but when I hear it I am slayed because it's so beautiful and the lyrics . Cosmic Love was a song I didn't like at first then it grew on me and I love it it has so much energy and the lyrics and everything . MBBC it's such a mysterious song sometimes I think I finally got an interpretation and I hear a lyric I missed and my whole interpretation crumbles haha. And You've Got The Love is one of those cases where I love the cover and then I hear the original and it's just... meh... maybe it's just me, although I like how it closes the album because of the overall feeling of the song.

You should totally check out the rest of Lungs Bonus Tracks/B-Sides, Swimming is my absolute favourite F+TM song ever, and the Bird Song Intro is a pretty popular fan favourite too, it's beautiful. Are You Hurting The One You Love has some pretty cool lyrics.

Glad you like F+TM I started the same with just a couple of songs then I couldn't get the ones I didn't like out of my head and I downloaded them and then I got totally obsessed.

You should check out Ceremonials too, it's a big improvement lyrically and the sound is a lot bigger.

All this nostalgia makes me crave for album 3 even more, can't wait

[Raikov 183]

You should totally check out the rest of Lungs Bonus Tracks/B-Sides, Swimming is my absolute favourite F+TM song ever, and the Bird Song Intro is a pretty popular fan favourite too, it's beautiful. Are You Hurting The One You Love has some pretty cool lyrics.

Glad you like F+TM I started the same with just a couple of songs then I couldn't get the ones I didn't like out of my head and I downloaded them and then I got totally obsessed.

You should check out Ceremonials too, it's a big improvement lyrically and the sound is a lot bigger.

Ha ha, I actually have Ceremonials and I like most of it. I didn't do a review because I was running out of time, but I think it's a big improvement in a lot of ways.

 

The second half is probably a grower since the songs are less "catchy." I could see myself growing to like Cosmic Love, Between Two Lungs, Blinding, and My Boy Builds Coffins. I do like Howl, but for some reason I just never listen to it. I have to listen to the whole album to hear it, and I enjoy it, but I can't hear it on its own. You've Got The Love, though, is one I don't see myself liking. INCYAL is very wispy-sounding, if that makes sense? It's hard to get a grasp on the melody.

 

Very quickly, my thoughts on Ceremonials:

 

1. Only If For A Night - Totally going against fan opinion here, but this is one of the weaker tracks in my opinion. I like the lyrics, but I find the chorus's melody underwhelming. Still, it's definitely not bad at all.

 

2. Shake It Out - Very cathartic song to sing! And I totally relate to it, too. I feel like this could have been a successful single under the right circumstances.

 

3. What The Water Gave Me - Favorite song on this album and possibly favorite F+TM song. Great atmosphere, great melody, great lyrics, great. And I really like the demo, too.

 

4. Never Let Me Go - A great continuation of WTWGM and the lyrics are gorgeous. The chorus is huge and anthemic. Only thing I don't like is the bridge, I suppose.

 

5. Breaking Down - Sounds like Christmas music for some reason. It's a bit repetitive and it's frustrating that this song is so... hard to figure out what it's about. What's creeping in the streetlight, Flo?! Still, it's poignant and I don't mind it at all.

 

6. Lover To Lover - Slay me with that gospel/Motown sound, girl. Great song.

 

7. No Light, No Light - This song took me a while to like, but now I think it's fantastic. My favorite part is probably the "you want a revelation" piece.

 

8. Seven Devils - This song could have been #7 on the tracklist but it's #8, why A bit Halloweeny, but it's a very powerful song with great revenge lyrics. Makes me feel supernaturally evil.

 

9. Heartlines - I'm not a big fan of this type of song, but this is listenable enough. It's not that it's bad, but it's not my style.

 

10. Spectrum - The first Ceremonials song I heard. Total slayage. Great atmosphere. I also love the little background vocals during the second verse when she says "when it's time to pray" "PRET A PRAY IT NOW" or whatever it says.

 

11. All This And Heaven Too - Beautiful, relatable song that's also quite wistful. I love the way she treated this subject and I love the way the music matches the text.

 

12. Leave My Body - I think it says a lot about what I think about this song that I always thought it was a bonus track. It's odd, and I wouldn't say it's one of my favorites. Not a fan.

