The ethereal queen is back, and just missing out on a Top 10 spot with her fourth album High As Hope is Florence + The Machine, in at number 11.
My favourites have stayed pretty much the same since first listen: "June", "Hunger", "Grace", and "100 Years" stay in my mind the most. "June" is one of the best album opening tracks that I've heard this year. Florence has always been gifted when it comes to twisting the intricate spots in a song around a subtle melody before hitting the listener with a roaring and memorable crescendo, but I have to say that this is one of my favourite instances. The mantra of 'hold on to each other' sounds almost religious by the end of the song.
Florence's previous album How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful struck a chord with me at the time because of the sheer grandeur and spectacle of it all. However, High As Hope calls to me because of the more subtle and quiet nature of it. Florence has settled down somewhat in life and her music definitely reflects this. Still with the anthemic and larger-than-life vocal that we've come to associate with her music, but this time bringing a gentler touch in all of the right places.
One thing I will say, is that I was hoping for a more adventurous album from Florence being her fourth album. In some ways Florence has stepped way out of her comfort zone, writing from a place of peace and happiness rather than her preferred melancholic, thunderous sound. However, aside from the premise of the album there is not much here that we haven't seen before. Luckily, Florence's good is better than a lot of people's best and in these ten tracks, that fact has stood her in good stead.
Check out what album was pipped at the post last year here.
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