Ceremonials

Lungs was one of my favourite albums from the past couple of years, so when Ceremonials was released I just had to buy it straight away.

On first listening I think I was just overwhelmed by the "wall of sound" production running through the entire album and to be honest I was slightly worried that nothing really stood out to me. That was a week ago. After a week and numerous listens to both individual tracks and to the album as a whole almost every song has grown on me so much that I can't get a couple of them out of my head.

Make sure if you can, to listen to the album on a good set of speakers or very good quality headphones. The initial wall of sound is actually much more subtle than you first think, with multiple levels of overlaid tracks and vocals that you can pick out and follow individually. There is also subtle use made of almost sub-sonic bass frequencies that you almost feel rather than hear. The album also sounds terrific when played loud!

As others have said, this is not Lungs II. Although every track is a big production with soaring gospel style backing in several songs, the lyrics actually have quite dark undertones. The strange noises at the beginning or end of some tracks or in some cases running through the track also adds to the slight feeling of unease/hidden menace that seems to run through whole album. If I had to pick a stand-out track, I would personally pick Heartlines - from the haunting sounds at the beginning to the crash of the bass drums and the multiply overlaid vocals in the chorus to the single note finish, this song is totally stuck on repeat in my head.

Overall: - 5 stars - This album needed a bit of time to grow on me, but grow on my it has in a very big way. Give it a chance and I am sure it will grow on you too!

Dear Florence
when I was young (around the middle of the last century) we had only a few bands (and no Simon Cowell).
These bands made their own music and played their own instruments.
Some were very very good, and some were just awful - but they all had a go, and rose or fell on their own merits.

One such band was called Jefferson Airplane (the Jefferson after the US President, and the Airplane after Jefferson... (c) A A Milne).

Their singer was a young (in those days) lady called Grace Slick. She had an amazing voice which could soar and roar and whisper and knock down walls.

At one point the 'Airplane was playing a concert in a rain storm and Grace Slick stood at the front of the band, put her head back into the storm and let rip with the lyrics. Thunder and lightning... She has retired now. You may have heard "White Rabbit" - the psychedelic version of Alice in Wonderland (although I suspect the Alice story had something to do with psychedelics as well...) - Grace Slick had a kind of reckless abandon when singing, and her voice was magnificent. Try listening to some of the tracks on "Baron Von Tollbooth and the Chrome Nun" or "Sunfighter", they may remind you of someone...

During these dying days of the European Experiment, I listen to a variety of music (mostly Jazz I have to admit - perhaps it's an age thing?), but I am blessed with a number (4) of daughters who visit and bring their latest favourite CDs... and sometimes the music is Good (Pearl Jam, Bluehorses, Smashing Pumpkins, Evanescence, kd lang, the National, Tori Amos, Hole) and sometimes it isn't (<names removed to protect the guilty>).

And then sometimes I listen to Jools. 'Cos he has people like Roy Harper (another real musician from the 1960s), and now and again some new group that stirs one's interest.

So the other night there was a band fronted by a red-haired Pre-Raphaelite 'stunner' called Florence.
And during the second song (whose name escapes me) she put her head back and let rip... Tingles down the spine - there was the sound and glory of the Slick in full flight... Magnificent, inspiring, reckless abandon. Now that is a voice. A true, natural, unembellished, magnificent vocal machine... Just glorious.

And so here we are - Florence and the Machine. Ceremonials. I just had to rush out and get the CD. And I was not disappointed at all.
The spirit (and lungs) of Grace Slick - fronting a splendid band, playing their own tunes, and not bowing to the miserable Cowell effect. And with a harp - brilliant.

This is a magnificent album - worthy of the five stars - and I am so delighted that half a century on from the birth of rock music, there are wonderful, independent, brilliant musicians carrying on the glory...

I never really listened to Flo before Ceremonials, but I know now that... God, I was missing out on so much! I bought Lungs and Ceremonials after seeing Flo on The Late Late Show (im from Ireland, if any different nationalities of people are reading this) and I listened to them in chronological order. I absolutely adored Lungs and then when I put Ceremonials into my CD player, I never expected the incredible songs that were blasted out of the small speakers. A lot of albums suffer from "second album syndrome" but I was amazed at how better this was then Lungs! Songs:
1: "Only If For A Night": a brilliant opener, OIFAN is an eerie yet beautiful number and sets the tone of Ceremonials. 10/10
2: "Shake It Out": love this, but I wouldn't call it my favourite song on Ceremonials. Really euphoric and cheerful yet with dark lyrics. 9/10
3: What The Water Gave Me: this and Spectrum are probably my favourite songs on Ceremonials. I love the way it starts off soft, and slowly gets louder and louders until it explodes into the final goosebump - enducing chorus. Beautiful instrumentation, beautiful lyrics, beautiful song. 10/10
4: Never Let Me Go: a beautiful slower number in contrast to most of the album, Flo coos about being enveloped in the ocean and overall paints a beautiful picture with this number. 10/10
5: Breaking Down: a dark yet upbeat song, Flo's gorgeous vocals echo and fade in and out over a stellar drum beat. 10/10
6: Lover To Lover: can be forgotten in the might of other tracks, track 6 of Ceremonials is a brilliant song, but not the best that the album has to offer. 8/10
7: No Light, No Light: Flo is here with her trademark pounding drums on track 7. NL, NL can really be described in one word: AWESOME. Excellent single choice. 10/10
8: Seven Devils: let me just say first of all, that Seven Devils is Flo's creepiest track yet. The darkest of songs on Ceremonials, this doesn't mean that it isn't any good though! 9/10
9: Heartlines: brilliant song, lovely intro of what sounds like exotic birds, followed by... You guessed it thumping drums! Really uplifting number 10/10
10: Spectrum: what can I say.... Incredible. The lyrics are beautiful, which compares a loving relationship to bursting into a spectrum of colour. Best single off Ceremonials in my opinion (WTWGM IS kind off a promotional single), Flo shouting "Say my naaaaaaaaaammme!" will give you goosebumps. 10/10 of course
11: All This And Heaven Too: it's a good song but I personally don't think it fits with the album. It is really relaxed and nice though, and offers you a breather from all of the pounding up tempo tracks on Ceremonials. 9/10
12: Leave My Body: brilliant choice for the closer of Ceremonials, it finishes the album in the same tone that it was set in from the beginning: dark. Really eerie yet beautiful outro too. 10/10

Overall Ceremonials is AMAZING, and is a strong contender for Album Of The Year.

Album score: 10/10