 

13. Remain Nameless - I like the overall sound of it, although I haven't heard it enough to have an opinion about it.

 

I haven't heard Bedroom Hymns or Strangeness and Charm. My version of the disc doesn't have Landscape . Still, Ceremonials is probably my favorite of their two albums. I think there's still more for me to discover on Lungs, though. I just have to hear it more.

 

 

I hope for album 3, they either explore the electronic sound they started with WTWGM (demo) and Remain Nameless, or they go down the rocky/bluesy route with KWAF and GWOE. I think it'd be sufficiently different from Ceremonials to not feel like a rehash, but still similar enough to past works that it wouldn't come out of left field.

[Memo 176]

Ha ha, I actually have Ceremonials and I like most of it. I didn't do a review because I was running out of time, but I think it's a big improvement in a lot of ways.

 

The second half is probably a grower since the songs are less "catchy." I could see myself growing to like Cosmic Love, Between Two Lungs, Blinding, and My Boy Builds Coffins. I do like Howl, but for some reason I just never listen to it. I have to listen to the whole album to hear it, and I enjoy it, but I can't hear it on its own. You've Got The Love, though, is one I don't see myself liking. INCYAL is very wispy-sounding, if that makes sense? It's hard to get a grasp on the melody.

 

Very quickly, my thoughts on Ceremonials:

 

I hope for album 3, they either explore the electronic sound they started with WTWGM (demo) and Remain Nameless, or they go down the rocky/bluesy route with KWAF and GWOE. I think it'd be sufficiently different from Ceremonials to not feel like a rehash, but still similar enough to past works that it wouldn't come out of left field.

Tbh for album 3 I would love if they included more harp (like in Lungs) and violins, it's all I want, Flo do whatever sound you want but pls include lots of harp and violins and strings in general :nooo:

Also I would like the sound to be mystic and mysterious idk if that makes some sense

NLMG is the first song that made me cry and almost the only one, NLNL was the song that made me discover Flo and I will always like it because of that .At some point I got to think Breaking Down could be about something like rape or molestation but I pray it's not, I think it's about memories of regrets haunting her and making her "break down". Spectrum was my jam even before we knew it was going to be a single and to this day I still don't know what does she says in the background some people say it's "pray the rainbow" or something like that but I hear something like "Pray pray for it" or something. Strangeness and Charm is one of the fan favourites too, I'm glad she released it.

I wish Flo would give us some info about the album, just a track, the name of the lead single, the cover, the title, the month, a date, something!

[Raikov 183]

Tbh for album 3 I would love if they included more harp (like in Lungs) and violins, it's all I want, Flo do whatever sound you want but pls include lots of harp and violins and strings in general :nooo:

Also I would like the sound to be mystic and mysterious idk if that makes some sense

NLMG is the first song that made me cry and almost the only one, NLNL was the song that made me discover Flo and I will always like it because of that .At some point I got to think Breaking Down could be about something like rape or molestation but I pray it's not, I think it's about memories of regrets haunting her and making her "break down". Spectrum was my jam even before we knew it was going to be a single and to this day I still don't know what does she says in the background some people say it's "pray the rainbow" or something like that but I hear something like "Pray pray for it" or something. Strangeness and Charm is one of the fan favourites too, I'm glad she released it.

I wish Flo would give us some info about the album, just a track, the name of the lead single, the cover, the title, the month, a date, something!

 

I think the title would be great because Lungs and Ceremonials were both such informative titles that just with that alone we could have an idea of what's going on. Plural nouns again, plx

[Memo 176]

I think the title would be great because Lungs and Ceremonials were both such informative titles that just with that alone we could have an idea of what's going on. Plural nouns again, plx

inb4 FlOPOP or ARTFLO

 

 

wait it doesn't sound good either way

[DMTT 160]

Yes I agree! Plural noun!

So excited for album 3, hopefully another October release with summer single release. Agh. she can experiment with sounds, as long as the lyrics and quality remains

[AJH219 4,448]

Honestly, I hope she just drops the single again unexpectedly like she did with "What the Water Gave Me". I remember coming home from class, seeing that masterpiece in my FB news-feed, listening to it, and crying from the slayage.  2011 was truly an epic year