Dog Days Are Over: The Florence + the Machine Discography Rate (And the winner is...)
- Thread starter Fortune
- Start date
@Can't Speak French is the queen of keeping us hanging.
The good sis @Can't Speak French did say they were going to be away for a few days, so I'm just going to work on my commentary in the meantime.
And I will pick the rate up if it gets abandoned. #vulture
And I will pick the rate up if it gets abandoned. #vulture
19.
Third Eye - 8.572
High: 10 x 11– @Kyle., @munro, @TR, @Remyky22, @Terminus, @constantino, @Runawaywithme, @Oleander, @Subwaykid, @beyoncésweave, @Robsolete
Low: 6 x 2 – @Kuhleezi, @Plethorya
Third Eye is the next How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful track to go. The album loses the advantage in numbers it has had throughout the rate and now has six songs left, the same as the rest. Florence addresses a friend, telling them to come out of their shell and try to love again, before revealing that she’s got all the same insecurities. She initially thought she was writing Third Eye for someone else before realising it could also be about herself. It’s so beautifully written, a perfect pep talk trying to get someone else to see themselves the way you see them, like a million drunken heart-to-hearts, and the moment when you confide in them that you’ve got a ton of insecurities too, but you’re trying your best to be strong. The melody really gets stuck in your head, it’s quite marvellous.
Third Eye is the ninth and final chapter of the Odyssey, as Florence finally comes to terms with and exorcises the emotions that have been plaguing her, escaping her purgatorial heartbreak. The men that have been a presence right from the beginning still surround her, but this time they follow and she is in control. Towards the end of the video, Rob Ackroyd from the band comes to take her to the stage. With the Machine at her back, she has overcome her struggle and is ready to share her experience with the world, and the Odyssey ends as the curtain opens to the sounds of cheering fans.
Sprockrooster calls it “a bop. A Florence + The Machine bop. Amazing.” You know, those aren’t exactly uncommon. I mean, I guess it depends on how we officially define a bop these days, but plenty of the tracks in this rate are pretty boppy. munro was Stockholm Syndromed into loving it, “I had to listen to this every day at my last job and I grew to love it sooooooo much.” Squashua also has tender memories of retail relating to this, “Getting the night bus through London to work delivery shifts in retail were only bearable because of the sheer force of this song. Winter sunrises make the perfect accompaniment to this rousing pep rally meets sub-conscious mantra.”
“The album suffers with a few samey tracks in the middle but this certainly brings it back with full force, it’s just amazing how often she can create such moments I love her!” Really, 2014, is this because you find subdued songs in tempos below mid to be samey? You did give Various Storms and Saints and Long and Lost both 7s. Remyky22 is getting very stimulated, “So many things going on! Utterly captivating and incredibly touching.” AllGagaLike isn’t quite so enraptured, but still feels the fun, “While it's a bit repetitive, it's so much fun to listen to.”
For Push, this is “not one I see myself coming back to...” Plethorya asks us “Is anyone else hearing Patrick Wolf in this one? Seems up his alley.” I haven’t heard of him. Kuhleezi is today’s designated hater, “I really don't get why this is such a fan favourite. I really don't. For me, it's bottom 3 of the album. It's a bit of a mess, too shouty for Flo's own good at times, and the self-empowerment thing has been done so so so so so much better. Still, there are some parts I really really enjoy: the "Oh how much!"s, the so-ridiculous-I-can't-help-but-loving-it, straight outta country guitar (banjo?) breakdown, "I'm the same I'm the same I'm trying to change" (so #relatable), the part in the end when you're overwhelmed by everything all at once.” Girl, you sound so positive about this for a 6. 'The parts I really really enjoy' section could be taken as somebody else's commentary for like, a 9.
Oleander “could sing the praises of this song all day, but I will refrain. This is the perfect motivational song, it's full of life and its message is loud and clear.” Please, don’t feel you need to refrain, some girls really went for it, case in point #1, Runawaywithme. “I have a very personal connection with this song as it sort of sums up the journey I have gone on in the past few years and it makes me feel a million different things at once, like many other Florence songs. Basically this song is beautiful and it really helps me feel alive when I feel anything but.”
