Everybody Scream
I'll admit, the first listen I was not sold, and I do see that now as it taking me a minute to calibrate internally when it first released so I could appreciate it properly. DF was an immediate love of mine. The day it released, I started it on repeat before going back to bed and and I was aware enough while listening asleep that multiple key moments pulled me fully awake just to enjoy them actively for a moment. I loved that album.
I find it wild how hard it is for me to listen to it now. I thought it was the peak of artistry when it released, and I could not fathom loving an album more, and now trying to listen to DF instead of ES when I have the Florence itch is comparable to the difference between expert, lithe fingers working next to frozen, unwieldly, almost numb fingers. It feels so much more clumsy. I love the album, and I have loved every album, but it stays shocking to me that each new release feels so much more expert than the last that going back is hard unless I am caught in a particular nostalgia or in the mood for a specific song. Especially given that it had to grow on me, I just feel shocked every time this comes up. Sometimes I even WANT to listen to DF and try it, only to be like..... eh, nah. Gotta get the most direct line to the purest source like some kind of addict.
I watched an interview recently where she essentially said she wasn't interested in reinventing herself all the time but instead preferred to lean harder and harder into what she already knows she is and perfecting it. It shows in a way I cannot compare to almost any other artists I actually keep up with. It makes me actively hungry for the next album, which feels like not appreciating what we have at this moment, but GOD, I want to see where she can possibly go from here and waiting sucks. I think so many "artists" chase being multifaceted and marketable to the most people instead of honing what they're best at and sharpening it into something that will cut like butter and she DOES and the difference in output is stunning for it. Anyway, been spinning it on repeat the last few days to increasing shock that it stays so satisfying despite my constantly gnawing at the marrow. Just. What an incredible gift to exist at the same time that this music is being made.