Florence + the Machine- Dance Fever
Label: Polydor
Producers: Florence Welch, Jack Antonoff, Dave Bayley, Kid Harpoon, and Doveman
The fifth record from alt-giants Florence + the Machine is another soulful and contemplative album in the group’s impressive catalog, but one fact that is never in question is the ethereal, carnal power and beauty comprised in the vocals of Florence Welch. If Dance Fever confirms anything after the group’s four year absence from the studio, it’s that there is simply not another vocalist on the planet today like her. Like its four predecessors, the album serves as an unflinching showcase for her ability to tap into the deepest well of her own soul and those of others in an effort to excavate the most pivotal, emotional, and complicated aspects of the human experience. On opening track and single, “King”, her powerful declarations of her successes are underscored with doubts about her failures or missed opportunities in other aspects of her life, a devastating moment further underscored by the album’s heart-ripping finale, “Morning Elvis”. Through these and other such internally embattled performances that form the album, “Girls Against God” and “Heaven Is Here” also chief among them, she once again gives courageous and beautiful voice to all of those inner-battles we as listeners face in day-to-day life. Likewise, as the title suggests, Dance Fever also contains plenty of sonic adventure. Welch and company have always had a few toes dipped into the world of synthesized dance music and on this record, no doubt at the welcome encouragement and influence of newly added producer Jack Antonoff, they go all in. This results in truly mesmerizing and equally addictive performances like the harrowing “My Love”, and the equally revitalizing “Free”. These two highlights emphatically prove once and for all that the lyrical depth of a singer-songwriter’s craft has a place next to a disco-inspired beat. That in and of itself is a daunting accomplishment, but then again so is this entire record. Another stellar entry in an already towering catalog.
Track Listing:
- “King” (Florence Welch, Jack Antonoff)
- “Free” (Welch, Antonoff)
- “Choreomania” (Welch, Antonoff, Thomas Bartlett)
- “Back In Town” (Welch, Antonoff)
- “Girls Against God” (Welch, Antonoff)
- “Dream Girl Evil” (Welch)
- “Prayer Factory” (Welch, Antonoff)
- “Cassandra” (Welch, Thomas Hull)
- “Heaven Is Here” (Welch)
- “Daffodil” (Welch, Bayley)
- “My Love” (Welch, Bayley)
- “Restraint” (Welch, Bayley)
- “The Bomb” (Welch, Bartlett, Robert Ackroyd)
- “Morning Elvis” (Welch, Bayley)
The 706 
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