Corkus Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 Didn't post it here yesterday, but the music video for "No Light, No Light" was shot yesterday, so that will be the official 2nd single. (Remember that WTWGM was just an album teaser and not released as a radio single.) Seeing how intense that song is, it's a sharp contrast from Coldplay's tactics for singles. As much as I hate Mylo Xyloto, it has a couple good tracks that I think would really appeal to the Coldplay fans of old. Instead, Coldplay is releasing the incredibly commercial "Princess of China" as its next single to follow up on their first 2 shitty synth-pop singles from the album, and will probably go for DLIBYH as their 4th single. Florence, on the other hand, got the easily appealing "Shake It Out" out of the way early and is going straight for NLNL instead of the fun poppy songs in the front half of the new album. ...yes, this post WAS just another way for me to vent about MX in a random thread. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to immerse myself in Ceremonials' amazingness once again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corkus Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 Verdict time. Gonna spoiler this sucker for those who want to wait 2 weeks for the actual release (personally, I feel no guilt because I already paid $30 for the deluxe edition and exclusive poster). OH MY GOD this wait was worth it. Builds upon Lungs in every possible fashion while still retaining everything we loved about the debut. The 2nd half of the album is stronger since the pop tracks were shoved into the first half, but even those pure pop tracks are very admirable efforts. Track-by-track: Only If for a Night - Interesting R&B-esque opener that signals a broader direction for the album but doesn't abandon Lungs' groundwork (unlike a certain other British act who went the R&B route on their new release). It eases you into the album smoother than "Dog Days Are Over" did on Lungs, though I predict this will be a future single anyway. Shake It Out - The inevitable safe lead radio single and it's...pretty damn good, even if every contestant on a singing reality show will try (and fail horribly) covering it. Very catchy and will be a huge live hit. Might like this better than DDAO. What the Water Gave Me - The first mindblower on the album. I was fortunate to have first heard this song being performed 3 feet in front of me back in June, and it's translated to studio beautifully. I was caught off guard by the choir at first but I've accepted it and I think it adds to the song well enough. (personally, I felt a few backing vocals on Lungs distracted from Flo's pure voice) Amazing build-up and spectacular finish. Never Let Me Go - Take Beyonce's "Halo" and mellow it out a bit (and with a way prettier voice) and you have this song. Also safe future single material, I think this is a nice enough song that doesn't really stand out in the grand scheme of the album. Probably the most generic song on the album but nice to "chill out" to. Breaking Down - My least favorite song on the album. It's not a bad song - no way in hell - but the deluxe version tacks on an amazing acoustic version of this track and it's infinitely better than this main album version, which happens to be kinda overproduced and isn't instrumentally interesting enough to really outdo its acoustic equivalent. So yeah, if there's one thing I could change about the album (I can't think of any others haha), it would be to either replace this with the acoustic version or drop it in favor of "Bedroom Hymns". Lover to Lover - The last track on what I dub the "pop half" of the album and it's more fun than the two tracks that preceded it. Has a definite soul vibe to it and is something that would have fit right at home on Lungs. Florence gets to wail her vocals a lot more on this song than on any other track so far, but that's only a precursor to the far more bombastic 2nd half of the album... No Light, No Light - This is where Ceremonials seriously kicks into high gear, with this upcoming single basically being "Cosmic Love" on crack. NLNL is seriously explosive with a serene intro that blows up about a minute into the song. Up there with any of Flo's best material. Note to tour management and the setlist gods - this would be a kickass show opener on the next tour. Make it happen. Seven Devils - Haunting yet majestic. "Seven Devils" is spellbinding and the moment where Ceremonials takes a darker turn. Probably the most different track on the album and I can't wait to hear it live. Instrumentally, "The Machine" shines here more than usual, accompanied by strings for an amazing concluding minute. One of my favorites on the album for sure. Heartlines - Originally I was puzzled and disappointed by "Strangeness and Charm" being left as a B-side, but one of the reasons may be similarities to "Heartlines", a similarly bombastic song in terms of structure and maybe a little more refined songwriting-wise. Really grand chorus that may even outdo "No Light, No Light" just 2 songs earlier in terms of scale. Spectrum - Holy shit. Holy fucking shit. I cannot begin to describe the extraordinary epic scope of this masterpiece of a song, which I've already (possibly prematurely) declared as the best song Florence has ever written. Lyrically, the song is actually very simple, repeating the same chorus over and over again through most of it. But everything from the eerie opening to the sudden explosive sound to the harp breakdown to then exploding once again is just the band going all-out with every combustive trick in the book with no remorse. Vocally, it's