Following the stratospheric success of debut album ‘Lungs’ the pressure was always going to be on for Florence Welch’s follow up. Judging by ‘Shake It Out’, she’s decided the best response to big expectations is very big songs. Never a particularly understated act, this taster of the new album ‘Ceremonials’ sees Florence + The Machine turn everything up to 11.
Building from a comparatively subdued opening, ‘Shake It Out’ gradually gathers momentum until it reaches a level best described as ‘Kate Bush on steroids’. It is unashamedly expansive and melodramatic, perfectly designed to promote mass singalongs at the massive shows Florence will undoubtedly be playing in the near future.
According to Ms. Welch herself, one of the key ingredients in avoiding difficult second album syndrome comes down to who you end up collaborating with. For ‘Ceremonials’ she once again teamed up with super producer Paul Epworth, the knob-twiddler behind records from people like Adele, Cee Lo Green and Bloc Party.
“I was really lucky to be able to work with amazing people like Paul – he was so inspiring,” she told Digital Spy. “I’d come back from my tour and he’d have an amazing drum pattern or chords ready for me. When someone is constantly feeding you with inspiration, it makes the whole process quite easy because you start to see images and can form lyrics quite quickly. I also read, walked a lot and went to galleries as much as possible for inspiration. It’s important to keep yourself in touch with the world.”
Listen to the track here.
Huw Thomas Tag Of The Day florence + the machine
Following on from the multi-million selling, multi-award winning, critically acclaimed success of debut album ‘Lungs’, Florence + The Machine has returned with new track ‘What The Water Gave Me’.
The track references 2 prolific female figures, the title coming from a painting by artist Frida Kahlo and the lyrics referencing the suicide of writer Virigina Woolf. ‘What The Water Gave Me’ is a captivating pop track drenched in Florence’s rich, beautifully distinct vocals and enriched with the backing of a choir and the signature sounds of the harp.
Not a stray from previous works but a development and play on the sounds she began experimenting with on ‘Lungs’, the track is destined to feed the growing appetite of Florence fans globally.
‘What The Water Gave Me’ is the first taste from the yet to be titled new album. Recorded over 5 weeks at the famous 3 studio in Abbey Road Road (where the Beatles recorded ‘Revolver’ and Pink Floyd ‘Dark Side Of The Moon’) and produced entirely by Paul Epworth (Adele, Cee-Lo Green & Bloc Party), Florence + The Machine’s new album is due out November 7.
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To watch the video for ‘What The Water Gave Me’, click here
Steph Cox Tag Of The Day florence + the machine
With the last batch of artists announced yesterday, the San Miguel Primavera Sound festival has a superb line-up for its tenth anniversary, held from the 27th to the 29th of May in the Parc Del Fòrum of Barcelona.
The popular independent music event has been generating a growing buzz since both Pavement and Pixies were confirmed as headliners – thus putting two of the most eagerly anticipated reunion tours of recent times at centre stage.
The organisers of San Miguel Primavera Sound launched a poll for fans to vote for past acts they would like to see play the festival again. The winners included the fore-mentioned Pavement and Pixies; Wilco; Shellac; Orbital and Panda Bear from Animal Collective. Other heavily influential artists such as The Pet Shop Boys, Gary Numan, Marc Almond, Les Savy Fav, The Slits, Sunny Day Real State and Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry have also been confirmed. Added to this Low will be performing their classic album ‘The Great Destroyer’ in full and Charlatans will do the same with their LP, ‘Some Friendly’.
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Roberto Gonzalez News florence + the machine, panda bear, pavement, pet shop boys, pixies, san miguel primavera sound, the xx
