8. Florence + The Machine – Lungs
Andy : 5 :: Dave : 13
Florence Welch, namesake and lead singer of British indie rock outfit Florence + The Machine, has little time for pretense on her debut album, Lungs. It’s hardly enough for her to sing about her feelings; in order to feel properly heard, she seems to need to do it in the most grandiose fashion imaginable – and the results are as extravagant as one would expect from someone with a proclivity for show.
The Machine – who aren’t so much Ms. Welch’s band as they are the current collective of musicians with whom she is working – provide the framework for the powerhouse that is her voice. Whether upbeat, slowed-down or even over-the-top bombastic, Welch’s pipes are on display throughout the album – and with good reason. There’s no time for emoting here. If there’s something to be sung, it’s done with vigor. As such, Lungs is a potent album that doesn’t ask for attention, it demands it – evidenced most clearly by its consideration for the 2009 Mercury Prize.
Already having generated five singles in the UK from Lungs – the group is set to re-enter the studio to start work on their follow-up early in 2010. After the emotional, musical tour de force that is Lungs, I hope that the band still has something left to give to the process. I’m certain they will.
Florence + The Machine – Drumming Song (mp3)
Florence + The Machine – Cosmic Love (mp3)
(Both songs from Lungs
