By Allison Fitts

Florence + the Machine came on to everyone’s radar with the song “Dog Days Are Over” in 2010. Although the song was released two year prior, it increased in popularity after being featured in the trailer for Eat Pray Love and performed at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards. I think the reason so many people fell in love with “Dog Days Are Over” was the uniqueness it brought to the mainstream music scene. People weren’t used to the powerful vocals, medley of obscure instruments and mystical lyrics that Florence + the Machine brought to the table.

Florence + the Machine’s new album Ceremonials contains a high supply of the uniqueness that made “Dog Days Are Over” so popular.  Lead vocalist Florence Welch sings in an eerie, yet moving manner throughout. You will be both moved and mystified after listen to the album. Read on for information about each of the songs off Ceremonials.

Only If for a Night

• review: The opening song of Ceremonials accurately reflects how the rest of the album plays out. Vivid sounds of drums and harps are paired with mysterious lyrics and Welch’s powerful, yet soothing voice. Despite all of the complexities involved in the song, one of the most moving moments is when Welch sings the haunting “yeahs” within the chorus.
• memorable lyric: “And I did cartwheels in your honor; dancing on tiptoes, my own secret ceremonials…”
• number of stars: 4/5

Shake It Out

• review: This song is like a personal pledge to be stress free and live without regrets. Florence + the Machine are known for darker songs, but this is surprisingly upbeat and positive. This song is also the second single released from Ceremonials.
• memorable lyric: “It’s always darkest before the dawn.”
• number of stars: 3/5

What the Water Gave Me

• review: Being the first single from the album, you’ve probably heard “What the Water Gave Me” before if you listen to 96.5 the Buzz. The ambiguity in this song is what makes it great. What did the water give Florence? This mystery combined with the solace of the chorus makes for a great song that causes you to think.
• memorable lyric: “And time goes quicker between the two of us.”
• number of stars: 4/5

Never Let Me Go

• review: I enjoy this song for its simplicity. In the midst of an album with instruments and thought-provoking lyrics, this song is Welch, backup vocalists, a piano and drums. The lyrics show vulnerability that is well paired with the stripped down instrument selections. “Never Let Me Go” is a nice change in pace from the complex songs that fill Ceremonials.
• memorable lyric: “And the arms of the ocean are carrying me, and all this devotion was rushing out of me.”
• number of stars: 3/5

Breaking Down

• review: Oh the irony! Instrumentally, this is one of the most upbeat and happy songs on the album. Lyrically, it is one of the most depressing. It is essentially about someone’s struggles as they are “breaking down again”. At the same time, though, it is comforting to know that everyone has struggles that they face and the happy music alludes to the fact that you can overcome your struggles!
• memorable lyric: “Even when I was a child I’ve always known there was something to be frightened of.”
• number of stars: 3/5

Lover to Lover

• review: This song is one of the most unique on Ceremonials. The use of mystical sounds and drums that are Florence + the Machine’s forte are nonexistent in this song. What the song does have, rather, is that ’60’s sound that many artists, including Fitz & the Tantrums, are using today. “Lover to Lover” is basically what the band would have sounded like 50 years ago, and it’s a throwback worth listening to.
• memorable lyric: “I’ve been keeping secrets from my heart and from my soul.”
• number of stars: 3/5

No Light, No Light

• review: “No Light, No Light” will be released on Jan. 16 as the third single from Ceremonials. I like this song for the contrast within it. The intro and verses show off the soft aspects of Welch’s voice, but after heavy drum beats begin the chorus, her powerful side takes over.
• memorable lyric: “You can chose what stays and what fades away.”
• number of stars: 4/5

Seven Devils

• review: What a scary song! On the surface, it seems to be a song about an exorcism, but upon listening further it becomes a song about the struggles and temptations that people face on a daily basis. Welch’s voice is perfectly suited for this song because, like the song, it’s full of emotion and mystery.
• memorable lyric: “See I was dead when I woke up this morning. I’ll be dead before the day is done.”
• number of stars: 4/5

Heartlines

• review: Like “Shake It Out”, this song is highly motivational. I listen to it when I run because its message is to keep moving forward. The African-sounding drums contribute to the power and conviction that Florence + the Machine bring to this song.
• memorable lyric: “Just keep following the heartlines on your hand. Keep it up; I know you can.”
• number of stars: 5/5

Spectrum

• review: This song is my absolute favorite off of Ceremonials, which is saying a lot. If you know Florence + the Machine only for “Dog Days Are Over”, this is the most similar song off the new album, so it might be you’re entry point into Ceremonials. What starts off as a pleading and desperate song with Welch singing, “With no colors on our skin, we were light and paper-thin,” turns into a folksy dance club hit at the start of the chorus. The uplifting lyrics, “Say my name and every color illuminates! We are shining and we’ll never be afraid again!” are empowering and dance-inducing.
• memorable lyric: “We are shining and we’ll never be afraid again.”
• number of stars: 5/5

All This and Heaven Too

• review: When I hear “All This and Heaven Too”, I often picture it in a romantic comedy. It is a song about the heart and all the weird things it can do to people. Florence + the Machine don’t really do traditional love songs, but this comes close and
• memorable lyric: “And the heart is hard to translate; it has a language of its own.”
• number of stars: 3/5

Leave My Body

• review: An interesting idea about personal redemption threads its way through this song. Welch sings that she is going to “leave [her] body” and start “moving up to higher ground”. The lyrics make you think about what you have the power to change in your life and whether you are willing to do that or not. “The Machine” of Florence + the Machine is very evident in this song, with background vocals that contribute the meaning of the song almost as much as Florence herself.
• memorable lyric: “I don’t need a husband, don’t need no wife.”
• number of stars: 4/5