Pop Rock Florence and the Machine

[Mr. Gregory]

Official Website

Current members:

• Florence Welch (vocals)
• Isabella Summers (keyboards)
• Robert Ackroyd (guitar)
• Cyrus Bayandor (bass)
• Tom Monger (harp)
• Loren Humphrey (drums)

Albums:

• Lungs (2009)
• Ceremonials (2011)
• How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful (2015)
• High as Hope (2018)

Florence and the Machine are an English alternative/indie pop rock band. They were one of the first bands I checked out in this genre when I started looking for softer music a few years ago. Sound-wise, they're about as poppy as I get, and there's a lot of different stuff going on in the background at times - keyboards, horns, a friggin' harp, clapping, etc. Lyrically, their songs are mostly about love and relationships, which I suppose is to be expected from a more poppy band. I don't normally like too much of that in my music, but man, Florence's voice and delivery are just so powerful. I could listen to her all day long.

I listened to some of their debut album, Lungs, and I thought it was all right, but I wasn't crazy about it, and I didn't get all the way through it. I felt the same way about Ceremonials. Then How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful came out, and I was really impressed. I like moody alternative rock with a lot of bass in it, and some of the songs on there really hit that spot for me. I need to go back and listen to their older stuff again at some point.

Dog Days Are Over (from Lungs)

Ship To Wreck (opener from How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful)

Queen of Peace (from How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful)

Hunger (from High As Hope)

 

[Mr. Gregory]

So, I preordered High As Hope a while ago and am very much looking forward to hearing it. In the meantime, I've been listening to Lungs and Ceremonials. They're both pretty solid albums.

Howl (from Lungs)

Cosmic Love (from Lungs)

No Light, No Light (from Ceremonials)

Seven Devils (from Ceremonials)

 

[Oldhippie]

Excellent choice.

 

[triptych]

Florence Welch was fresh lymph to a dwindling rock scene back then.....