How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful. Florence + the Machine

Florence + the Machine? Another band that I never had a lot with. Something changed with the third album of the singer and her somewhat anonymous band members. It took me a while to realise this though. The moment she played the Graham Norton show, already many months ago, I should have known, but did not really want to. This song must be a coincidence. In the last couple of weeks I changed my mind.

Florence Welch, the ginger haired singer of the band, has a quality that in this country we call "galmen". A voice that can set up a volume like it is resonating in a cathedral. There is no translation that really tells the story. A way of singing that I have a hard time enjoying listening to. With this album the band has found a way to neutralise this quality in the full album sound, where one and one become three somehow.

A bit to my surprise The Machine is a real band. The seven members are together for the whole stretch. Florence Welch is accompanied by Isabella Summers (keyboards, backing vocals), Robert Ackroyd (lead guitar) , Christopher Lloyd Hayden (drums), Tom Monger (harp, xylophone, bass, backing vocals) , Mark Saunders (bass, bv) and Rusty Bradshaw (rhythm guitar, keyboards, bv). Add a load of brass and other instruments and you have a wall of sound that Phil Spector could have lived with without pulling out any shooting attributes. Responsible for this huge sound is Markus Dravs, whose name can be found on many a record of a huge band of this past 10 years. The brass arrangements are by Goldfrapp's Will Gregory.

Where songwriting is concerned the band is not involved. Welch seeks partners to write with mostly outside of the band. In that sense The Machine is not a real band. Where the accompaniment is concerned it certainly is. Together they cook up a storm in most songs and hold back where it is asked for. Dynamics can be found across the album, taking care of drama and empathy.

It all starts with the song that was the first single. The up tempo pop rocker has a strong fundament, graced with intricate lead guitar notes. In the chorus this downwards chords are played embellished with a xylophone while Florence keeps firmly singing in a forward direction. The arrangement and dynamics in 'Ship To Wreck' is very well taken care of, making the song stand out and setting the standard for the rest of How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful at a high level.

Without copying the first single, this standard is not a problem. Florence + the Machine jump it easily again and again. The approach to the songs is varied, whether laidback or full out rocking, the band is comfortable in all settings. In the singing I hear a lot of the young Sinéad O'Connor. Florence must have heard songs like 'Troy' and 'Mandinka' while in the writing stage of this album. Just listen to the intro of the title song and the way it changes into the up tempo part. Talking of one of the better songs on the album. This is one of them.

Another one is the new single 'Queen Of Peace'.One of the rocking songs that is driven on relentlessly by the rhythm section. The one who is not hurried is vocalist Florence Welch. Together with the long held notes of the keyboard she takes her time to deliver her vocals. This contrast makes that the song totally works. The horns playing accents finish it off. Towards the end a whole orchestra is going wild blowing the song up to gigantic proportions. 'Queen Of Peace' can have it easily. The layers and layers of music all hold together. Did I mention Phil Spector before?

The contrast with 'Various Storms & Saints' is large and well chosen. The album could do with a resting point. That welcome bench after a steep walk overlooking the beautiful valley below. In a moment like this Adele comes to mind, in a rocking kind of way. In this empty song it is Welch who keeps the tempo with her voice. Speeding up, as in more words in the same space and relaxing in the right places. Impressive song this is.

When 'Delilah' starts I notice I want to write on this song also. An extremely good sign for an album. Song 6 and still anxious to write. Why? 'Delilah' also has this slow build up with an urgently singing Florence Welch over a near empty soundscape with a call response in the singing. The build up just spells it out: the band is coming any moment but when? When it kicks in it is relentless. A driving force, a hurricane, taking everything in front of it with it to unknown quarters.

Do I need more? No. The album knows no real weaker points. The band keeps working on the dynamics which it is excellent in. Florence Welch can even sing without the bellows of her lungs on full force ('Long & Lost'), with a band that totally holds back as well. Percussion remains unpacked in its boxes, there's just atmosphere. A dive into more pop-oriented fields ('Caught') or U2 territory meets 60s girl pop ('Third Eye'). They all sound convincing.

