Florence + The Machine are an English indie rock group created by the singer and entertainer Florence Welsh including her musicians Robert Ackroyd (guitars and backing vocals), Chris Hayden (drums and percussion), Isabella Summers (keyboards and backing vocals), Mark Saunders (bass guitar) and Tom Monger (harp), in 2007.
So far they've released two albums: Lungs in 2009 and Ceremonials in 2011, both very good, very versatile and full of good taste and talent.
Read more about them on this link.
Spectrum (Say My Name) is the fifth single from Ceremonials and was released today on July 8, on a digital release, but first broadcast on July 2 on UK radios.
This song is full of good energies, positivism and real joy.
On FYMS review of Florence + The Machine's Ceremonials, it's described as a very overwhelming song and "exceeds all the expectations". Also "The variations along the song are powerful, are catchy and give such enthusiastic rhythm." Read everything here.
And the video really complements this energetic, joyful and positive vibration. Directed by David LaChapelle"‘Spectrum’ is free of scepticism, irony, and the coldness one finds in a lot of contemporary popular music. It's the opposite – full of light, positivity and authentic joy. I hope that I can do justice to this moving modern classic." Florence also said that it was a dream to work with him, not only because she collected his books since she was a teenager but also because she idealized he would be the director of Spectrum "from the moment the song was written. I still cant believe it actually happened, and I'm completely overjoyed that he felt such a connection with the song."
More on Clash Music song review's post.
Even if you are not a fan, you should try and see her on the second day of Optimus Alive, on June 14th. She is so talented, such a gigantic performer. They are a very good live band and absolutely worth it. Who is going?
Kate Bush is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer who's career started in 1975.
This singer is very known for her eclectic musical style and incredibly unique voice that made her one of the most successful solo female performers of the United Kingdom of the last years.
Bush is also the owner of big hits like Running Up that Hill, Babooshka and Don't Give Up.
She already won a Brit Award in 1987 for Best British Female Solo Artist, an Ivor Novello Award in 2002 for Outstanding Contribution to British music and was nominated the Grammy Awards several times.
With 10 studio albums - The Kick Inside (1978), Lionheart (1978), Never For Ever (1980), The Dreaming (1982), Hounds Of Love (1985), The Sensual World (1989), The Red Shoes (1993), Aerial (2005), Director's Cut (2011) and 50 Words For Snow (2011), besides a live album released in 1994 and some EP's.
Wuthering Heights is Kate Bush's debut single in January 1978. Taken from The Kick Inside, the song was written by Bush when she was eighteen years old and it's based on the novel with the same name.
Kate Bush was inspired to write Wuthering Heights by the last ten minutes of the 1970 movie of that novel. It's possible to see several quotes from Catherine Earnshaw (main character), specially on the chorus "Let me in! I'm so cold". She also used them to confess Catherine's confession to her master "bad dreams in the night".
This romantic scene has a sinister turn when Catherine is in fact a ghost that's calling her love, Heathcliff.
Florence + The Machine is a band created in 2007 by Florence Welch in collaboration with other musicians: Robert Ackroyd (guitars, backing vocals), Chris Hayden (drums, percussion, backing vocals), Isabella Summers (keyboards, backing vocals), Mark Saunders (bass guitar, backing vocals) and Tom Monger (harp).
The band's name is a tribute to Welch's teenage collaboration with Isabella "Machine" Summers - who performed for a while as Florence Robot/Isa Machine.
According to Florence"The name 'Florence And The Machine' started off as a private joke that got out of hand. I made music with my friend, Isabella Machine to which I was Florence Robot. When I was about an hour away from my first gig, I still didn't have a name, so I thought 'Okay, I'll be Florence Robot/Isa Machine'".
Their style is usually described as "dark, robust and romantic" due to their peculiar way of creating music, innovating constantly from song to song and evolution as a band.
Ceremonials is the band's second album released in October 2011 by Island Records, the main producer was Paul Epworth.
Initially the album was idealized to be recorded in the US but ended up being recorded in the Abbey Road Studios in London.
The album is being very well received by critics, with huge comparisons with artists like Kate Bush.
To NME, Florence said "(Ceremonials) is a more joyous album'" and according to her the album is about how she matured over the last years.
