Album Review : Florence And The Machine - Lungs
- Written by Stephanie Stephens-Wade
Already the year’s most hyped new artist, Florence and The Machine has a lot to live up to, and thankfully the artfully titled and sleeved Lungs justifies the speculation. Lungs is the critically acclaimed debut album by the London-based indie pop singer Florence Welch and her Machine of musicians and singers.
Having already collected the Critics' Choice Award at the Brit Awards earlier this year and settling for third in the BBC's Sound of 2009 it was clear to see she had already made a name for herself before she even released her album. It’s her Mercury Prize nomination for Lungs that proves that this album is out of the ordinary.
The singles are undeniably the standouts. The impressive first track on the album ‘Dog Days Are Over’ was her second single and had a lack of recognition when released last year. But forgetting the low chart position, the neurotic and fierce melody kickstarts the album in true Florence style. The slightly more reserved, harp-infused follow-up ‘Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)’ leads her debut collection, sometimes overshadowing her other material. Yet the extremes of 'Kiss With A Fist', a jokey celebration of mutual domestic violence and noisy guitars emphasizes her early influences in punk and grunge.
Musically Florence and the Machine's sound is generally referred to as soul-inspired pop. Florence Welch specializes in songs with dark, gothic lyrical content and even though several songs on the album are about violence and death it does not make Lungs a dark album.
Welch most definitely puts her lungs to good use in ‘Drumming’ as she repeats "Louder than sirens/Louder than bells/Sweeter than heaven/And hotter than hell", reeled off in a mighty Amy Lee (Evanescence) style. The grand drums and strings dramatize the track as it gets louder and faster. The dominant drumming seems to create a foundation for most of her songs. The harp-infused ‘Blinding’ has a Kate Bush aura over bruising drum patterns.
The humour of songs like ‘Between Two Lungs’, and the daft ‘My Boy Builds Coffins’ is clearly divided with the darkness of ‘Girl with one eye’. In this lo-fi punk number, Welch threatens to cut someone's heart out because they made her cry. This song shows off both her development and an already instantly recognisable voice. Also the ferocious yet upbeat ‘Hurricane Drunk’ where she threatens "I’m gonna drink myself to death" - backed by a spirited choir - saves her from accusations of self-absorption.
A straightforward and affectionate cover of the classic Candi Staton and Source club hit ‘You’ve Got The Love’, previously only available online, comes as a welcome chance to get one’s breath back at the end of the album.
Lungs is a clever, catchy set. Welch manages to create a fiery yet angelic aura of mystery throughout the album. Whilst listening it’s hard to decide whether you’re being whisked around on an emotional rollercoaster or a magical fairground ride. Behind the enigmatic fairytale there is a dominant dark side to the album, hidden behind the happy harps and Welch’s magnificent voice. The attention and recognition so far paid to Florence is well deserved, because presented on this album is sheer intelligence and a fine musical output, which has put Florence and the Machine high in the stakes for the Mercury prize.