Florence + The Machine totally surprised me with How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful. And aren't surprised what makes this life so much more fun?

Wo.

You can listen to 'Queen Of Peace' here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSM0lLbVYOo

or buy on Bol.Com

Phoenix. Leonore

Brussel is de laatste dagen vooral negatief in het nieuws, maar er komt ook veel moois uit de Belgische hoofdstad.

De Brusselse band Leonore werd aan het begin van het jaar door een gerenommeerde Belgische website uitgeroepen tot talent van het jaar en maakt dit nu meer dan waar met haar debuut Phoenix.
 
De basis van Leonore wordt gevormd door zangeres Chloë Nols, die met haar mooie en warme vocalen voor een belangrijk deel verantwoordelijk is voor de betovering op het debuut van Leonore.
 
Phoenix verrast met vooral intieme luisterliedjes en het zijn luisterliedjes vol diepgang. Die diepgang hoor je bijvoorbeeld in de bijzonder fraaie instrumentatie, waarin ingetogen klanken van gitaar en piano uitstekend samengaan met eigenzinnige arrangementen met strijkers of percussie.
 
De instrumentatie op Phoenix is stemmig en licht melancholisch, maar het is ook een instrumentatie vol spanning en avontuur. Het past allemaal prachtig bij de uitstekende zang van Chloë Nols, die uitstekend uit de voeten kan in intieme singer-songwriter muziek, maar ook wat complexere songs makkelijk naar een hoger plan kan tillen met veelzijdige vocalen. Chloë Nols verrast niet alleen met wonderschone zang, maar ook met bijzondere teksten, die het debuut van Leonore van nog wat meer diepgang voorzien.
 
Ik was direct bij eerste beluistering diep onder de indruk van de stemmige klanken op het debuut van Leonore, maar Phoenix is ook nog eens een plaat die flink lang door blijft groeien.
 
Als promomateriaal ontving ik één bestand met alle tracks. Dat vond ik in eerste instantie niet heel handig, maar het heeft er wel voor gezorgd dat ik Phoenix als één geheel ben gaan beluisteren en ben gaan waarderen. Dat ligt tegenwoordig wat minder voor de hand dan in het verleden, maar het voegt wel degelijk iets toe aan de luisterervaring.
 
Zeker als de avond valt wint Phoenix van Leonore snel aan kracht, waarbij het niet zoveel uitmaakt of de band kiest voor zeer intieme luisterliedjes of voor voorzichtige flirts met aanstekelijke pop. Op beide terreinen overtuigt de band opvallend makkelijk. 

Leonore werd op basis van een enkele track in België uitgeroepen tot talent van het jaar en ik begrijp waarom. Phoenix is immers een plaat om zielsveel van te houden. Het is een plaat die verwarmt en betovert, maar het is ook een plaat die intrigeert, aanzet tot nadenken en die steeds weer nieuwe dingen laat horen.
 
Er is dit veel jaar al veel moois uit België gekomen, maar Phoenix van Leonore steekt er met kop en schouders boven uit. Over het algemeen weten we in Nederland wel raad met de krenten uit de Belgische popmuziek. Laat dat voor deze prachtplaat niet anders zijn.

Erwin Zijleman

Je kunt hier te weten komen:

http://www.leonoreband.com

Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus. Morgan Mecaskey

If I had to write one word it would be wow. Just wow!

New work by Morgan Mecaskey was announced on Twitter this week. I hoped for an EP or more, but received a Christmas song instead. Ouch, I thought. Xmas songs are not my cup of tea, with some songs in a rock setting as exceptions. And then I opened this digital Christmas gift. Things sort of changed fast in my anti-Christmas song world.

Hearing is believing, but Morgan Mecaskey managed to record a great Christmas song with sonic explosions, a blistering guitar solo and all. The song starts in a traditional way with the sleigh bells chiming happily as they do on every Mariah Carey Yuletide song. And then the magic starts sparkling like it does there somewhere on the North Pole where presents get packed and distributed.

