photo by Alex Lake
Florence & The Machine Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up):
One of the Songs Of The Year, absolutely. It's anthemic, elegant and muscular. Lyrically, it's a cross between Stevie Nicks and Courtney Love; vocally, it reminds me of Sinead when she actually sang (it's all whispers now). This song really soars from the middle eight - about 2:15- onward. Wow.
The video, also, is sublime. Florence Welch has taken her style and softened it from hippie to pre-Raphaelite. Take a look at Alex Lake's beautiful photos from the filming. Has Patrick Wolf finally met his match?
Florence & The Machines' debut album, Lungs (more on that this week), is out on July 6.
Labels: Florence
Absolutely fantastic.
I wonder what the album is going to be like. Will it be a good fit to pair it with Patrick's?
And on a lighter note: 3'01" - enough said...
Best,
Zbyszek.
What is 3'01"?
No wait, you mean minute 3:01, when the blond boy is carrying the "casket"!
Hi XO,
I've been a fan of your blog for years now, yet recently there seems to have been a dearth of the kind of music that you/i agree upon (i've gone Gaga im afraid). Having never given any of Florence's music a chance (the blame lying solely in her Brit award bandwagon making)I have to say i am in awe of this song, video, imagination and birth of a new favourite popstar.
thank speedyboi
Speedy, I actually didn't like her until this. I thought she was "messy" and overhyped, but yes, this song is major.
I accept The Gaga, just not in the "she's the new Madonna" sense!
Love it. Actually not that crazy about the video, but I played the song a few more times without looking at it, and I'm hooked.
The "3'01" boy" does a little twirl earlier on as well.
And the song is great too :-)
Zbyszek.
I think I'd sampled a few songs on blogs before and dismissed this act, but this song blows me away. Time for a rethink.
Michael, this is the first one I have liked, but I have to say that it is acting as sort of a window into what she does and I'm getting the other ones a bit more now.
I'm kind of in the fence about this. It's a good song (her best so far) but I'm still in the "messy" and overhyped stage. I have the feeling she takes herself a bit too seriously. I guess I'd prefer it if there was less Florence and more Machine.
Not terrible (in fact a probable grower), but I do get more than a whiff of poor man's imogen heap. I like the windswept eightiesness of both song and video though, and hope it's a window to greater things on the album.
This is really great! Let's hope they can keep up the energy and melodies for an entire album.
STILL obsessed with this song...
(Hello Barcelona, by the way!)
i'm surprised you didn't like her earlier single "dog days are over." she also did a good cover of springsteen's "i'm going down" with kid harpoon.
I actually like Dog Days now, but did not when I first heard it. I kind of "get" her now.