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Tuesday 25 October 2011

Florence + the Machine - Ceremonials

Whenever anyone makes the blanket claim that the charts are bereft of anything worth listening to I'm never short of examples that I can use to shoot their statement down in flames.
Of course much of what the mainstream provides is a tad vacant and does appear to be created to entertain those who want a quick fix of bright and shiny unchallenging nonsense.
Fast food for the ears so to speak, but there are exceptions.
I think Bruno Mars is a talented and soulful sounding young man for a pop star, and Ed Sheeran is without a doubt well endowed with song writing skills, and I feel completely comfortable in saying that as I don't consider myself a music snob bogged down in genre loyalties.
Another who never fails to impress is Florence with her Machines.
The first time that I heard her I was taken aback by the power of her vocal performance, and then when I seen her live I was equally impressed.
Since then her debut album caused a bit of a stir and she even has managed to gatecrash the mainstream party without diluting her art.
MTV hits and award show appearances along with festival slots was the order of the day and she dealt with it all with a great deal of casual aplomb.
Now she's back, and back with a bang, and anyone who hitched themselves to her wagon during the 'Lungs' period will love 'Ceremonials' as it has enough of that sound to maintain a level of familiarity.
However, unlike many who have garnered success over the last decade and attempt to maintain it by simply releasing the same album again and again, Florence is not standing still.
She's a modern day Kate Bush with all that reference entails.
If Lungs was a template then Ceremonials is the prototype, and in years to come we can be assured that with each and every release there will be something new to savour.
Only time will tell if this can emulate the success of Lungs, but if not I don't really think that will matter.
Similar to a band like the Arctic Monkeys, Florence will be an artists that that will maintain a solid fan base through releasing quality material.
Hit singles are for the here and now and in Florence we have a an artist who will be defined by her whole body of work rather than her 15 minutes of fame.

2 comments:

  1. The much-anticipated follow-up to their first studio album "Lungs", Florence + The Machine have hit new creative heights with this latest release. The first thing I have to say about "Ceremonials" is that it is compulsively listenable. I rarely come across an album where I don't feel the need to constantly hit the track button on my mp3 player. I am content throughout the entire listening experience and sure to find new things to appreciate each time I listen. I already have my favorites that I go to again and again but it's all wonderful.

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