Florence Welch, of the UK's Florence and the Machine is a force. At 23, she put out a record that wrestled for the no.1 spot with none other than our beloved MJ in the UK. I've never seen her live, but from the sounds of the tracks on Lungs (out on Island Records since July 2009), this lady has a serious set of them. Lungs, that is. She can summon up the soul-inspired howling vocals of Janis Joplin or she can croon coyly, a la Fiona Apple. I see her music as a beautiful testament to all the strong women artists who have graced our ears throughout the decades.
On "Raise it Up" she harkens back to Pat Benatar's strong vocals and big, heavy backing band. The instrumentation is very different. Sure, you've got your typical fare (drums, guitar, piano, electronics) but also a harp (generously featured throughout the record) and occasionally, a chorus, like on "I'm Not Calling You a Liar." As with the music, her lyrics are daring. Take "Kiss with a Fist" a song about brawling lovers where she sings "a kiss with a fist is better than none at all." I think that's objective, but it makes the song, or the entire record, no less entertaining.
Either way, this is music you listen to with your girls. Or after a break-up. Or before an interview. Or just because you want to listen to something new, challenging and awesome. You know you want to.
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