Florence IS the Machine

I have been digging on "Heavy in Your Arms" by Florence & the Machine since the Eclipse soundtrack came out months and months ago (and which I highly recommend: Beck, Jack White, Metric, Black Keys and on and on). Turns out, she's gonna release it as a single and also release her album Lungs as a two-disk re-introduction to our ears called Between Two Lungs (full track list below).

I like Lungs. Especially her voice and the percussion. It's just a little muted and I can't tell you exactly why. Her songs are almost there, but need a friend to pull out all the stops. Even on her current single, "Dog Days Are Over," the vocals and drums are what you remember, and the rest is retro-pop and Britty and cute...just not punchy enough--not dancey enough.

It's not all bad, not at all. "A Kiss With A Fist" is rocky bossy in the vain of early Strokes and 50s American rock-n-roll. "Drag my teeth across your chest to taste your beating heart." That's a great lyric.

I'm glad to hear she'll be collaborating with some Britrap people, including the effin' great Dizzee Rascall. I think it'd be cool if she worked with Mark Ronson too, but that's not happening just yet. Anyway, bottom line is, I like Lungs and I'm totally excited for its fuller, fatter big sister.

Tracks:

CD 1:

Dog Days Are Over

Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)

I'm Not Calling You A Liar

Howl

Kiss With A Fist

Girl With One Eye

Drumming

Between Two Lungs

Cosmic Love

My Boy Builds Coffins

Hurricane Drunk

Blinding

CD 2:
Heavy In Your Arms

You've Got the Dirtee Love (this features Dizzee Rascall!!)

Hurricane Drunk (The Horrors Remix)

Strangeness & Charm (Live from Hammersmith Apollo)

Swimming (Live from Hammersmith Apollo)

Dog Days Are Over (Yeasayer Remix)

Florence &The Machine perform acoustically Live from The Roundhouse:
Drumming Song
Girl With One Eye
Hurricane Drunk
Dog Days Are Over
My Boy Builds Coffins

Hospital Beds