Album Review: Florence + The Machine ‘Ceremonials’

Florence + The Machine have something to celebrate today, as their widely-anticipated sophomore album, Ceremonials, was just released and is dazzling critics and fans all over the globe.

Florence Welch entered the UK music scene two years ago, with a voice that had equal amounts power as it had grace. As a five-piece rock band with an ethereal and captivating sound, Florence + The Machine were bound to do great things. And that they did with their first hit single “Dog Days Are Over” from their 2009 album, Lungs.

But the magnificent moments that blew us all away in Lungs are bigger and more magical than ever in Ceremonials. It’s an album filled with enormous sound, vocally and instrumentally, and it quickly transports you to a place where love, romance, darkness and death can all perfectly coexist.

“Shake It Out” is an ode to heartbreak and revival, as Welch sings “I am done with my graceless heart/So tonight I’m gonna cut it out and then restart.” “Only If for a Night” has some lovely gospel influences while “Seven Devils” taps into the darkness and fear of this imaginary world Welch has created with her voice. The bonus album includes four bonus tracks that are worth a listen, especially “Bedroom Hymns” which feels incredibly tribal and deep in meaning, as Welch sings, “You had Jesus on your breath/And I caught Him in mine/Sweating out confessions/The undone and the divine.”

Overall, Florence + The Machine deliver an artistic second album that is sure to spark emotion and thought. Take a listen to “Shake It Out” below.