Back in June of 2014, Florence + The Machine announced that they were in studio working on a new album. As of this past Tuesday, we finally got our first taste of new Florence’s “How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful.”
This three minute clip is our first impression of their new work. Striking and unique choreography make for a mesmerizing visual. It’s unlike anything she has shown us before. Florence squares off with herself in an abstract fighting style of dance in a scenic amphitheater located in Mexico. If any of the strange gestures and movements seem familiar, that’s because of the choreographer Ryan Heffington, who is well known for his work on Sia’s “Chandelier” video.
The visuals aren’t the only remarkable part of the video; the music is quite a head turner as well. Florence only sings a total of four words, those being the title of the song, so we lack a large amount of the ethereal songstress’s voice, but we do get a slew of bombastic horn fanfares. Florence is always sure to use orchestral aspects in her music, but this seems very brassy for her. It sounds a lot like the horns are announcing her triumphant return.
In the process of writing this post, Florence premiered her first single from the album, “What Kind Of Man,” as well as put her whole album, “How Big How Blue How Beautiful,” up for pre-order on iTunes. If that wasn’t enough for you, she even dropped a music video for “What Kind Of Man.”
I’m floored at this sudden explosion of music from Florence, and even more excited that it’s all so amazing. “What Kind Of Man” begins with a harmonious hymn that showcases Florence’s angelic voice and expert lyrics, like “And with one kiss/you inspired a fire of devotion/that lasts for twenty years.” The hymn then cuts out and a heavy, rock guitar riff comes in breaking the mood that began the song. Just like “How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful,” more blaring horns shine through the texture. It’s a little less atmospheric and haunting than her earlier work—definitely more of a traditional alternative rock anthem with subtle twists of Florence.
The video is a thing of beauty as well. It’s full of entrancing dialogue, storms, car crashes, baptisms and artful dancing. Heffington is brought in again for this video, which has an aggressive scene with Florence and around 10 other men fighting, screaming and dancing. It’s an art film more than anything and evokes a lot of thought and emotion. It also feels inconclusive. Maybe, and I’m just speculating here, there will be a continuation in other videos.
This album is going to be amazing; I can just feel it. When she put it up on iTunes, it showed every song title and the duration of the song. This showed that the clip we got for “How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful” is actually only about half of the song. I can’t wait to hear what the rest of it has to offer, and all the other songs. “Ship To Wreck,” “Queen of Peace” and “Mother” are just some coming in this third album.
From the intense and beautiful videos, the equally as intense songs and a good three-and-a-half months until this album comes out on June 2, I’m pretty much a wreck. I will definitely be listening to, and watching, all of Florence’s music until we get another taste of what’s to come.
