{"id":1727,"date":"2011-11-21T10:08:00","date_gmt":"2011-11-21T15:08:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu\/messenger\/?p=1727"},"modified":"2011-11-21T10:08:00","modified_gmt":"2011-11-21T15:08:00","slug":"ceremonials","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/openlab.macaulay.cuny.edu\/messenger\/2011\/11\/21\/ceremonials\/","title":{"rendered":"Music Review: Florence + the Machine, Ceremonials"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Copyright Island Records<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Florence + the Machine is a force to be reckoned with in the music industry. Following the release of their 2009 album debut Lungs<\/em>, their second studio release Ceremonials<\/em> showcases lead singer Florence Welch\u2019s booming yet powerful voice, backed by a multitude of harps, pianos, and beating drums.<\/p>\n

The UK indie-alternative band reunited with producer Paul Epworth, who has recently worked with artists like Adele and Cee Lo Green, to help create the sound of the new album. The overall sound and feel of Ceremonials<\/em> is definitely much darker than that of Lungs<\/em>. The album takes on a certain gothic pop sound, especially in songs like the lead single \u201cWhat The Water Gave Me,\u201d where Welch sings of drowning in the sea over the dramatic sounds of pounding drums and a sharp piano.<\/p>\n

Her voice is showcased to the best of her ability all throughout the album; bellowing out the highest note and chanting along to a catchy chorus on one song, and then on the next whispering the lyrics in the most haunting manner. Overall Welch\u2019s vocal power on the album is absolutely stunning, although it can get the slightest bit repetitive; one can only take so much wailing before it can become overdone, or the songs just seem too similar.<\/p>\n

Ceremonials<\/em> consists of 12 tracks, with the deluxe version containing three extra songs and a demo version of \u201cWhat The Water Gave Me.\u201d The album is cohesive, with each track flowing smoothly into the next while still maintaining that dark, ethereal feel. From the first track, \u201cOnly If For A Night,\u201d which features some enchanting harps while Welch howls out the lyrics, to the last song, \u201cLeave My Body,\u201d Florence + the Machine manages to keep the overall sound of the album consistent while still bringing the drama and epicness needed to produce a hit record.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat The Water Gave Me\u201d combines the perfect blend of serenity and heaviness an artist can bring while singing of suicide by drowning, \u201cSo lay me down\/Let the only sound be the overflow\/Pockets full of stones\/Lay me down.\u201d The single perfectly represents the album, showing off the use of harps and guitars featured so often in most of the songs.<\/p>\n

The follow up single, \u201cShake It Out,” is definitely the hit that \u201cDog Days Are Over\u201d was for their previous album. The song is one of the more pop-oriented tracks of the album, built upon a booming drum and an explosive chorus with Welch proclaiming, \u201cAnd its hard to dance with a devil on your back\/So shake it off!\u201d In short, this song is huge, and is most certainly a Florence + the Machine classic.<\/p>\n

There are other great tracks on the album that fans of the band will love. Songs like the slow but mesmerizing \u201cNever Let Me Go;\u201d \u201cSeven Devils,\u201d which is the most haunting track on the album that purely embodies the gothic sound that the album puts forth; the upbeat and steady \u201cBreaking Down;\u201d and another golden track off the album \u201cNo Light, No Light.\u201d This track in particular is produced and recorded perfectly, starting off slow and ethereal until the explosive chorus comes in, which consists of the usual booming drums and harps led by Welch\u2019s own powerful voice. Songs like this are what Florence + the Machine has mastered; tracks that feature a slow build up and then a huge, catchy chorus. The album ends just as it should, with a bang. The last song, \u201cLeave My Body,” features the drama brought throughout the entire album while Welch sings out during the chorus, \u201cI\u2019m gonna leave my body\/gonna lose my mind,\u201d as she is supported by a powerful choir.<\/p>\n

Florence + the Machine\u2019s sophomore album, Ceremonials<\/em>, shows no sign of a slump for the band. Each song has its own personal meaning and the album as a whole flows smoothly. With an overall darker atmosphere and sound, and lyrics as moody as any teenager, Florence + the Machine created an album that shows progression from their debut album, Lungs<\/em>, and proves that we\u2019ll be hearing more great things from them in the future.<\/p>\n

Rating: 4\/5<\/p>\n

Track Listing:<\/p>\n

1. Only If For A Night<\/p>\n

2. Shake It Out<\/p>\n

3. What The Water Gave Me<\/p>\n

4. Never Let Me Go<\/p>\n

5. Breaking Down<\/p>\n

6. Lover To Lover<\/p>\n

7. No Light, No Light<\/p>\n

8. Seven Devils<\/p>\n

9. Heartlines<\/p>\n

10. Spectrum<\/p>\n

11. All This And Heaven Too<\/p>\n

12. Leave My Body
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Florence + the Machine is a force to be reckoned with in the music industry. Following the release of their 2009 album debut Lungs, their second studio release Ceremonials showcases lead singer Florence Welch\u2019s booming yet powerful voice, backed by a multitude of harps, pianos, and beating drums. The UK indie-alternative band reunited with producer…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":703,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"portfolio_post_id":0,"portfolio_citation":"","portfolio_annotation":"","openlab_post_visibility":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[114,228,410,821,1468,1825,1863,2310],"class_list":["post-1727","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-arts-entertainment","tag-album","tag-band","tag-ceremonials","tag-florence-the-machine","tag-music","tag-record","tag-review","tag-uk"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/openlab.macaulay.cuny.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1727","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/openlab.macaulay.cuny.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/openlab.macaulay.cuny.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.macaulay.cuny.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/703"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.macaulay.cuny.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1727"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.macaulay.cuny.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1727\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/openlab.macaulay.cuny.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1727"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.macaulay.cuny.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1727"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.macaulay.cuny.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1727"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}