Florence & the Machine and Defiance

Today I have music for you by an artist that I haven't really posted about in a long time. They also happen to be one of the most incredibly talented artists of recent years and our generation. Florence and the Machine is a group that has so much to offer. Florence Welch has one of the most unique and fantastic voices I have ever heard. She is an absolute powerhouse, with the ability to belt out those high notes and fill them with so much strength and sound. And then we have songs like this where we get to hear more of her softer side. We get to hear more of her emotional side and vulnerability because she held back. Florence Welch is also quite an artist in all sense of the term. Not only is the music production itself phenomenal, but the depth of her songs can sometimes overwhelm me. She is a true artist in the sense that her creativity and artistic nature is not limited to just her music. She has found that delicate balance between technical mastery and sensitive lyricism. Her abilities s a vocalist, lyricist, and artist make her a woman that is greater than a superstar. Florence Welch becomes a poet when penning her lyrics. She becomes a filmmaker and director when she decides to make a music video. She becomes an actress while performing in her videos. And she becomes one of the most well-rounded artists of our time. Everything she does is in such a deliberate manner in order to convey her message and her thoughts and her emotions and feelings. The level of depth and the number of layers in this song because of her artistry makes the music become something more than just notes on a page. She expands the music component to visual and aesthetic features as well, turning the song into a chapter, and the album into a novel. By the end of her music days, we will have a saga, an epic that tells us the story of Florence Welch and the group of awe shockingly inspiring musicians that accompany her Machine. It is just so incredible to see and hear how complex and simple the music is. While Florence and the Machine don't put out new music often, when it does happen, it tends to take your breath away.  This song, in particular, is full of highly dramatic and strikingly vivid moments that leave you feeling that same sort of grief and despair that Florence Welch feels. Her singing is a little bit more reserved with this song, exploding into emotional outpourings only at specific moments within the song. Those moments are accompanied by the dramatic video scenes, coming together to portray something that is of equal calibers of intensity. What is interesting to note about this, in particular, is that Florence Welch gently and vulnerably opens up into a second song. This is a song about the melancholy and silent mourning that Florence Welch goes through. There is a darkness that is not ominous, but hauntingly sad and heartbreaking. There is an epicness to the story being told in this video, a story that has the pain and sadness associated with some of our greatest epics. Her emotional depth delivers a beautiful and wondrous performance unlike anything we have seen. Today's instrumental song is from the movie Defiance. For those of you who have not heard or seen this movie, I highly recommend that you do. This is a movie that is inspiring, heroic, and breathtaking. Based on a true story, Defiance tells the story of a Jewish camp on the run during Nazi Germany. This movie is emotional and tragic while also being a story that should live on for the ages. The heroism, loyalty, and leadership defined in this movie are incredible, and this is a movie that leaves one spellbound. The score for this movie was composed by James Newton Howard, a man who is known for being able to compose some of the most beautiful and moving pieces. For this film, he focused on the traditional Jewish take on the violin. In this suite, we hear how that violin swells above the rest and sings proudly about the loss and tragedy, the hope and faith held by the people during this time. The string work in this suite is absolutely brilliant, creating a soft shimmer to accompany the violin. In moments of intensity, the strings are able to pull forward and bring that tension to the forefront. But during the softer moments, the lovely and hopeful moments, the strings provide a beautiful support. They create this tone of a warm embrace, something powerful but gentle. James Newton Howard perfectly captured the film's emotions and sentiments and the score itself is just a masterpiece. I hope you enjoy the music and please feel free to comment!