Yes, Florence + the Machine played "Dog Days Are Over" at the MTV Video Music Awards last weekend and doomed the song to hipster write-off.
But the track is lovely, punchy, and gets better with every turn. It starts off like springtime with a harp and Flo's surreal voice; picks up pace with some sassy clapping and banjo-plucking, then slams into high gear with a snare drum thudding beneath her low wail: "The dog days are over..." The lyrics are just the right combination of poetic and unsettling without trying too hard. And they're perfect for this time of year. I listen to this song multiple times each day to rally as I work in the doldrums of Texas summer. Thank you, Florence, for the vision of the dog days being over.
Warning: The official video is a bit much--check out the live version where she's running around a giant stage custom-made just for her bare-footed, red-headed blaze of glory. And die happy.
On iTunes: Florence and the Machine / "Dog Days Are Over"
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