Florence & The Machine - Lungs

YOURZ

As music fans, Mine and YourZ (truly) read a lot of music magazines.  Our favourite is Q Magazine, although it does have a habit of putting the bloody Gallaghers on the front cover.  Still, it's the content we love, not the covers.  And it has quite probably the largest review section of any music magazine out there.

Like a lot of British press, it spends a lot of time hyping up local acts, often to the extreme and often undeservedly.  In Florence & The Machine's case, though, they actually got it right.  This is a stunning debut of a real, honest to goodness talent and one that's likely to be around for a long time (fuck, I hope I haven't cursed her in saying this).

Oh, sure, there are endless comparisons you could adopt if you wanted to be a wanker about it.  It would actually be a task because this young lady is a bit of a musical chameleon, switching and adapting her sound to suit her moods and songs.  So to start drawing the comparisons is a bit of a pointless exercise.  Don't look for them, just sit back and enjoy it.  Just take our word for it; this is every bit as good as the hype will have you believe. 

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

MINE

Why did it take me so long to buy this album?  I think I'm losing my music magazine mojo (MMM) - the ability to read a review and instantly know when an artist will appeal to me.  I think I've read about five reviews for Lungs and all of them made me want to buy it.  But I resisted the temptation because I hadn't actually heard any songs.  That's not surprising this year, because it actually takes quite some time to listen to all the CDs we're reviewing.  Plus I have a life, you know.  Work.  Housework.  Couches to potato on.  Cats to play with.  A husband to annoy. Stuff.

In fact, my time in the car, where I used occasionally to get exposed to new music, is now spent actively listening to old music.  But the other day, when we were wandering through a record shop, I bravely stretched my hand out and purchased this CD, gaining some of my MMM back and an appreciative remark from the pierced and tattooed goth girl behind the counter.

It's good.  Very good.  But it's taken me until today to realise whose voice it is Florence reminds me of.  It's Michelle Shocked.  Obviously that's where the comparison stops, because the wall-of-sound orchestration that F & the M use is nothing like the chirpy guitar-based folky stuff Ms Shocked was wont to push out.  It's an album I'm sorry I resisted buying for so long, and one I know I'll be playing for many years to come.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

For more information: http://florenceandthemachine.net/