Now I know many a Christmas song, also in the English language but this song from the mid 18th century written by Charles Wesley I had never heard before. The official description is an "advent song". The text can be sung over two melodies, so that's a bit confusing.

Promo Photo

Morgan Mecaskey does a few things to this traditional. She rocks out in a The Pretenders kind of way, but not before she graced the song with the kind of traditional beginning one would expect. She sings over sleigh bells and an ever so soft keyboard. When the band kicks in it is with a sound beat. The muted solo guitar notes give a driving force to the song that is picked up in the second stanza.

Next up is an explosion of lead guitars. Nothing is left of the Christmas thought here. The gates of hell are fully opened. They are pushed firmly shut again as if in a fright, a nice synth line is laid over the muted guitars as a cover up. The hard rocking elements make Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus the hardest rocking song by this singer to date. In fact there is some anger showing through here, while at the same time a laugh must have been on the faces of the players when she came up with this arrangement. All the guitars and keyboards are played by Ms. Mecaskey. Anthoni Foti plays drums, Jeffery Sutton the bass.

It is quite easy to conclude that Morgan Mecaskey surprises again. Even in a Christmas song from 1744. I don't think that anyone ever contemplated to work on a hymn from the episcopal church in this vain. In past times people went to hell for less. If so, she'll find me cheering her on there. This song is good. Very good. Happy Xmas (War Is Over) won't be surpassed, but all others? Easily.

Circa ten songs into her career, I have to say, once again, I'm a fan. An artist that can surprise me and win me over with a Christmas song that I may play the rest of the year without a problem, has to have exceptional qualities. Morgan Mecaskey has those. When is that full album coming? I just can't wait.

For those interested, you can find reviews of her two EPs and an interview on this blog.

Wo.

You can listen to and buy Come Thou Long Expected Jesus here for only $1:

https://morganmecaskey.bandcamp.com/track/come-thou-long-expected-jesus

Curious how this usually sounds like?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEEd0uWnDGs

Lay Low. Lou Doillon

Out of nowhere I was surprised by the new album of Lou Doillon, one of the ladies out of the Jane Birkin dynasty, with a lot of talent. With her album 'Places' she featured on this blog before and now Lay Low. With only one listen she qualified for the short list of 2015. Can you conclude anything else that I was impressed? No, you can't dear reader. But what made me feel all warm inside while listening to Lay Low? Let me try and explain.

It starts with the voice of Lou Doillon. A bit husky, a bit seductive, a part strict and extremely serious. Something sexy but also dangerous. In other words a voice that intrigues while listening to it. Now a voice is nice but I have never bought an album because I liked the voice(s) on it. Yes, they are a great addition, sometimes even the extremely, luxurious icing on the cake, but not the reason to take out my wallet. The music is the only reason to do so. In the case of Lay Low both are in perfect a balance.

Lou Doillon's new album is less unique than I remember her previous album to be. There are songs that are in line with Adele, with Dutch singer Kovacs, with Lana del Rey. The guitars that hover all over the songs is where the distinction is made. Lay Low at heart is a rock album. The production makes it breath and sets Lou Doillon at the centre of all things. All instruments are in orbit around her voice like planets to the sun. From there each song gets a treatment that makes it unique against the others, making Lay Low a very diverse album.

Doillon recorded this album with Canadian Taylor Kirk of Timbre Timber, a band that was reviewed bij Erwin Zijleman on this blog, who served also as co-producer. Together they created a widespread sound. When I close my eyes I can imagine the music is played in my room. The mix makes it appear to be real close.

The opener 'Left Behind' has the same effect as 'Hello' by Adele. An empty song, just a piano and a voice giving a personal message to someone left behind. Not as monumental, but certainly more human. To me Lay Low really starts with 'Above My Head', the rough sounding guitar drives on the song, that has something dirty, even nasty to it. As I said there's a dangerous side to the voice of Lou Doillon and here it is. More guitars get into the mix, a great, eerie aaah, some piano notes. It all ends before it gets fatal, my attraction to this song.