And for constantino, it’s another 11 candidate getting the chop, “One of my potential 11s. This is just E V E R Y T H I N G. The horn-enriched production. The booming chorus. The hooks. The backing vocals. The melodrama. The sheer force behind it. This MUST make the top 10. The final bridge is just breath-taking and is my favourite moment on the album. This write-up is a mess because I can’t even articulate how much I adore this and want this to do well. Wait should I give it my 11? Urgh…this is hard…FUCK.”
Third Eye - 8.572
High: 10 x 11– @Kyle., @munro, @TR, @Remyky22, @Terminus, @constantino, @Runawaywithme, @Oleander, @Subwaykid, @beyoncésweave, @Robsolete
Low: 6 x 2 – @Kuhleezi, @Plethorya
Third Eye is the next How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful track to go. The album loses the advantage in numbers it has had throughout the rate and now has six songs left, the same as the rest. Florence addresses a friend, telling them to come out of their shell and try to love again, before revealing that she’s got all the same insecurities. She initially thought she was writing Third Eye for someone else before realising it could also be about herself. It’s so beautifully written, a perfect pep talk trying to get someone else to see themselves the way you see them, like a million drunken heart-to-hearts, and the moment when you confide in them that you’ve got a ton of insecurities too, but you’re trying your best to be strong. The melody really gets stuck in your head, it’s quite marvellous.
Third Eye is the ninth and final chapter of the Odyssey, as Florence finally comes to terms with and exorcises the emotions that have been plaguing her, escaping her purgatorial heartbreak. The men that have been a presence right from the beginning still surround her, but this time they follow and she is in control. Towards the end of the video, Rob Ackroyd from the band comes to take her to the stage. With the Machine at her back, she has overcome her struggle and is ready to share her experience with the world, and the Odyssey ends as the curtain opens to the sounds of cheering fans.
Sprockrooster calls it “a bop. A Florence + The Machine bop. Amazing.” You know, those aren’t exactly uncommon. I mean, I guess it depends on how we officially define a bop these days, but plenty of the tracks in this rate are pretty boppy. munro was Stockholm Syndromed into loving it, “I had to listen to this every day at my last job and I grew to love it sooooooo much.” Squashua also has tender memories of retail relating to this, “Getting the night bus through London to work delivery shifts in retail were only bearable because of the sheer force of this song. Winter sunrises make the perfect accompaniment to this rousing pep rally meets sub-conscious mantra.”
“The album suffers with a few samey tracks in the middle but this certainly brings it back with full force, it’s just amazing how often she can create such moments I love her!” Really, 2014, is this because you find subdued songs in tempos below mid to be samey? You did give Various Storms and Saints and Long and Lost both 7s. Remyky22 is getting very stimulated, “So many things going on! Utterly captivating and incredibly touching.” AllGagaLike isn’t quite so enraptured, but still feels the fun, “While it's a bit repetitive, it's so much fun to listen to.”
For Push, this is “not one I see myself coming back to...” Plethorya asks us “Is anyone else hearing Patrick Wolf in this one? Seems up his alley.” I haven’t heard of him. Kuhleezi is today’s designated hater, “I really don't get why this is such a fan favourite. I really don't. For me, it's bottom 3 of the album. It's a bit of a mess, too shouty for Flo's own good at times, and the self-empowerment thing has been done so so so so so much better. Still, there are some parts I really really enjoy: the "Oh how much!"s, the so-ridiculous-I-can't-help-but-loving-it, straight outta country guitar (banjo?) breakdown, "I'm the same I'm the same I'm trying to change" (so #relatable), the part in the end when you're overwhelmed by everything all at once.” Girl, you sound so positive about this for a 6. 'The parts I really really enjoy' section could be taken as somebody else's commentary for like, a 9.
Oleander “could sing the praises of this song all day, but I will refrain. This is the perfect motivational song, it's full of life and its message is loud and clear.” Please, don’t feel you need to refrain, some girls really went for it, case in point #1, Runawaywithme. “I have a very personal connection with this song as it sort of sums up the journey I have gone on in the past few years and it makes me feel a million different things at once, like many other Florence songs. Basically this song is beautiful and it really helps me feel alive when I feel anything but.”
