Florence And The Machine : 'Lungs'
Released: 6th July 2009
Label: Island Records
Florence and the Machine has been on the music scene for a while now; she came to prominence at Glastonbury 2008 with a stunning performance on The Queens Head stage, which was followed by a modest sized U.K Tour. Her band was small yet did the job, with help from a variety of backing tracks that Florence herself recorded, crude yet effective. It was obvious from the off however that Florence and the Machine (Real name, Florence Leontine Welch) had intentions of a far bigger sound, her style was just calling out for more instruments, something on a far grander scale. Fortunately this vision has now been realised with the release of this her long-awaited debut album ‘Lungs’.
Like so many British female artists around at the moment (Little Boots, Marina and the Diamonds) she has been majorly hyped thanks to a rather prominent placing on the BBC’s sound of 2009 polling, and NME falling head over heels for her. Fortunately for Florence all this attention is very much deserved as she has produced a debut album that that not only has some of the most beautiful pieces of song-writing around at the moment, but one that also revels wonderfully in its eccentricities as she tells dark stories of bleeding hearts, Werewolves and wedding dresses.
The album opens with ‘Dog days are over’ a song that immediately lets the listener hear why Florence is something truly special, the mere combination of clapping and her voice over a continual plucking of a harp is itself an intoxicating combination. ‘Dog days’ builds into something that sounds like a Phil Spector song on acid with falsetto tinges and choral harmonies. Most recent single ‘Rabbit Heart (Raise it up)’ sounds like Flo’s attempt at an uplifting and happy song, and sounds like it on face value. Yet like many of her tracks on further listen reveals a darker side. The song combines synth sounds effortlessly with yet more harp (an instrument I could never get bored with). As always Welch’s vocals are unashamedly self-depreciating and vulnerable as she sings ‘I start spinning out of touch, slipping out of touch, was that the wrong pill to take?’
Live favourite ‘Girl with one eye’ has lost none of its bluesy edge in the studio and has Flo seductively purring all through it. The song is also somewhat lyrically ambiguous with lyrics like ‘I slipped my hand under hear skirt’, a lyric sang with such sexual vigour and satisfaction that many listeners may require a cold shower after.
While many may have heard her more radio-friendly tracks such as ‘Kiss with a fist’ (or heard it on the annoyingly over-played 4music advert), unless you have seen her live you maybe unaware of her talent to write beautiful almost symphonic pieces of multi-layered nirvana. ‘Between Two Lungs’ (arguably the albums' strongest song) is simply stunning. A four minute masterpiece, packed full of tambourine, harp (a must), disjointed piano chords, and breath-taking multi-layered harmonies. This is a track where Miss Welch’s song writing skills truly come into their own, and are what set her far above many of her contemporaries. Things like the simple act of kissing she manages to conjure up into some sort of fantastical event. She sings whimsically of a breath being exchanged as they kiss ‘between two lungs it was released, the breath that passed from you to me, that flew between us as we slept, that slipped from your mouth into mine it crept’. A mesmerising song, that will quieten anyone who doubts her talent.
‘My boy builds coffins’ is an ode about a fairy tale story of a man who builds coffins (bizarre but brilliant), ‘My boy builds coffins for the rich and the poor, kings and queens have knocked on his door’. The song is a dainty little folk-inspired jaunt that while as not as intense as other tracks on the album, will have you singing it for weeks.
Without a doubt 2009 will definitely be the year for Florence and her Machine, with such a fantastic debut album, several slots at this years Glastonbury and support slots with Blur, things can only go this extremely talented 22 year olds way. Think Kate Bush with a hint of Siouxsie Soux for the 21st century and you have Florence and the Machine.
Words: Kevin Angel
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