Florence's most boisterous on the album and proves why she's my favorite female voice today. And it is a mercilessly dark number that takes Lungs' creepiest sounds and just makes them way louder. Song of the year? Sure, why not. SUCK IT, JUSTIN VERNON. All This and Heaven Too - A happier turn after 4 consecutive songs of full-blast bombast and enormity, but no less energetic. This song basically strikes me as a swifter version of "Between Two Lungs" on the debut and brings the tempo down a slight notch to lead in to the finale, but if you want a feel-good happy song that makes life worth living, this is as good as it gets. Leave My Body - Ceremonials brings things back down to earth (not just because the previous song had "heaven" in its title) for this epic finale that tries to recreate "Blinding" from Lungs (my personal favorite from that debut effort) in a dark affair, and similar to "Blinding", speaks of an emotional release from troubles in a shadowy fashion. A very strong finish to the album. So yeah, all expectations for this album were met and then some. Obviously I will need some more time to settle on where this lands in my rankings of albums this year (PJ Harvey, please welcome your latest challenger) but I can at least say with confidence by this point that Florence and the Machine have outdone Lungs (I still insist that album would have been better if they didn't lazily slap "You've Got the Love" on the end to sell more records). Favorite tracks are WTWGM, NLNL, Seven Devils, and Spectrum. Oh yeah, bonus tracks, why not. Kept these separate since technically they aren't standard album tracks. Remain Nameless - Feels like Florence singing a Radiohead song (seriously, I could imagine this thing on Kid A). An odd beat that's unlike any other Florence song to date makes it understandable as to why it remains a B-side. Also fairly repetitive lyrics-wise, but it's not bad enough of a song to leave on the cutting room floor, so it's a nice bonus. Strangeness and Charm - a.k.a. The song I've been waiting 18 months to hear a studio version of. Likewise, I'm so used to the live version that this recording threw me for a loop. Her vocals are more subdued and controlled, though her random shrieks remained. This is still one of my favorite songs and while I really wanted it to be on the album, there are enough similarly grand songs on the main album that I'm okay with its ultimate position. I hope it continues to be played live regardless. Bedroom Hymns - Another song we've been waiting to hear the studio version of, and it's totally badass. Certainly heavier than anything on the main album and gives me vibes of her "Girl With One Eye" cover. I actually would like to have seen this on the album, but since that already clocks in at almost a full hour, they probably didn't want to overstuff it. Still, it's a candidate for my favorite B-side to date and I'm glad we did get it in some studio form in the end. And of course, the demos and acoustic tracks which are kind of a different matter altogether. Not gonna touch on those, but they're lovely too. (I hope for an acoustic version of "No Light, No Light" sometime down the road.) PHEW! :stunned: Non-spoiler version: Better than Mylo Xyloto. Then again, I'm pretty sure my dog poops out more listenable albums than that. So as a bolder statement...potential challenger to Feist, St. Vincent, and PJ Harvey for 2011 female supremacy. Possible dominance over male contenders too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a-chan Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 Verdict time. Gonna spoiler this sucker for those who want to wait 2 weeks for the actual release (personally, I feel no guilt because I already paid $30 for the deluxe edition and exclusive poster). Same here but I'll do my track by track when I have more listens. But I agree with almost all you said. For now, I'll just say this: And to me Ceremonials tops Lungs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tash Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 I'm not a big fan but I really like the album. Lore, thanks again for the link! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Champion Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 Didn't post it here yesterday, but the music video for "No Light, No Light" was shot yesterday, so that will be the official 2nd single. (Remember that WTWGM was just an album teaser and not released as a radio single.) Seeing how intense that song is, it's a sharp contrast from Coldplay's tactics for singles. As much as I hate Mylo Xyloto, it has a couple good tracks that I think would really appeal to the Coldplay fans of old. Instead, Coldplay is releasing the incredibly commercial "Princess of China" as its next single to follow up on their first 2 shitty synth-pop singles from the album, and will probably go for DLIBYH as their 4th single. Florence, on the other hand, got the easily appealing "Shake It Out" out of the way early and is going straight for NLNL instead of the fun poppy songs in the front half of the new album. ...yes, this post WAS just another way for me to vent about MX in a random thread. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to immerse myself in Ceremonials' amazingness once again. Well so sad to say that, but I agree a little. Florence didn't let me down in any way and if the WTWGM was just a teaser. Well, what the fuck. I don't hate MX, I love Coldplay but I still think it's...they just did wrong. ETIAW is great, it is, although it's different a little, but well Paradise A LITTLE commercial and then that PoC shit. But hey, what about UATW? It's wonderful. It's poetry. And Charlie Brown is also good, and HLH and the other ones. UWTB, UFO and UIF are very liked too, but I didn't hear them yet -.