Ceremonials counts with 12 tracks and 9 more on the deluxe version, making a total of 55:58 on the standard version. What The Water Gave Me, Shake It Out,No Light, No Light and Never Let Me Go have already been release as singles.
Only If For A Night (4:59) The opening track starts with a sweet classic piano and the strong Florence voice. At some point the songs sounds like an epic rebellion, with a beautiful chorus and strong back instrumental. Honestly a very beautiful way to start an album, promising an exciting discover through this work. The song has this double way of being a Florence song and sounds so epic, so huge, so overwhelming.
"Then I heard your voice as clear as day, And you told me I should concentrate, It was all so strange, And so surreal, That a ghost should be so practical."
Shake It Out (4:38) The song is joyful, strong and huge. Released as the official first single of Ceremonials and has been very well received for being a pop song with gospel elements including organs, bells and tambourines. Vocally speaking, Florence was compared with artists like Annie Lennox due to the incredible vocals.
About this song, Florence described to MTV NewsShake It Out as "... magic one. I feel weird because I'm always talking about how I'm writing songs when I'm hung over most of the songs weren't but 'Shake It Out' was. Like 'Cosmic Love' (it was) written when you're not feeling too great. It became the ultimate hangover cure, and then it became about something bigger. Like trying to get rid of 'hangover ghouls'."
Actually Shake It Out reminds me of Cosmic Love, musically speaking, and for good reasons. The song is really strong, full of rhythm mixing happy and sad feelings, turning to this iconic song.
"And our love's pastured such a mournful sound
Tonight I'm gonna bury that horse in the ground
So I like to keep my issues strong
But it's always darkest before the dawn"
What The Water Gave Me (5:33) The song was named after Florence saw a Frida Kahlo's paiting and inspired by the English writer Virginia Woolf.
Described as a art rock and indie pop being notably followed by harps and guitars. Once again Florence shows all her powerful vocals on this song, turning everything to a dramatic, enthusiastic poetry.
About the song, Florence once said "It's a song for the water, because in music and art what I'm really interested in are the things that are overwhelming. The ocean seems to me to be nature's great overwhelmer. When I was writing this song I was thinking a lot about all those people who've lost their lives in vain attempts to save their loved ones from drowning. It's about water in all forms and all bodies. It's about a lot of things; Virginia Woolf creeps into it, and of course Frida Kahlo, whose painfully beautiful painting gave me the title."
This song is one of my favorite, it has everything. It's strong, beautiful, simple but so complex at the same time.
"'Cause they took your loved ones
But returned them in exchange for you
But would you have it any other way?
Would you have it any other way?
You could have had it any other way"
Never Let Me Go (4:31) The third single from the record, with the video released on youtube on March 7.
Sounds very classy, very fancy at some point. Sounding like Florence + The Machine but in another level, the band exceeded themselves once again. The highlight of this song is absolutely the instrumental - it's gorgeous, it's huge, it's so.. surreal!
The song sounds so nice, the chorus turn to something even bigger than imagined.
"And the arms of the ocean are carrying me And all this devotion was rushing over me And the crushes of heaven, for a sinner like me But the arms of the ocean delivered me"
Breaking Down (3:49) This is one of the songs that really don't sound like a characteristic Florence's song. It's a mystery at the beginning, a thrill to discover how will the song develop along the way... And it's exciting! A whispered voice, an epic chorus from one of those old classic bands.
I really love the violins, they put the song on some other special level. It's . This song had everything to be something average but they changed it, they magically turned things around and turned into something really big.
This song may not ever be a single but I really hope that people have the chance to know them and be excited to listen it the way that I do.
"I can see is coming from the edge of the room Creeping in the streetlight Holding my hand in the pear grove Can you see it coming now?"
Lover To Lover (4:03) I hope I'm not the only one but the piano's intro of this song just blows my mind. Sounds somewhere between Queen and Elton John, really like the good 70's and 80's songs.
Once again, as we can listen along CeremonialsFlorence exceeds herself from song to song.
At some point, Lover To Lover really seems one of those songs that should belong to some movie soundtrack. It's catchy, full of energy, exciting, stays with you for hours... This song has everything, it's incredible how powerfully romantic but at the same time so destructive the song can sound.
That might be a Florence + The Machine moto: mix feelings on the same song - and thankfully they do!
