Florence + The Machine: Lungs

Florence + The Machine
Lungs
Universal Republic [2009]








Fire Note Says: New release worthy of the hype!

Album Review:
Coming from the UK I did not have many expectations out of the latest hyped Brit award winner Florence and the Machine, but it really only takes one spin of their new release Lungs to figure out what all the fuss is about. It is all about the presence and power of charismatic lead crooner Florence Mary Leontine Welch. She has a dynamic range, that can effortlessly scale up and down as she commands your attention with every lyrical moment. It doesn't matter if it is the get after you venom in "Kiss With A Fist" or the soaring and large orchestrated moments in "Cosmic Love", this group aims for the stars and mostly hits on all of its thirteen tracks. What Florence and the Machine accomplish is having a dynamic style that at times emotes garage rock anthems like The White Stripes, while retaining the pureness of an Annie Lennox siren type vocals. This combination is deadly infectious, plus with the added help of three well know producers in James Ford (Simian Mobile Disco, Arctic Monkeys), Paul Epworth (Bloc Party), and Stephen Mackey (Pulp), Lungs never slows down or dulls the listener. In fact, this is one hyped record from the UK that completely holds up and Florence and the Machine are ready to take US shores by storm!

Key Tracks: "Dog Days Are Over", "Girl With One Eye", "Kiss With A Fist"

Bands With Similar Fire:
PJ Harvey
Concrete Blonde
Kate Bush

Official Florence + The Machine Website
Florence + The Machine MySpace
Florence + The Machine Info [Allmusic]
Universal Republic

Lungs - Florence & The Machine

-Reviewed by Aidan Rox