Nominated for a Mercury Prize last year (the British equivalent of a Grammy Best Album), Florence + The Machines' debut album could not be more aptly named. Lungs, that organ through which we breathe and sustain, is also key to singing. We often associate a powerful voice with "lung-power", and this album is proof of that. Paying tribute to the organ notwithstanding (with references to "lungs" on more than 1 song), the album is also a display of the kind of "lung-power" Florence has. The album opens with "Dog Days are Over", and as she repudiates a life of slogging, it lifts the album and sets the mood for what is to follow. Subsequent songs have a similar sense of aggression in them, as she sounds like a modern-day Banshee storming through the songs with conviction and motive. It culminates in "Drumming Song", an exhilarating number with a catchy and infectious beat. And as she sings of the sound that is "louder than sirens, louder than bells" ringing in her head, it feels almost as if she is enjoying it.
Florence has mentioned that she is inspired by nature and trees, and as you watch her videos (watch it before it gets reported!), you will feel a sense of organic/Earth Mother as she traverse in gardens and churches, doing what resembles tribal dances.
An A album.
recommended: Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up), Drumming Song, Dog Days Are Over
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