A piano carries 'Where To Start'. Soon after that a desert twang guitar comes in for the first time on Lay Low. One of the distinct features of this album that give it a surf/western flavour without having anything to do with that kind of music really. An atmosphere of something lost is created by it. Not so much physical as an equilibrium in life. Like a pillar sawn off, tipping everything over.

Title song 'Lay Low' falls under the 'Above My Head' category. 'Weekender Baby' is different again. An acoustic guitar does the trick here. Another very basic song. mmmmh is the only embellishment the song receives beyond the guitar (possibly two) and a voice.

The march rhythm of 'Let Me Go' is another of the highlights of Lay Low. The song breaths the sort of life that every single song of Adele's new album '25' lacks. Now I've never been a fan of the current number 1 singer in the world, just some of her "louder" songs on '21' (and 'Skyfall'). Where it all comes together is 'Good Man'. It is as if Doillon and Kirk really started to understanding each other and had their breakthrough musically. All the sounds on Lay Low come together in this western desert sort of song. It could have been on a Calexico record without a problem and be the best on it. Easily.

I liked 'Places', Lou Doillon's debut on record. I like Lay Low a lot better. Like her half sister Charlotte Gainsbourg did with Air some years back, she has aligned herself to another artist and together they have come up with the best they could share together, creating a true hybrid between them. Lay Low is deliciously good.

Except the cover. It looks like a younger Armand, though recently deceased, with a new wig on his head.

Wo.

You can listen to 'Where To Start' here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s06yoV5Yk5o

or buy on Bol.Com

Brace The Wave. Lou Barlow

Lou Barlow maakt(e) deel uit van het roemruchte Dinosaur Jr. en maakte vervolgens indruk met eigen bands als Folk Implosion, Sentridoh en Sebadoh. Barlow mag daarom wat mij betreft worden geschaard onder de grootheden uit de geschiedenis van de popmuziek, wat beluistering van zijn nieuwe soloplaat op voorhand interessant maakt.
 
Het solowerk van Lou Barlow is tot dusver wat wisselvallig, maar de Amerikaan schudt altijd wel een paar prachtsongs uit zijn mouw. Dat doet hij ook op zijn eerste soloplaat in zes jaar tijd, Brace The Wave.
 
Voor Brace The Wave keerde Lou Barlow terug naar zijn geboortegrond (Easthampton, Massachusetts), waar hij met producer Justin Pizzoferrato (Pixies, J Mascis) in een paar dagen tijd zijn nieuwe plaat in elkaar sleutelde.
 
Het is een opvallend sobere en soms zelfs bijna verstilde plaat geworden. Lou Barlow speelt gitaar of ukele, zingt en voegt zo af en toe wat extra instrumenten toe, waaronder ouderwets klinkende synths.
 
De meeste songs op de plaat zijn folky, doen soms wat psychedelisch aan en hebben natuurlijk een lo-fi karakter. Brace The Wave klinkt alsof het met minimale middelen is opgenomen en klinkt bovendien als een plaat die nog deels ter plekke moest worden verzonnen.

Niet iedereen zal gecharmeerd zijn van het ruwe en rammelende karakter van de plaat, maar persoonlijk ben ik zeer gecharmeerd van deze ‘back to basics’ plaat. Ook op Brace The Wave laat Lou Barlow immers weer horen dat hij een groot songwriter is. De songs van de Amerikaan zijn absoluut ruw, maar het zijn vrijwel stuk voor stuk ruwe pareltjes.
 
Zeker wanneer je Brace The Wave wat vaker hebt gehoord, is het een plaat vol sterke songs en bovendien een plaat met een geheel eigen gezicht. Het is hiernaast ook nog eens een plaat die de grote muzikant Lou Barlow recht doet en dat geldt zeker niet voor alle platen die hij heeft gemaakt.

Erwin Zijleman

Je kunt hier luisteren naar 'Wave':

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lStNVBo8734

of kopen op Bol.com