CEREMONIALS // ASHLEY OSBUN

Florence and the Machine came to the states as a five-piece band two years ago and the powerhouse has made it clear that their intentions are anything but mainstream. With a voice similar to that of Stevie Nicks, Florence Welch represents a new kind of front woman. Her voice is raw with enough horsepower to rumble and race its way through wiry veins of liquid perfection.

On their 2009 debut album, Florence and the Machine were a little shaky in their delivery of melodramatic songs that didn't possess a lot of originality. In their 2011 album Ceremonials, the volume is turned all the way up. The new album touches upon Celtic melodies and blues, with a little nod to goth and gospel. No one ever said that being eclectic was a bad thing.

A hopeless romantic at heart, Welch evokes an obsession with romances gone wrong. Many songs seem to play on the constant relationship struggles that we all face. Lyrics, however, can't always be taken at face value. Sometimes they require a little digging. The album appears to give off a semireligious tone with the mention of Jesus, redemption, and other rather interesting comparisons; including several songs that reference gospel singers providing almost an eerily eccentric tone. "Bedroom Hymns" is a jarring melody full of tribal beats and some not so religious activities. The song brings to light the idea of a woman giving herself over to a man. She becomes submissive to him and performs at his will. "This is as good a place to fall as any/I'm already on my knees."

The song continues to flow through their sexual encounter describing it in references to the church.

"Spilled milk tears/I did this for you/Spilling over the idol."

If the lyrics weren't enough to intrigue or even perhaps appall, the alluring beat is also something that isn't so easily forgotten.

"Never Let Me Go" is yet another song on the edge of meaning. The stark entrance is resonating and evocative. Welch offers us a sensitive view of her voice while reminding us what she is capable of. "Though the pressure's hard to take/It's the only way I can escape/ It seems a heavy choice to make/But now I am under, Oh/And it's breaking over me/A thousand miles down to the sea bed/Found the place to rest my head." The strong bass reaches its climax as the ocean is mentioned, creating the roar of waves as they collide with the earth. The song is hauntingly memorable as it traces a bad relationship or an addiction that threatens to swallow her whole. The perplexing part of their music is that there are numerous meanings for each song. They don't necessarily set a mood of sadness or excitement within them. Instead, they each exist outside of one another, bringing the listener into their own individual place of nirvana.

Following up with this new sound and confidence, Welch produces countless power ballads that require some brash to pull off. Her breathy voice creates a melodious sound that is packed with resonance. Each song on the album grows in strength and the lyrics become bold and saucy as they slip off your tongue. It seems that the machine has been working overtime, but no one could complain with an end result as commanding as Ceremonials.

Listen to Spectrum, Florence + The Machine



Ashley Osbun is a senior English Major with a concentration in Creative Writing. She has a love that is bound within the pages of fiction and an equally remarkable love for Benedict Cumberbatch.