- Anyway it's a Florence thread. I loved Shake It Out and I'm really excited for her new album, although I'm gonna wait til the 31. I'm not listening to any albuyms that I love before the release so Florence will also have to wait. I hope that the deluxe edition will be available in my gorgeous country -.- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the_escapist Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 I love Shake It Out (Acoustic) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jemonn Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 I love the demo version of What The Water Gave Me, with all the electronical sounds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the_escapist Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 I love the demo version of What The Water Gave Me, with all the electronical sounds. that's pretty nice too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyan Kat Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 I really love the album, still don't think it's quite as good as Lungs but yeah I do love the demos a lot :heart: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corkus Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 I love Lungs to death but there's a few things I would have changed about it. "Kiss With a Fist" was written in her earliest phase so it feels rather out-of-place and should have remained on her Lot of Love EP, and "You've Got the Love" feels slapped on the end for no real reason other than that it was a UK radio hit, so hey, more album sales! I'm pretty sure the album was meant to end with "Blinding", which actually DOES feel like a proper closer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
para-para-parrotdies Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 Pretty good album, way more cohesive than Lungs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldplay_is_louve. Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 Finally something to cheer up my disappointment in Mylo Xyloto. Downloading it now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lore Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 Great album, I can't say it's better than Lungs yet because I've only listened to it twice, but it's one of my favorite albums of the year and definitely my favorite release/leak/whatever of the week Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A RUSH OF VIDA Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 Does anybody know where i can get a link to the album???....please Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the_escapist Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 BTW, does anybody here knows if the 320 KBPS is already available? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldplay_is_louve. Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 ^:shrug:. I just ordered the vinyl. :dance: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corkus Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 Does anybody know where i can get a link to the album???....please Yes. But no, I can't share it here. Rules are rules. :P BTW, does anybody here knows if the 320 KBPS is already available? All signs point to no. Personally, I can't wait for my order to arrive so I can rip this thing in FLAC. ^:shrug:. I just ordered the vinyl. :dance: :awesome: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brent Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 Uhhh Florence leaked? Ffffuuuuuuuuu *finds* :escaping: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corkus Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 So...uh...you guys are nominating me in the Coldplaying awards for Biggest Florence Welch Fanboy, correct? ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 If and when we have our WoM awards, I'll most certainly speak on your behalf. :wink: :smiley: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hartroc Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 Not as good as Lungs, which was lusher and mroe diverse, but not bad either. Certainly not favorite record of the year, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
an angel Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 I finally got to listen to this today, and after two listens, I think it's really good. Better than Lungs for sure. I like the second half more, but the first half isn't bad. My favorite songs are Seven Devils, Strangeness and Charm, What the Water Gave Me, and Bedroom Hymns :wacky: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imke Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 I think I'm gonna give this a listen later ... :escaping: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hartroc Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 I finally got to listen to this today, and after two listens, I think it's really good. Better than Lungs for sure. I like the second half more, but the first half isn't bad. My favorite songs are Seven Devils, Strangeness and Charm, What the Water Gave Me, and Bedroom Hymns :wacky: Those two aren't even on the normal release. :laugh3: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vivian88 Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 It's pretty good but not exactly great. There are some songs which deliver and some which fail. It'll land somewhere in my top 20, though. I'd probably give it about 7.5/10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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