Name: Katerina's review of Useless Magic by Florence Welch
Item: Useless Magic
Rating: 5
Author: Katerina

Florence Welch

Lyrics and never-before-seen poetry and sketches from the iconic musician of Florence and the Machine Songs can be incredibly prophetic, like subconscious warnings or messages to myself, but I often don't know what I'm trying to say till years later. Or a prediction comes true and I couldn't do anything to stop it, so it seems like a kind of useless magic.

Lyrics and Poetry

Useless Magic

Lyrics and never-before-seen poetry and sketches from Florence Welch of Florence + the Machine Songs can be incredibly prophetic, like subconscious warnings or messages to myself, but I often don't know what I'm trying to say till years later. Or a prediction comes true and I couldn't do anything to stop it, so it seems like a kind of useless magic. 'An elegant collaged scrapbook' Observer 'A treasure . . . beautiful. Generous in its honesty, by the end you feel as though you have climbed into the colourful, and sometimes tortured, world of a passionate artist' iNews

Katerina

Kendall McClain

azliana aziz

i can say that it's a gorgeous book lyrics with some doodles and a bit of insta-poetry thrown in.

have to add that i really was expecting something more personal from her but that maybe is asking too much.

Sofia Nunes

“Songs can be incredibly prophetic, like subconscious warnings or messages to myself, but I often don't know what I'm trying to say till years later. Or a prediction comes true and I couldn't do anything to stop it, so it seems like a kind of useless magic.”




Lungs



Ceremonials



How big, How blue, How beautiful



High as Hope

Pien van Nunen

Cindy Lieberman

Random drawings, collages, doodles, notes and drafts add interest to this collection of lyrics and poems by the eponymous leader of Florence and the Machine.

delilah

The complete lyrics by the iconic vocalist of Florence and the Machine, beautifully interwoven with poems, sketches and jottings from her never-before-seen scrapbooks. This is a glimpse into the work and creative processes of a fearlessly unique musician - packed full of Florence's on-the-page musings and reproductions of the art that has inspired her dramatic, genre-defying music.

Lyrics, Poetry and Sermons

this book mostly has value either for hardcore fans or for casual listeners that may have found themselves inspired by florence welch's work and aesthetic.

the blend of images and handwritten notes make the book feel more personal than it is in reality but i do not find this an issue, in particular - just something worth stating. personally, i foresee mostly using this book as something to leaf through when looking for writing inspiration.

Emily Morgan

so beautiful! i love florence’s music so much & this made me appreciate her song writing even more. here are some of my favourite lyrics/poems:

“And I don’t know anything
except that green is so green
and there’s a special kind of sadness
that seems to come with spring”

“Mother make me
Make me a big great cloud
So I can rain on you
Things I can’t say loud”

“I let him sleep and as he does
My held breath fills the room with love
It hurts in ways I can’t describe
My heart bends and breaks
So many many times
And is born again with each sunrise”

The perfect gift for fans of Florence + the Machine, with additional lyrics, poems and a new chapter of sermons Songs can be incredibly prophetic, like subconscious warnings or messages to myself, but I often don't know what I'm trying to say till years later. Or a prediction comes true and I couldn't do anything to stop it, so it seems like a kind of useless magic. 'Pop's high priestess bares her soul in this candid collection of poems and lyrics' Observer 'A treasure . . . beautiful. Generous in its honesty, by the end you feel as though you have climbed into the colourful, and sometimes tortured, world of a passionate artist' i 'Makes the reader feel as though they're peeking into a private journal' Refinery29

Sarah Escorsa

➽ And the moral of this reread is: Saint Florence please pray for us puny mortals.



(Florence Welch prayer candle available for sale here. A joke this ain't not.)



[April 2019]

I want to be Florence Welch when I grow up.


  “I make songs to tie people to me,
With a ribbon of fantasy around their necks
Such a beautiful bow
That I hold in my fist.
And will not let go.”

· Drumming Song · How Big How Blue How Beautiful · Big God · You’ve Got the Dirtee Love · Dog Days Are Over · Cosmic Love · Delilah · Rabbit Heart · Patricia · Never Let Me Go · St Jude · Shake It Out · Howl · Hunger · Queen of Peace ·

Inês Alegria Ferreira

I can't believe I was able to find this! I am an enormous fan of Florence Welch from Florence and the Machine. I always loved her music, her lyrics, her aesthetic, her personality, etc. So I was really curious about a book of poetry by her. 
Let's start with the non-poetry part. This book has a lot of images. Both pictures, drawings and even little notes which I really enjoy. I think it makes the book more like a piece of art. It not only makes it more aesthetically pleasing but it also helps with the whole vibe that Florence probably was trying to transmit. Plus, the photos and images were all 100% Florence's style which I was already a big fan of, but it also may be everything feels more authentic. So although the book is quite long most of them are pictures. 
We have the writing part. This is where I find a tiny problem, that made me not give it five stars. Although I love her music and of course her music lyrics, I don't think it was the greatest idea to make 90% of the book song lyrics. Like, if I wanted to read her lyrics I would just search them, as I had already done in the past. So I find myself reading songs that I already knew by heart and the ones I didn't know yet just didn't sound great by themselves. I felt the urge that I should be listening to the song because it almost was asking for the rhythm to make sense. 
For that reason I found the last part of the book to be the best one since it is the only one where she clearly states that that little chapter is only poetry, things that she didn't ever convert into a song. And they were 10 times more beautiful.

I can't believe I was able to find this! I am an enormous fan of Florence Welch from Florence and the Machine. I always loved her music, her lyrics, her aesthetic, her personality, etc. So I was really curious about a book of poetry by her.
Let's start with the non-poetry part. This book has a lot of images. Both pictures, drawings and even little notes which I really enjoy. I think it makes the book more like a piece of art. It not only makes it more aesthetically pleasing but it also helps with the whole vibe that Florence probably was trying to transmit. Plus, the photos and images were all 100% Florence's style which I was already a big fan of, but it also may be everything feels more authentic. So although the book is quite long most of them are pictures.
We have the writing part. This is where I find a tiny problem, that made me not give it five stars. Although I love her music and of course her music lyrics, I don't think it was the greatest idea to make 90% of the book song lyrics. Like, if I wanted to read her lyrics I would just search them, as I had already done in the past. So I find myself reading songs that I already knew by heart and the ones I didn't know yet just didn't sound great by themselves. I felt the urge that I should be listening to the song because it almost was asking for the rhythm to make sense.
For that reason I found the last part of the book to be the best one since it is the only one where she clearly states that that little chapter is only poetry, things that she didn't ever convert into a song. And they were 10 times more beautiful.


lizbet koval

“walking to the coffee shop
thinking about killing myself as a climate protest”.
yes, ms welch, at some point i was.

Sofia Blomqvist Rytters

Heather Harrington

I've actually never listened to much Florence + The Machine, but from what I have heard, I've always thought Florence Welch had such a beautiful way with words, so decided to pick this up. The whole collection was so lovely, and the photos, artwork, and handwritten bits throughout were a nice touch.

Ashley Flitter

This book is a beautiful glimpse into Florence’s mind as she went through the process of writing her songs for each album plus some insightful and wonderfully winding poetry at the end.

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Useless Magic by Florence Welch

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