Florence + The Machine 

                                                     Ceremonials 

                                                          8.2/10

                                                      Recommended 

Even though Eat Pray Love may have been one of the shittiest, diluted and #whitepeopleproblems of all time, some good came out of it: it jumpstarted Florence Welch’s carrer. The hit single “Dog Days Are Over,” blew up in 2010 (despite appearing on her 2009 debut full-length Lungs), and rightfully so since it was easily the best track on that LP. Since then, Welch has been in the spotlight - topping charts and awkwardly beting it out next to Christina Aguilera at the Grammy’s. She has also gained a wider audience, all who are waiting for a new Florence + The Machine album, hoping for another “Dog Days Are Over.” But it’s hard to top something so successful, expectations are too high for some fans, however, Ceremonials is a solid record that will appease the masses.

The LP drops on Halloween, which makes sense as the entire feel of the album is dark, haunting and celtic. You may gather this just by some of the track titles: “Seven Devils,” “Leave My Body,” “No Light No Light,” etc. The lead single “Shake It Out,” is the most immediate track and the one that most people will connect with. It’s full of chilling organs, loud pounding drums and Welch singing the catchy hook “Shake it out, shake it out/ Woo-hoo!” Opener “Only If for a Night” is chuck full of beautiful imagery as Welch chants “It was oh so strange and so surreal/ That a ghost should be so practical” and “I did cartwheels in your honors/ dancing on tip-toes/ my own secret ceremonials.”

Welch draws inspiration from Kate Bush on the emotional ballad “Never Let Me Go,” which totally works - it’s hook is thriving as she sings “The arms of the ocean are carrying me/ And all this devotion was rushing on me.” “Seven Devils” is just how you would imagine it - it is the most bone-chilling track on Ceremonials with freaky piano riffs, squealing violins, layered vocals and Florence’s commanding voice takes you over. Another huge highlight is “All This and Heaven Too,” a lush and vibrant song that is ensconced in light, killer melodies and of course Welch’s pitch-perfect voice. “Remain Nameless” sounds like it was produced by SALEM and is one of the best tracks on the LP. It is a murky song where Florence sings about how your name doesn’t make you who you are - you don’t need it and she would rather be without. There is an Alanis Morissette vibe on this track, which is refreshing and Welch pulls it of without hesitation.  

Although Ceremonials has plenty of outstanding tracks and almost every song has a brilliant moment or two, the album severely dips in the middle. Many of the songs are far too long, feel dragged out and listening to the entire record from start to finish can feel like a chore (unless you’re a huge fan of Florence + The Machine, then you’ll love every minute of it). Additionally, there isn’t too much diversity in some of the songs to separate them; sure there is the gospel “Lover to Lover” but “Heartlines” just sounds like a boring duplicate of “Breaking Down,” which sounds like a faster and peppy version of “Spectrum,” which can easily be mistaken for “Leave My Body,” you get the idea.

The overall mood of Ceremonials is wonderful, especially for this time of the year. Fans that became enthralled with Florence + The Machine post “Dog Days Are Over” may need to spend more time with this record than fans who loved Lungs when it debuted. But there are enough hits on here to keep everyone satisfied - even people who didn’t care for Lungs may find something they thoroughly enjoy. Many bands and artists often hit the sophomore slump and not know what to do after a critically and commercially acclaimed record. But Florence Welch kept herself grounded on Ceremonials, she stuck to what she does best, went with an awesome theme of haunting, celtic melodies and created a lovely and satisfying followup.  

Watch the video for the single, “Shake it Out” below: