From: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org (ecto-digest) To: ecto-digest@smoe.org Subject: ecto-digest V14 #296 Reply-To: ecto@smoe.org Sender: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk ecto-digest Thursday, October 29 2009 Volume 14 : Number 296 To unsubscribe: e-mail ecto-digest-request@smoe.org and put the word unsubscribe in the message body. Today's Subjects: ----------------- Florence + the Machine, 27th Bowery Ballroom [Karen Hester Subject: Florence + the Machine, 27th Bowery Ballroom Dressed in a flowing white ruffled 70s dress with her red (orange) hair and black eyeliner, Florence looked rather like a certain other British singer. During the songs, Florence's theatrical hand gestures and wild eyes further added to the wutheringness of it all. Her powerful bluesy voice keeps her out of the ethereal and arty territory that her lyrics could lead to. Florence is possessed during the songs, hair flailing, fiercely whacking her drums, yet between songs she quietly and primly says "thank you very much. thank you" and smiles sweetly. 'Howl' and 'Drumming' were wild and 'Rabbit heart', 'Dog days' and 'You've got the love' lots of fun. 'Cosmic love' ("perhaps my favorite on the album" Florence said) was gorgeous. 'Kiss with a fist' was a mess, neither fun garage pop or girl group - too much going on. With numerous guitars, percussion, keyboards, computer, recorded backing vocals and a harp, the arrangements could have been rich and full but instead they were cluttered and mediocre. Not a band that lives up to her voice. The harpist seemed to play on all the songs, which was cool, not that you could distinguish it from the other instruments. The sold out house loved Florence and many knew the lyrics even though the album has only just been released in the US. Opener Holly Miranda was well received - melodic shoe-gaze stuff, and then louder rock when Nada Surf joined in as her backing band. K ------------------------------ End of ecto-digest V14 #296 ***************************