“Dog Days Are Over” from Florence + the Machine’s album “Lungs” Score: 5+ Released in 2009, “Dog Days Are Over” by the band Florence + the Machine starts with a series of soft chords on the harp. Florence Welch, the lead singer, sings in an ethereal voice, a voice that reminds listeners of everyone from Regina Spektor and Ingrid Michaelson to Zooey Deschanel and Lily Allen. But slowly we can feel the unique power in the fiery redheaded vocalist’s voice as the music swells around her. The catchy beat takes backs up Welch’s voice, but never overshadows it because of its instantly reckognizable quality. Her voice is equally impressive live as it is on any CD. Though this type of music may not be everyone’s cup of tea, Florence + the Machine, a British band, is gaining international recognition, to some listeners’ chagrin but to most people’s delight. The album “Lungs” may be a few years old, but Welch has only recently released a new music video for the hit single “Dog Days Are Over,” which features interesting dancing and equally exciting makeup. Adding to Florence + the Machine’s momentum is a high profile cover of “Dog Days” on the second season of the Fox hit “Glee,” a cover that I personally disliked, but the Glee cast seemed to enjoy (see Season 2, “Special Education”). The song also played on the CW’s “Gossip Girl” (see Season 3, “The Lady Vanished”). If you listen to the lyrics, you realize that “Dog Days Are Over” urges us all to seize the day. The chorus is “The dog days are over. The dog days are done. The humdrum life is finished, but the horses are coming, so you better run.” Welch beseeches listeners to grab the good times and leave everything else behind. Indeed, with all the attention this press darling has been receiving for the past couple of years, Welch had better grab what she’s got and run. It is not a song or an album that mainstream audiences usually receive with embrace. Welch is not Katy Perry or Ke$ha and it is only through exposure to shows like “Glee” that people may even hear about this song. It is regretable that Welch’s strong voice and the band’s superb instrumentals may be stuck in less appreciated genre than the mainstream. Other recommended songs are “Cosmic Love,” “Rabbit Heart” and “You’ve Got the love”.
