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During this week, I was feeling particularly sad about the music situation. I thought back to when I would bring my waterproof speaker in the shower with me so that I could blast it and sing along when no one was home. Now, I have to shower in community bathrooms where not everyone wants to hear me sing. One of my favorite artists to jam to at home was Florence + The Machine. This group, characterized by Florence Welch’s outstanding vocals, rose to success with their first album, Lungs, but my personal favorite of theirs is Ceremonials, which was released in 2011.

Until you’ve heard Florence + The Machine, you don’t know what to expect. Her voice is like a deeper opera and a howl mixed. Every single song has a different feeling; some of them are light and airy while others are like a weight on your chest. I find it therapeutic and stress relieving to listen to this album because I can just imagine myself as her, releasing all my feelings in one breath.

“Only If For A Night”- In this song, Florence sings about a dream she had about her grandmother, who told her to concentrate on her work and pursue her dreams. It’s very emotional and real, and it shows through in her voice and the intensity with which she sings. As in every song, the background vocals perfectly complement her voice and add so much drama.

“Shake It Out”- Second to only “Cosmic Love” from Lungs (an album that I wholeheartedly recommend as well), this is one of my favorite songs from Florence + The Machine. The message is clear: live your life the way you want to live it, and don’t let other people stand in the way. The best line is “It’s always darkest before the dawn”, meaning that you have to hit rock bottom before you can rise up. Overall, this song brings a lot of energy and usually gets me motivated to get something done.

“No Light, No Light”- As one could guess from the title, this track is rather dark.  Flo sings about a break-up she had and how the blue eyes of her lover had lost their light. If I had to use a word to describe the overall vibe, I would say cold. The tone of her voice lacks any brightness and hope that it had in the previous songs. This being said, the lyrics are sung so well that it’s okay.

“Heartlines”- Here, she sings about the primal instincts we all have and that we should follow what our heart tells us to do. In other words, “just keep following the heartlines on your hands”. Again here, the rhythmic chanting in the background complements the deep drum beats and overall creates a more serious feeling.

Don’t stop here! Florence + The Machine have two other albums to listen to as well, and they’re equally as good. Once you’ve had a taste of this group you’ll find it almost addicting like I have. I know I said that Jon Bellion was unique last week, but I REALLY believe that F+TM has created their own style of music that is impossible to replicate. So if you’re looking to break away from regular pop, this is the group for you.