Ceremonials is quite some achievement: an accomplished pop record infused with intelligence and imagination ... It offers the final, conclusive evidence that she's a pop star to believe in.
That rare sophomore outing that not only manages to avoid the slump, but bests its predecessor in the process.
A confident, unflinching tour de force.
Ceremonials is a stunning record, but no amount of proselytizing will convince the naysayers. They can be damned.
Ceremonials is Welch barreling off a cliff on wings made of dear-diary sentiment, art-school theatrics, and pure-cut sincerity, and somehow, against all odds, she manages to soar.
The way that their second album, Ceremonials, pulls you down to unimaginable depths but still manages to resuscitate you every time is what makes it relatable and real.
What’s refreshing about Ceremonials is that it’s a wonderful, bold pop album. An album that isn’t afraid to be both confident and fragile in the same listen.
Ceremonials is a giant, fluid, emotionally resonant album, performed as if Welch’s very sanity is at stake.
Florence and the Machine's Ceremonials is a conversation that consists entirely in affirmations.
On the lofty Ceremonials, even a bad boyfriend can be an epiphany from on high.
Ceremonials sounds like Florence And The Machine have made their sound grander and used the age old battle against inner demons as the backdrop.
Elevating their idiosyncratic style to an even grander scale, Ceremonials makes Florence and the Machine’s captivating debut Lungs seem quaint and charming in comparison.
By taking what worked about Lungs and amplifying those qualities to a natural, satisfying conclusion, Florence has made a near-great pop record that should afford her the creative freedom to do whatever the hell she wants next time around.
Welch may never do anything as dangerous and uncouth as "Kiss" ever again. But even the threat of menace works wonders on terrific follow-up Ceremonials.
Ceremonials is a sumptuously produced album of mystic pop anthems.
Ceremonials abandons so many of the musical avenues she mapped out on Lungs and focuses instead on a monolithic sound that is certainly affecting but is becoming increasingly conventional in 2011.
Ceremonials is a focused, spiritual effort that will please fans of Lungs without being a retread.
Overall, Ceremonials leaves everyone’s opinions of Florence + the Machine in stasis; if you loved or hated her before, you’ll still feel the same way, if you were unsure, you’ll still be unsure.
This new material may be cut from the same cloth as Lungs, but it's missing something that album had.
What’s offered on Ceremonials is solid, even a cut or two above solid. But it doesn’t move the band forward.
Ceremonials always sounds wonderful – producer Paul Epworth has created a warm, soft, four-poster featherbed of sound for Welch to emote over – but it never really satsifies.
So all-encompassing is Ceremonials that the Machine sometimes threatens to swallow Florence.
As a second album, it is perfectly acceptable and there are many aspects of it to admire.
Instead of Lungs' charming, discombobulating diversity, Ceremonials suffers from repetitiveness. The few tracks that do deviate from the heaven's-crescendo formula hardly curb frustrations.
Impressive grandiose divine gospel testament of the past decade: the 2010s, vouchsafe every human being to the magical promise land — a pulchritudinous seraphic work of art titled “Ceremonials” by the English indie rock band “Florence + The Machine” with the main vocalist, Florence Welch and the other talented members: Isabella Summers as the keyboardist, Rob Ackroyd as the guitarist, and Tom Monger as the harpist that forms a heavenly majestic group in the music ... read more
One of my favorite Florence + The Machine albums, here the dramatic and iconic essence of "Lungs" is present along with a certain musical maturity that is beautifully demonstrated. Here the specialty is the choruses, they are filled with emotions and melodies that are addictive in a way that makes you want to scream and experience it live (which I had the privilege of meeting the band during a festival). "Ceremonials" feels and sounds to me like a huge theatrical ... read more
* Only It For A Night (7.5/10)
* Shake It Out (9/10)
* What The Water Gave Me (8/10)
* Never Let Me Go (9.5/10)
* Breaking Down (8.5/10)
* Lover To Lover (8/10)
* No Light, No Light (9/10)
* Seven Devils (7/10)
* Heartlines (8.5/10)
* Spectrum (9/10)
* All This And Heaven Too (8/10)
* Leave My Body (9/10)
* Spectrum (Say My Name) (10/10)
* Breathe Of Life (9/10)
* Take Care (9/10)
* Remain Nameless (8.5/10)
* Strangeness And Charm (8/10)
* Bedroom Hymns (8/10)
* Landscape (9/10)
Nota Final: ... read more
Ceremonials é uma expansão do som apresentado no Lungs, mas com um toque extra de sofisticação e polimento, além de Spectrum ser minha música favorita da banda. Dito isso, não acho que seja um álbum tão criativo e único quanto o Lungs.
Fav tracks: Spectrum, What the Water Gave Me, Only If for a Night, Heartlines, Lover to Lover e Shake It Out
Least fav: All This and Heaven Too
I love this album. Shake It Out is fantastic, and the etheral Seven Devils is too. I always have a religious experience to All This And Heaven Too. LOVE
1 | Only If for a Night 4:58 | 89 |
2 | Shake It Out 4:37 | 92 |
3 | What the Water Gave Me 5:33 | 90 |
4 | Never Let Me Go 4:30 | 89 |
5 | Breaking Down 3:49 | 84 |
6 | Lover to Lover 4:02 | 80 |
7 | No Light, No Light 4:34 | 87 |
8 | Seven Devils 5:03 | 83 |
9 | Heartlines 5:01 | 80 |
10 | Spectrum 5:11 | 89 |
11 | All This and Heaven Too 4:05 | 78 |
12 | Leave My Body 4:34 | 81 |
#1 | / | Q Magazine |
#2 | / | TIME |
#8 | / | Billboard |
#8 | / | Gigwise |
#11 | / | Pretty Much Amazing |
#13 | / | Amazon |
#13 | / | Under the Radar |
#15 | / | Bigger Than The Sound |
#20 | / | The Fly |
#22 | / | Slant |