poppedmusic

Ceremonials

Released 31st October 2011

It feels as though it’s been a very long wait for this second album from Florence Welch and her machine. That could be because I’ve played the début album Lungs to death twice over and more since its release. There have been glimpses and treats in between the long wait. The wonderful Heavy In Your Arms, was underused in its supposed use in a film soundtrack last year and Virgin On Demand are overusing her fantastic cover of Addicted To Love at the moment. But whilst these little titbits have been great they’ve not quite filled the time waiting for this album.

Ceremonials is as dramatic as I was hoping it would be. Florence has such an intense vocal, such a way with words and a real intensity and integrity about her music, yet she still has such a commercially viable sound. Fans of Florence are definitely not going to be disappointed with this album. This album is very Gothic feeling within a Folk and Blues context. There’s a sense of real darkness here and it suits its release date perfectly. The use of a harp, strings and the bells in Only For A Night and the organ in Shake It Out make me think of film composer Danny Elfman, because those are exactly the kinds of sounds he is renowned for using (you want examples? Batman Begins and Edward Scissorhands both show this wonderful Gothic sound but to a much more intense degree). The album is distinctly darker than its predecessor but there are moments that are light and airy – in context. Love To Lover is quite upbeat and whilst still keeping within the overall sound and themes of the album it feels like a breath of fresh air and just at the right time.

The more I listen to this album the more that jumps out at me, things that kind of passed me by at first start to jump out, parts of lyrics, harmonies and musical pieces and sounds. No Light, No Light has the best dramatic break down and flow on the whole album. It just grabs me every time but still I’m always noticing new things about it and the more I’m really falling in love with its darkness and the fantastic bass line. One of the ones that didn’t hit me straight away with its fullness was Heartlines. It has a real folk element to it. Don’t go and expect fiddles and flutes though it’s really not that sort of folk. It’s the narrative element to it, the lyric “your heart is the only place that I call home, can I be returned?” That line in particular feels as though it like it would have been in a “proper” folky style song.

For those of you old enough to remember or those who just know, there is something about this album that really reminds me of the duo Shakespere’s Sister – (yes them that originally sang that song Stay With Me that was covered last year on X Factor). The song that most reminds me of them is the haunting Never Let Me Go. It builds so slowly and keeps a steady pace, with the interest popping in and out with a selection of instruments, from twinkling chimes to electronic percussion. The harmonies on this track are also particularly good. They give the track a really light airy feel on a track that could have felt heavy and clunky at times. Florence’s vocal suits this kind of song really well and it is a stand out track for me.

You’ll probably know how important I think it is that people get the order of their songs correct for their albums to really work to their full potential and this album really does do that. It changes tempo and atmosphere just at the right time throughout. There’s always a moment of interest in each track as if the vocal wasn’t enough to keep you interested anyway. I am a Florence fan girl and proud to be. She has a beautiful voice and delivers every line with real emotion. I’ve literally had this album on all day and as soon as I get a CD it’s going on in the car too I will not give up listening to this album for quite some time. If it can stand the test of time as well as Lungs has done for me then that is when I’ll know that Florence and The Machine will be fast approaching becoming one of my favourite bands. It’s a difficult task to fulfil and not many bands have managed it in the last 15 years I can tell you. I’m fussy and fickle when it comes to music and I get through albums quicker than I wear out my shoes, never to be listened to again.

Watch the video for Shake It Out here: