Florence & The Machine "ceremonials"

[CRAZY-HORSE]

FLORENCE & THE MACHINE "ceremonials",cd.

on the strength of her brilliant debut album "lungs", later reissued with bonus tracks as "between two lungs" i had no hesitation in buying the followup "ceremonials" last week.
and this one does not dissapoint one iota(no not that iota!).
lots more of those overblown sonic sounds that were characteristic on "lungs" and even more superb vocals that draw instant comparrisons to Kate Bush,Stevie Nicks and Enya(other reviews i have read also compare the vocals to Tori Amos and PJ Harvey(but my knowledge of those two artists is a bit grey to say the least, so i cant say if they are correct or not?).
the majority of these track dip and spin, ebb and flow with feeling and emotion not only within her voice but musically also.
Florence is one of only a couple of great UK female artists to emerge over the last four or five years, most noteably of course is the brilliant Adele....before that we had Amy, but she was more interested in self destruction than creation(RIP)....
this album is a testament that there are still truly great artists out there who can sell bucket loads of records without the need to remove their clothes and gyrate in videos in order to do so!

another great album that i recommend that you all give a listen to when you get the chance!

this album rates extremely highly for me, i have tried to deduct marks just because it is a new album but i cant find where to do so...so.....

I LOVE THIS ALBUM!

"allmusic-review"

Review: by James Christopher Monger
There’s a point just past the halfway mark on “Shake It Out,” the rousing first single from Florence + the Machine's second studio release, when the swelling guitars, organs, and strings, staccato percussion, and Florence Welch's air-raid siren of a voice lock up in a herculean battle over which one is going to launch itself into the stratosphere first. It’s a contest that plays out at least once on each of Ceremonials' immaculately produced 12 tracks. Such carefully calculated moments of rhapsody would dissolve into redundant treacle in less capable hands, but Welch does emotional bombast better than any of her contemporaries, and when she wails into the black abyss above, the listener can’t help but return the call. Bigger and bolder than 2009’s excellent Lungs, Ceremonials rolls in like fog over the Thames, doling out a heavy-handed mix of Brit-pop-infused neo-soul anthems and lush, movie trailer-ready ballads that fuse the bluesy, electro-despair of Adele with the ornate, gothic melodrama of Kate Bush and Floodland-era Sisters of Mercy. Producer Paul Epworth (Bloc Party, Friendly Fires) knows that the fiercest weapon in his arsenal is Florence herself, and he stacks her vocals accordingly, creating a fevered, pagan gospel choir on “What the Water Gave Me” and “Leave My Body,” a ghostly, Phil Spector-ish chorale on the surprisingly Beatlesque “Breaking Down,” and a defiant, uplifting horde of merry pranksters on the spirited “Heartlines,” resulting in that rare sophomore outing that not only manages to avoid the slump, but bests its predecessor in the process. [A deluxe edition of Ceremonials features three bonus studio tracks, as well as a demo version of “What the Water Gave Me.”]


worst track: n/a
best track: lover to lover

please take the time to look at more than just the track i picked as my favourite...its well worth it!

tracks:

1. only if for a night **
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkJK2KVFsi0 audio
2. shake it out **
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCWnVznnWcs audio
3. what the water gave me **
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6I4KvITlPE audio
4. never let me go ***
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHWiY73Qcbw audio
5. breaking down ***
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dx0IMHco81I audio
6. lover to lover ***
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQUa05VL5u4 audio
7. no light,no light **
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOB3G6WeZrQ audio
8. seven devils **
9. heartlines ***
10.spectrum ***
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_IC4euo-iY audio
11.all this and heaven too **
12.leave my body **
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKNh_Tva2X0 audio

3s=5
2s=7
1s=0

rating: 2.4

[Music Head]

Your reviews get better all the time.
I'll be back

[CRAZY-HORSE]

Your reviews get better all the time.
I'll be back

....honour mine is, Jedi Master are you!

[SteveO]

The neverending adventure continues !!!!! Going to get Ceremonials !!!!

....honour mine is, Jedi Master are you!

[R_burke]

Liked the first a lot and now there is no question about my getting this one - thanks

[TraceNspace]

I liked lungs and I hope to love this one, great review.