And for constantino, it’s another 11 candidate getting the chop, “One of my potential 11s. This is just E V E R Y T H I N G. The horn-enriched production. The booming chorus. The hooks. The backing vocals. The melodrama. The sheer force behind it. This MUST make the top 10. The final bridge is just breath-taking and is my favourite moment on the album. This write-up is a mess because I can’t even articulate how much I adore this and want this to do well. Wait should I give it my 11? Urgh…this is hard…FUCK.”
Made working at Zara on Oxford Street just about bareable. Saviour of the Retail Slaves indeed.
18.
Delilah - 8.574
High: 10 x 13 - @Can’t Speak French, @Sprockrooster, @Vixen, @marie_05, @Kuhleezi, @enjoy, @TR, @Terminus, @LTG, @aaronhansome, @Deja-Boo, @Animalia, @Claudette's Carving Knife
Low: 5 x 1 - @Jam
And so the pillars of How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful begin to be pulled down. I told y'all the averages up here are close, there's only 0.002 between Delilah and Third Eye. Delilah was the final instant-grat track to be released before the album. It was also released as a special heavyweight blue vinyl for Record Store Day 2016, with a demo of the track and a cover of Neil Young’s Only Love Can Break Your Heart on the B-side (guess I forgot that too whoops cancel the rate). It was one of the first songs for the album written by Florence and Isabella at Geejem Studios in Jamaica, based on a party they had just been to in Miami, the Biblical tale of Samson and Delilah, and the agony of the mobile phone in modern relationships. When it was released, I remember feeling that the visceral focus on action and frenetic movement was quite Lungs-esque, but sonically it totally fits into the soundscape of the parent album. It’s wonderfully constructed, and I love a good old shift in tempo.
The Delilah music video is Chapter 8 of the Odyssey, and it’s probably the most bizarre of them all, even featuring a scene of a goblin sat on Florence like Henry Fuseli’s The Nightmare. It seems to maybe be set in a cult, or something? There’s certainly plenty to unpack, and a whole lot of interpretive dance. The opening and closing monologues spell out the Odyssey’s journey of self-knowledge pretty clearly.
Sprockrooster is full of respect for the queen, “Epic and dramatic and only Florence can sing it like this. She is in a league of her own.” Oleander calls this “One of many songs from Flo that makes me want to dance like a lunatic. I don't know why but this feels like what Kiss With A Fist should have sounded like.” Kuhleezi has yet another career highlight, “"Too fast for freedom" is one of my favourite catchphrases in her discography. I'm a sucker for tempo changes, I love the tit-for-tat verses, the bridge, everything literally. A larger-than-life bop.”
Constantino thinks it's missing that extra special something, “EH. I’ve never been a big fan of this. First of all, it’s too long and the overall melody nor the ‘chorus’ do not justify the length. It’s all a bit bombastic and hollow, which is especially apparent on an album with so much heart n soul in it.” Squashua also lacks the raw emotional connection, “From the moment this was released as an instant grat to now, it's still hasn’t clicked. I have no major affinity for anything in the song, handclaps aside. I think they have created much better on this album and beyond.” Push calls it “repetitive toward the end.” I believe that's what they call a chorus? Or maybe you mean the middle-eight? I mean, I guess I can see the repetition, but repetition alone isn't necessarily a bad thing, it just depends on what's being repeated. It's not like she's just saying the song title over and over again, hello Delirium-era Ellie Goulding.
Remyky22 never was a dancer, but he was eventually shown how, “My best friend adores this one, but it never properly hit me until I saw Florence live, this was the one that absolutely went off.” Clap for your best friend. On the other hand, I feel like Jersey's nights out may be a little bit too emotionally wrought even for me, “Delilah is a fun, fantastic bitch. I need her as my party sister immediately.”
Delilah - 8.574
High: 10 x 13 - @Can’t Speak French, @Sprockrooster, @Vixen, @marie_05, @Kuhleezi, @enjoy, @TR, @Terminus, @LTG, @aaronhansome, @Deja-Boo, @Animalia, @Claudette's Carving Knife
Low: 5 x 1 - @Jam
And so the pillars of How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful begin to be pulled down. I told y'all the averages up here are close, there's only 0.002 between Delilah and Third Eye. Delilah was the final instant-grat track to be released before the album. It was also released as a special heavyweight blue vinyl for Record Store Day 2016, with a demo of the track and a cover of Neil Young’s Only Love Can Break Your Heart on the B-side (guess I forgot that too whoops cancel the rate). It was one of the first songs for the album written by Florence and Isabella at Geejem Studios in Jamaica, based on a party they had just been to in Miami, the Biblical tale of Samson and Delilah, and the agony of the mobile phone in modern relationships. When it was released, I remember feeling that the visceral focus on action and frenetic movement was quite Lungs-esque, but sonically it totally fits into the soundscape of the parent album. It’s wonderfully constructed, and I love a good old shift in tempo.
The Delilah music video is Chapter 8 of the Odyssey, and it’s probably the most bizarre of them all, even featuring a scene of a goblin sat on Florence like Henry Fuseli’s The Nightmare. It seems to maybe be set in a cult, or something? There’s certainly plenty to unpack, and a whole lot of interpretive dance. The opening and closing monologues spell out the Odyssey’s journey of self-knowledge pretty clearly.
Sprockrooster is full of respect for the queen, “Epic and dramatic and only Florence can sing it like this. She is in a league of her own.” Oleander calls this “One of many songs from Flo that makes me want to dance like a lunatic. I don't know why but this feels like what Kiss With A Fist should have sounded like.” Kuhleezi has yet another career highlight, “"Too fast for freedom" is one of my favourite catchphrases in her discography. I'm a sucker for tempo changes, I love the tit-for-tat verses, the bridge, everything literally. A larger-than-life bop.”
Constantino thinks it's missing that extra special something, “EH. I’ve never been a big fan of this. First of all, it’s too long and the overall melody nor the ‘chorus’ do not justify the length. It’s all a bit bombastic and hollow, which is especially apparent on an album with so much heart n soul in it.” Squashua also lacks the raw emotional connection, “From the moment this was released as an instant grat to now, it's still hasn’t clicked. I have no major affinity for anything in the song, handclaps aside. I think they have created much better on this album and beyond.” Push calls it “repetitive toward the end.” I believe that's what they call a chorus? Or maybe you mean the middle-eight? I mean, I guess I can see the repetition, but repetition alone isn't necessarily a bad thing, it just depends on what's being repeated. It's not like she's just saying the song title over and over again, hello Delirium-era Ellie Goulding.
Remyky22 never was a dancer, but he was eventually shown how, “My best friend adores this one, but it never properly hit me until I saw Florence live, this was the one that absolutely went off.” Clap for your best friend. On the other hand, I feel like Jersey's nights out may be a little bit too emotionally wrought even for me, “Delilah is a fun, fantastic bitch. I need her as my party sister immediately.”
Third Eye may have left before I wanted it to, but at least it ended up with an extremely high average. Same goes for Delilah.
@Can't Speak French The rest of my commentary for Third Eye would have been me talking about how it was a contender for my eleven and how it helped me during a particularly rough time. When HBx3 (the album) came out I was still going to therapy and taking antidepressants to combat my depression. I had made a lot of progress by then, but I was still very insecure about everything and I was very afraid of hitting rock bottom once again. Third Eye (and a few other songs) helped me see that I was strong enough to conquer my depression and that I mattered. From that point forward, it became my go to song whenever I started to doubt myself and needed a confidence boost. I owe a lot to the song and to Florence for helping me get to where I am today.
@Can't Speak French The rest of my commentary for Third Eye would have been me talking about how it was a contender for my eleven and how it helped me during a particularly rough time. When HBx3 (the album) came out I was still going to therapy and taking antidepressants to combat my depression. I had made a lot of progress by then, but I was still very insecure about everything and I was very afraid of hitting rock bottom once again. Third Eye (and a few other songs) helped me see that I was strong enough to conquer my depression and that I mattered. From that point forward, it became my go to song whenever I started to doubt myself and needed a confidence boost. I owe a lot to the song and to Florence for helping me get to where I am today.
I'm fairly certain I gave more than half the songs remaining a ten, so I know most of the eliminations from here on out are going to bite, but I would've put Delilah comfortable inside my top 15 at least.
F
Former member 21294
Another 10 goes out earlier that it shoud have but what else is new with this rate?
Delilah out before top 10? No.
