I used to cry myself to sleep because I didnt write The Raven by
Edgar Alan Poe, until my Mum pointed out that there were other
people who also had not written The Raven by Edgar Alan Poe.
Listening to Florence + The
Machines Ceremonials, I kept reminding myself that there
were other people who also hadnt written these songs,
others who hadnt sung and arranged them, that I knew
many, many people who had not played the piano that
sounds like church bells and percussion that evokes the
ocean. I circled Never Let me Go and felt it skate figure
eights back round me:
Looking up from underneath
Fractured moonlight on the sea
Reflections still look the same to me
As before I went under
And its peaceful in the deep
Cathedral where you cannot breathe
No need to pray
No need to speak
And its breaking over me
Thousand miles under the sea bed
Found a place to rest my head
And the arms of the ocean are carrying me
Im attracted to the idea of drowning, explains
Florence, Or rather the idea of jumping off and being
enveloped by something, not bad or good, just enveloping.
When I was a kid, I had a moment when I got under the
water, lying on the pool floor, and felt I could breathe.
Ive
been trying to recreate that feeling ever since.
That there might be words to describe un-nameable
feelings and melodies to describe those words is how an
album can really make us feel less alone in the world. That
longing for unnamable things is why we wear band t-shirts
so that we might recognize each other in the street. Even if
that Florence fan you passed is a huge arsehole (and it is a
little known subset) they still love Florence + The Machine,
so maybe at a leap of logic and hope you could be
loved by someone as yet unknown to you, even if, like the
arsehole, you are essentially unlovable.
Let me tell you something about this album: if you are
dancing to Heartlines you are the greatest dancer who
has ever lived. Right now, you are doing a flamenco, belly
dance outstretched arms, shimmying, arching your back,
stomping your feet, a little Hassidic, a little Sufi,
someone
elses religion by which to show your devotion. Ceremonials
offers us this: melancholia in its purest, most danceable
form. Singing with these tracks, you will have the courage
to raise your voice to the heavens, knowing that you may
never get an answer.
The music is so euphoric, says Florence, as a way of
battling the words. Its like an exorcism, beating it out
with
drums, shake this demon out, its so visceral because the
melancholy has to be drummed out. I cant let it sit inside
me.
Because Florence Welch is preoccupied, on this new
record, with life lived from under the waves, I can already
hear Only If For A Night playing alongside the call to
prayer in Istanbul, echoing across the Marmara Sea. I hear
Lover to Lover on Sydney Harbour, looking out at Luna
Park, Seven Devils walking the bridge across The Thames
from Chiswick to Barnes, Leave My Body on New Yorks
Hudson, at the pier, where secretaries strip down to their
underwear to sunbathe a miniature ceremonials, but a
ceremonial still. Take this album through your headphones
at any body of water you like. Stare at the river but think
of the sea, remember that Richard Burtons secret name
for Elizabeth Taylor was Ocean. The pull. The power. The
possibility of destruction.
Your own love story? Your paramour may have had
lovers before you. But no-one has ever, ever heard this
record before except you. Not the way you hear it. The songs
are beautiful vampires, asleep in your iPod, coming alive at
night, aglow. You can have them on your hours, all that
power
yours to conduct as Florence Welch used to try and conduct
the ocean when she was an awkward, chubby little girl.
Ill make a deal, shed say to the waves, You stay
there. You dont come any closer.
She was, I think, practicing for adulthood and love. But
I would think that, as I am sent my copy of the album in the
middle of a fight. Even though he hates me right now, he
places the music by the bath tub, lights a candle (because
one of the notes of how much he hates me is how much
he loves me). The music is shaping us or we are shaping it:
No Light, No Light
in your bright blue eyes/I never knew daylight
could be so violent. You want a revelation/some
kind of resolution/tell me what you want me to say.
He feigns sleep. Can you turn that down?
I take the iPod and listen to Heartlines on the walk to
the bus stop, crying, telling myself:
Just keep following the heartlines on your hand. And
if it doesnt work out, if he leaves, if you leave, if he
wasnt
how hed been, if you werent the person he thought you
were, hold a burial at sea.
When the bus comes, I remember the ex of a decade
ago who left a message on my anwer phone, masturbating,
saying my name over and over, and how Id thought it was a
recording of him drowning.
My boyfriend wakes happy, loving, keen to help me.
Music sounds different in cars so we play Ceremonials
along Mulholland, hairpin bends and fog rolling in.
Im gonna leave my body/
Im gonna lose my mind
All of this is transient the marine layer, the car, the
love. You could be together forever and one of you is going
to have to go first. He turns up the epic final track as
loud
as it will go. I want it to last. I want it to. I love him and
I
want it to stay.
You may, right now, be nursing a broken heart. Friends
will say Arent you glad you had the experience anyway?
and you may say No. Eventually, unbelievably, you may
not even remember the boy or the girl that triggered it all.
Youll recall all the places you visited, but not how you got
there. Youll remember the songs that you listened to.
Emma Forrest
Los Angeles, 21st September 2011
All tracks Produced by Paul Epworth, Engineered by Mark Rankin,
Vocals:
Florence Welch, Guitar: Robert Ackroyd, Drums: Christopher Lloyd
Hayden,
Harp: Tom Monger, Mastered by Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound NYC.
Track 1
Only If For A Night, Written by Florence Welch and Paul Epworth,
Published
by EMI Music / Universal Music Publishing, Produced by Paul
Epworth,
BVs: Christopher Lloyd Hayden, Mark Saunders Jack Penate, Sian
Alice,
Lisa Moorish, Jesse Ware, Keyboards: Rusty Bradshaw, Percussion:
Mark
Saunders, Violins: Sally Herbert, Oli Langford, Rick Koster,
Gillon Cameron,
Warren Zielinski, Richard George, Cello: Ian Burdge, Viola: Max
Baillie, Double
Bass: Lucy Shaw, Strings arranged by Sally Herbert, Drum
Programming and
additional esoteric sonics: Bullion, Mixed by Tom Elmhirst.
Assisted by Ben
Baptie. Track 2 Shake It Out, Written by Florence Welch and Paul
Epworth,
Published by EMI Music / Universal Music Publishing, BVs:
Christopher Lloyd
Hayden, Mark Saunders, Jack Penate, Sian Alice, Lisa Moorish and
Jesse
Ware, Keyboards: Rusty Bradshaw, Pump organ: Paul Epworth,
Percussion:
Christopher Lloyd Hayden and Mark Saunders, Drum Programming
and
additional esoteric sonics: Bullion, Mixed by Mark Spike Stent,
assisted by
Matty Green. Track 3 What The Water Gave Me, Written by Florence
Welch
and Francis White, Published by Sony ATV / Universal Music
Publishing,
BVs: Christopher Lloyd Hayden, Mark Saunders, Jack Penate, Sian
Alice, Lisa
Moorish, Jesse Ware, Guitar: Robert Ackroyd, Keyboards: Rusty
Bradshaw,
Drums: Christopher Lloyd Hayden, Bass: Mark Saunders, Mixed by
Craig
Silvey. Assisted by Bryan Wilson. Track 4 Never Let Me Go,
Written by
Florence Welch and Paul Epworth, Published by EMI Music /
Universal Music
Publishing. BVs: Christopher Lloyd Hayden, Mark Saunders, Jack
Penate, Sian
Alice, Lisa Moorish and Jesse Ware, Keyboards: Rusty Bradshaw,
Bass: Mark
Saunders, Drum Programming and additional esoteric sonics:
Bullion, Mixed
by Tom Elmhirst, assisted by Ben Baptie, Track 5 Breaking Down,
Written by
Florence Welch, Published by Universal Music Publishing,
Keyboards: Rusty
Bradshaw, Violin: Sally Herbert, Oli Langford, Rick Koster,
Gillon Cameron,
Warren Zielinski, Richard George, Cello: Ian Burdge, Viola: Max
Baillie, Strings
arranged by Sally Herbert, Drum Programming and additional
esoteric sonics:
Bullion, Mixed by Tom Elmhirst, assisted by Ben Baptie. Track 6
Lover To
Lover, Written by Florence Welch, Published by Universal Music
Publishing,
Piano by Isabella Summers, Piano: Nikolaj Torp Larsen, Hammond
Organ: Rusty
Bradshaw, Mixed by Tom Elmhirst, assisted by Ben Baptie. Track 7
No Light, No
Light, Written by Florence Welch / Isabella Summers, Published
by Universal
Music Publishing, BVs: Christopher Lloyd Hayden, Mark Saunders,
Jack Penate,
Sian Alice, Lisa Moorish and Jesse Ware, Keyboards: Rusty
Bradshaw, Bass:
Mark Saunders, Percussion: Mark Saunders, Drum programming by
Isabella
Summers, Violins: Sally Herbert, Oli Langford, Rick Koster,
Gillon Cameron,
Warren Zielinski, Richard George, Cello: Ian Burdge, Viola: Max
Baillie, Strings
arranged by Sally Herbert, Piano, strings & choir parts by
Isabella Summers,
Additional backing vocals recorded by Isabella Summers & Ben
Roulston,
Mixed by Mark Spike Stent, assisted by Matty Green. Track 8
Seven Devils,
Written by Florence Welch and Paul Epworth, Published by EMI
Music /
Universal Music Publishing, BVs: Christopher Lloyd Hayden, Mark
Saunders,
Jack Penate, Sian Alice, Lisa Moorish and Jesse Ware, Keyboards:
Rusty
Bradshaw, Synth by Isabella Summers, Bass Guitar: Tom Monger,
Violins: Sally
Herbert, Oli Langford, Rick Koster, Gillon Cameron, Warren
Zielinski, Richard
George, Cello: Ian Burdge, Viola: Max Baillie, Strings arranged
by Sally Herbert,
Mixed by Craig Silvey, assisted by Bryan Wilson. Track 9
Heartlines, Written by
Florence Welch and Paul Epworth, Published by EMI Music /
Universal Music
Publishing, BVs: Christopher Lloyd Hayden, Mark Saunders, Jack
