Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: Florence and The Machine
Label: Universal Music Group
Release: numbers
Length: 49:31
Rating: 3/5
It was only a matter of time before Florence Welch, one of the most prominent faces of British indie pop/rock with hints of art and baroque rock, took on a live album project. After two successful studio albums, Lungs and Ceremonials, an album like this is probably the perfectly logical next step.
In recent years, MTV Unplugged has lost a bit of its good name, inviting musicians whose live shows sadly can’t hold a candle to the nineties giants like Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton, Kurt Cobain, Bruce Springsteen, Kiss (to name just a few). Florence and her Machine, made up of Robert Acroyd (guitar), Chris Hayden (drums, percussion), Isa Machine (piano), Tom Monger (bass, harp) and Mark Saunders (bass, guitar, percussion), definitely do a lot in this context to patch up that dented reputation. She played the show in December 2011.
Florence could have picked some other occasion to record a live album. But she’s probably well aware of her growing popularity across the pond too. America really sat up and took notice at last year’s Oscars ceremony, when she stepped in for Dido, who happened to be in the family way at the time. She absolutely nailed the nominated song If I Rise from the film 127Hours live.
Extra publicity certainly doesn’t hurt, even though Florence, with the music she makes and showed off on two very successful albums, deftly dodges the mainstream and doesn’t play to overly huge crowds. She knows that too much commercialization kills art, but at the same time it’s probably crystal clear to her that only solid album and ticket sales can guarantee she keeps making music undisturbed.
For the MTV Unplugged show she presented 9 songs, a kind of mini ‘best of’ of both albums. Besides the musicians who make up her band to begin with, she was helped in the performance by a ten-piece gospel choir and an orchestra. Since these are the same songs recorded outside the studio, comparing them with the studio versions is inevitable. Lungs and Ceremonials are outstanding creations in terms of both production and strictly musical quality, with a very distinct harmony between vocals and instruments. Sadly, on this album we only get to feel a fraction of that. The vocals take up way too much space, and the instrumental backdrop doesn’t wrap around them enough. There’s no doubting Florence’s vocal abilities, of course. Quite the opposite: in today’s flood of female vocalists popping up like mushrooms after rain, she’s an exception who stands well above the average. But all the ethereal quality that flows through the studio songs feels forced here, or pushed too far to the front. The dynamics get lost and the whole thing comes off rather anemic. At the same time, it sounds far too much like the interpretations of the once-popular exotic Icelandic singer Bjork. After listening to the whole album, a slightly bitter aftertaste lingers, along with the thought that Florence could have used this chance differently. Less complicated and less exotic. She’s good enough that she doesn’t need to prove anything more.
The cover of the Johny and June Cash classic ‘Jackson’, as a duet with Josh Homme (Kyuss/Queens of the Stone Age), turned out great and is the album’s only real peak. Despite the strong country feel the original carries, the two managed to keep its raw spirit and add their own creative twist on top. The song lost nothing and gained a whole lot. Josh even traveled to New York specially for the occasion.
For good measure, there’s also a classic from way back in 1932, ‘Try A Little Tenderness’, recorded by Otis Redding, a song that plenty of well-known musicians have tackled so far (Rod Stewart, Frank Sinatra and Tina Turner, among others).
With this acoustic show, and the album that comes out of it, Florence won’t win over a horde of new fans. Which is a bit of a shame, but perfectly understandable if this technically flawless performance reflects her vision of interpretation. For the loyal fans she won over with Lungs and Ceremonials, though, this album is definitely an essential piece of the collection.
Line-up
Florence Welch – vocals
Robert Acroyd – guitar
Chris Hayden – drums, percussion
Isa Machine – piano
Tom Monger – bass, harp
Mark Saunders – bass, guitar, percussion
Production
IAMSOUND, Island
Track list
1. Only If For A Night
2. Drumming Song
3. Cosmic Love
4. Breaking Down
5. Never Let Me Go
6. Try A Little Tenderness (Otis Redding cover)
7. No Light, No Light
8. Jackson (Johny & June Cash cover)
9. What The Water Gave Me
10. Dog Days Are Over
11. Shake It Out