"And i've been taking chances
I've been setting myself up for the force
And i've been keeping secrets
From my heart and from my soul
Going from road to road
Back to back
Lover to lover and black to red
But i believe, i believe"
No Light, No Light (4:35) One of my favorites of the record and the second released single.
This is a clear Florence song - strong instruments, epic vocals, genuine combination, exciting composition. No Light, No Light is one of the highlights of the entire album, it's absolutely "a revelation", they are a solid group and that reflexes on their songs and composition. They know absolutely what they are doing.
After listening this, I just feel free, the need of running away and shout! It reminds me of another Florence + The Machine's song Heavy In Your Arms.
The song was written by Florence Welch and Isabella Summers - and with this I have one request... Do it more often! The combination is genious!
"Through the crowd I was crying out And in your place there were a thousand other faces I was disappearing in plain sight Heaven help me, I need to make it right"
Seven Devils (5:03) On this song it's obvious the gospel component. All the instruments sound very iconic, very respectful even the vocals are harder, more dramatic on this track.
Probably the hardest song to enjoy on the album, either you like it or not - there's no middle term on this one due it's dark and troublesome feeling. The lyrics reflect that so well . But it's exciting to see how versatile they are.
"Seven devils all around you
Seven devils in your house
See I was dead when I woke up this morning
I'll be dead before the day is done
Before the day is done"
Heartlines (5:02) This song is EVERYTHING. My honestly favorite song from Ceremonials.
Sounds like Florence + The Machine, feels like Florence + The Machine and it's an absolutely Florence + The Machine song.
It's exciting, it's strong, has rhythm, has an epic flow, it's inspirational, it's unique.
One of those songs that really take all my breath away.
"On the sea, on the sea and land over land.
Creeping and crawling like the sea over sand.
Still I follow heartlines on your hand.
This fantasy, this fallacy, this tumbling stone.
Echoes of a city that's long overgrown.
Your heart is the only place that I call home,
I cannot be returned, you can?"
Spectrum (5:12) I imagine perfectly this song on a live performance.
I hate to repeat myself but Florence and her band only do amazing song and once again this song is very good. Spectrum is overwhelming, exceeds all the expectations. The variations along the song are powerful, are catchy and give such enthusiastic rhythm.
How can such young artists write such explosive songs?
"Say my name
As every colour illuminates
We are shining
And we will never be afraid again"
All This And Heaven Too (4:06) The lyrics are very interesting and complemented by an extraordinaire instruments - highlight for the simple drums and backing vocals.
It sounds almost like a superstitious song but mysterious at some point, probably to the idea given through the way the instruments are played. The more I listen to it, the more I like it!
"But with all my education,
I can't seem to commend it,
And the words are all escaping me,
And coming back all damaged,
And I would put them back in poetry,
If I only knew how,
I can't seem to understand it"
Leave My Body (4:35) Weird sounds and guitars, those are the first things you listen on this song. Starting softly and growing as long as the song continues, catches your attention for the powerful drums complemented by a beautiful and fast piano contrasting with the slow and epic vocals - from Florence and backing vocalists.
I would personally chose this song to be somewhere in the middle but the choice is smart, it gets stuck in your head. You would like to end the album with a powerful song so people can remember it. And the way it ends, like a shout under water it's absolutely stunning. The song is amazing and so so beautiful!
"Said I'm gonna leave my body
Moving up to higher ground
I'm gonna lose my mind
But history keeps pulling me
Pulling me down"
Conclusion: The album is VERY very good. It's exciting to see such talented people all together performing and creating such beautiful music. Ceremonials ain't one of those obvious pop albums where it's easy to like for being so predictable. Ceremonials it's the opposite, you love the album for being so different, so unexpected, so strong and powerful. It's overwhelming! People usually say the first album is easy but the second is where you really prove what you are... And with this amazing second album? Florence + The Machine are here to stay and to grace us with their incredible talent.
The new sensation Lana Del Rey made a new video for her already known single Blue Jeans, belonging to her debut album Born To Die.
This new video was directed by Yoann Lemoine, who previously worked with Katy Perry, Moby and Yelle and also brings back the actor Bradley Soileau - a previous work with Del Rey can be seen on Born To Die video here.
The Beatles are one of the most successful British bands.