Penate, Sian
Alice, Lisa Moorish and Jesse Ware, Keyboards: Rusty Bradshaw,
Percussion:
Mark Saunders, Bass: Mark Saunders, Drum Programming and
additional
esoteric sonics: Bullion, Mixed by Tom Elmhirst, assisted by Ben
Baptie. Track
10 Spectrum, Written by Florence Welch and Paul Epworth,
Published by EMI
Music / Universal Music Publishing, BVs: Christopher Lloyd
Hayden, Keyboards:
Rusty Bradshaw, Piano: Nikolaj Torp Larsen, Violin: Sally
Herbert, Oli Langford,
Rick Roster, Gillon Cameron, Warren Zielinski, Richard George,
Cello: Ian
Burdge, Viola: Max Baillie, Strings arranged by Sally Herbert,
Mixed by Tom
Elmhirst, assisted by Ben Baptie. Track 11 All This And Heaven
Too, Written by
Florence Welch / Isabella Summers, Published by Universal Music
Publishing,
Piano, Celeste & programming by Isabella Summers, Additional
guitar: Mark
Saunders, Bass: Mark Saunders, Drum programming by Isabella
Summers,
Additional backing vocals recorded by Isabella Summers & Ben
Roulston,
Violins: Sally Herbert, Oli Langford, Rick Koster, Gillon
Cameron, Warren
Zielinski, Richard George, Cello: Ian Burdge, Viola: Max
Baillie, Strings arranged
by Sally Herbert, Mixed by Mark Rankin. Track 12 Leave My Body,
Written by
Florence Welch and Paul Epworth, Published By EMI Music /
Universal Music
Publishing, Keyboards: Rusty Bradshawn, Bass: Mark Saunders,
Mixed by Craig
Silvey, assisted by Bryan Wilson.
A&R: Ben Mortimer Recorded at Abbey Road and Wolf Tone
Studios, London.
Assistant Engineer Abbey Road Studio:Pete Hutchings. Assistant
Engineer
Wolf Tone Studio: Joseph Hartwell Jones. Additional Assistant
Engineer:
Henrik Michelsen
Art direction by Tabitha Denholm
Photography by Tom Beard
Layouts by Bravo Charlie Mike Hotel
AS always I would like to thank my family (especially Nick De
Jasay) and as always I would like to thank Stuart for being a
constant support throughout all of this. I would like to thank
my dear, dear friends Tara, Michael and Sophie Sadsack
Forever. Also Woolfboy, Lev, Dom Jones, Robbie, Milo,
Mary, Romi, Jamie, Oliver, Caius, Molly, Blake, Grimmy,Jamie
Winstone, Siann & Ben Alice, Daisy, Matt, Piers, Lucas and
all
the lost boys. Huge thank you Baz and Frieda Giannini.
Thank you so much to Aldene my angel, also to Tom
Beard. I cant believe its come this far from the lake. Huge
thank you to Tabitha who has been consistently inspiring
throughout. Thank you to Jack and Jessie and to all of the
Florence Choir. To Holly Davidson and Holly Barnes thank
you for keeping me on track. Thank you to Mark, Joe,
Amanda Ghost, Harps, James Ford, Eg White and Charlie
Hugall for helping bring it together. Dear Paul thank you
so much for being the total shaman of this record, its been
amazing working with you and next time we need to up the
anti on our head gear. To everyone at the label thank you
so much especially David Joseph, Ben Mortimer, Ted Cockle,
Darcus Beese, Tom March, Ruth Parrish, Andrea Edmonson,
Steve Pitron, Phil Witts, David Hawkes and Chris Dwyer. To
everyone across the pond Monte Lipman, Avery Lipman,
Jay Wilson, Dana Erickson, Kim Garner, Frank Arigo, Joel
Klaiman, David Nathan, Dennis Blair, Trina Tombrink, Leah
Streetman, Colleen Quill, Carole Kinzel, Brian Manning, Liz
Rozenburg and Karren Moss, thank you so much. Massive
thanks to Frank Tope, Ruth Drake, Arthur and Tabitha Tope,
Emma Banks, Cyrus Bayandor, Naomi Williams, Ewan Hall,
Beth Drake and Jenny Myles. Thank you to Curly, Tico, Cat,
Laughty and Penguin. To my band, I love you all so much and
Im so glad to have worked with you these past years and
on this record. Isa my eternal dream machine, Rob, Chris,
Mark, Tom and Rusty thank you for everything. And to The
Florence and the Machine Army thank you for all your love
so much love back to you all!! Finally none of this would
have
been possible without the hard work and passion of Mairead
Nash and Hannah Giannoulis and everyone at LuvLuvLuv,
thank you so so much. Making this record has been a joy.
Thank you to everyone who carried me home x
