Florence + the Machine – How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful – 9.5
Island Def Jam Recordings
Modern pop music is largely dictated by recycled rifts and simple chords, often meant as a quick fix for success. As a generic formula guiding the genre, it’s wonderful when you find something stimulating. Florence + the Machine are an english indie pop rock band from London that formed in 2007. Their previous albums Lung and Ceremonials were superbly received, topping the charts in the UK and US. With their third LP How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful released June 2, 2015, it’s evident that they’re still feeding the innovation. Carried by the riveting range of Florence Welch, this album waxes poetic with lyrics and instruments. Ship to wreck begins will bells, drums, and simple chord compliments. Her voice echoes, “Don’t touch the sleeping pills, they mess with my head. Dredging of great white sharks, swimming in the bed.” She talks of big dreams, living wildly, and possibly devising our own downfall. It’s energetic, and sets the pace for what’s to come. What Kind of Mind starts slow and quiet, and becomes boisterous with electric guitar and trumpets. The rock grunge side of the group shines through.
How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful addresses long awaited self realizations, “…we’ve opened the door, now it’s all coming through. Tell me you see it too.” More trumpets lead the way, sounding like they’re calling for an epic story. Long & Lost and St Jude are the only calm and sombre ventures. The rest of the songs are wild reflections of a long lost rock era intermeshing with modernism. A perfect example is Mother, with it’s guitar reverb plucks and hard succinct drums that are reminiscent of 80’s rock and 90’s grunge. The theme of the album is stand-offish, full of power, emotion, and boldness. There isn’t one song that doesn’t sound good, even if it’s slow and tiring. Florence + the Machine are exceptional, breathing fresh air into an ever changing industry.