Florence Welch has huge shoes to fill with her sophomore effort “Ceremonials,” following her successful debut album, “Lungs.” As a fan of Florence + the Machine, I crossed my fingers that her second album would be as good, if not better, than the first.
The album is like a jungle safari with deep, resonant drumbeats, soulful choir accompaniments, the dark, rich ebb and flow of Welch’s voice and the uniqueness that makes Florence + the Machine = alternative brilliance. From the first song, it’s clear that this isn’t the Florence + the Machine from “Lungs.” The sound and lyrics have matured. Welch has said in recent interviews that most of the songs on “Lungs” were written when she was in her late teens, whereas the music written for “Ceremonials” was written after the release of “Lungs.”
The album straddles the boundary between mellow and upbeat, sometimes alternating between the two in the middle of a song; for those who are not familiar with the Welch’s stylings, this might be a difficult characteristic to overlook. During the first listen of the album, I found a few songs that didn’t sit well with me–not because I didn’t like the music, but because I wasn’t exactly sure what I was listening to. “Remain Nameless”–perhaps the most disturbing song on this album, maintains a very soft, unassuming techno beat with the vocals as the primary focus, emphasizing vague anonymity, confusion and sadness.
In addition to the two singles that have been released from this album–“What the Water Gave Me,” and “Shake It Out”–there are a few other songs that are likely to be favorites. “No Light, No Light,” with its loud drumming booms and crescendos from Welch and her choral backup, made me feel like I needed to be standing on the bow of an 18th century ship sailing the open seas with wind blowing through my hair. “Never Let Me Go,” one of the quieter tracks on the album, is reminiscent of a hug with its soothing trances. “Leave My Body” is a very interesting interpretation of the afterlife and the process of leaving a bodily form to become a spiritual form.
Coming from the perspective of a squealing fan girl, this album nails it. It’s Florence + the Machine demonstrating growth from the successful “Lungs.” For those of you who may not be fans of Florence + the Machine, this album is worth checking out–especially if you’ve heard of her, but haven’t actually listened to any of her work. She’s evolved quite a bit on this record, and if this pattern keeps up, there’s no telling what her third album will bring.