They were created in the 1960's and since 1962 the band was composed by John Lennon (guitar; vocals), Paul McCartney(bass; vocals), George Harrison (guitar; vocals) and Ringo Starr (drums; vocals).
Their short career didn't affect at all their work, pursuing after 1970 solo careers.
The Beatles released thirteen studio albums: Please Please Me (1963), With the Beatles (1963), A Hard Day's Night (1964), Beatles for Sale (1964), Help! (1965), Rubber Soul (1965),Revolver (1966), Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967), Magical Mystery Tour (1967), The Beatles [also known as "White Album"] (1968), Yellow Submarine(1969), Abbey Road (1969) and Let It Be (1970), besides several compilations and re-releases.
Yesterday is credited to Lennon/McCartney but the song was only written by Paul McCartney, in 2000 he requested Yoko Ono to simply change the order of the credits but Yoko refused.
Appearing in Help! released in 1965, the song is about a break-up and is dedicated to McCartney's mother who died of Cancer when he was only fourteen years old.
Due to the melancholic acoustic guitar ballad followed by some string instruments like cellos and violins, the song end up being so different from The Beatles previous works that the band decided not to release it as a single, until 1976.
Starting on a dream, McCartney dreamed the entire melody and his first worry was that the melody was a unconscious plagiarism as he said "For about a month I went round to people in the music business and asked them whether they had ever heard it before. Eventually it became like handing something in to the police. I thought if no-one claimed it after a few weeks then I could have it."
The initial title was Scrambled Eggs, McCartney said "So first of all I checked this melody out, and people said to me, 'No, it's lovely, and I'm sure it's all yours.' It took me a little while to allow myself to claim it, but then like a prospector I finally staked my claim; stuck a little sign on it and said, 'Okay, it's mine!' It had no words. I used to call it 'Scrambled Eggs'.", Lennon later added "The song was around for months and months before we finally completed it. Every time we got together to write songs for a recording session, this one would come up. We almost had it finished. Paul wrote nearly all of it, but we just couldn't find the right title. We called it 'Scrambled Eggs' and it became a joke between us. We made up our minds that only a one-word title would suit, we just couldn't find the right one. Then one morning Paul woke up and the song and the title were both there, completed. I was sorry in a way, we'd had so many laughs about it."
The song was written in Portugal, on a car trip from Lisbon to Albufeira (Algarve) in May 1965 because according to Paul McCartney he "hate to waste time and the trip was long". He was going on vacation with his girlfriend at the time Jane Asher to Bruce Welch, from The Shadows, home in the South of Portugal. The couple ended up leaving early than predicted to record the song on the Abbey Road Studios in London.
"Why she had to go I don't know
She wouldn't say
I said something wrong now I long
For yesterday"
This is the end of this Themed Week related with Songs that Marked the Humanity - to check all the chosen songs click here.
Rufus Wainwright is a Canadian-American singer known for songs like Across The Universe or Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk, who's career started in 1993.
He is brother of the Folk Pop singer Martha Wainwright.
Wainwright is also known for his tenor singing voice, some of his songs can be described as popera (pop opera) or baroque pop due to the big influences of operas and symphony orchestras.
With 6 studio albums - Rufus Wainwright (1998), Poses (2001), Want One (2003), Want Two (2004), Release The Stars (2007) and All Nights Are Nights: Songs For Lulu (2010), besides two live albums, two compilations and 3 EPs.
Going To A Town is the first single taken from Release The Stars.
About the song, Wainwright once revealed: "The meaning is very plain, mainly that I'm having problems with the United States at the moment, as we all are. We all love America, I think everybody does in a certain way. But we have to admit that there's just been too many mistakes made in the recent past over too many issues, and we've just got to deal with that fact."
Once he admitted Going To A Town"is more about birth than destruction".
The video was directed by Sophia Muller and features Wainwright on the role of who's thought to be based on D.H. Lawrence, and three women that according to the singer represent Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, the other Frida Kahlo and the other one is more abstract more like "fairy tale-like" from Mozart's The Magic Flute. Later he said those three women represent The Three Graces, with the burning roses symbolizing "purification by fire" representing the United States "beautiful, but thorny".
"I may just never see you again or might as well
You took advantage of a world that loved you well
I'm going to a town that has already been burned down
