ALBUM: Florence + The Machine 'How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful'

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After the long four years since Ceremonials – for both fans and Florence herself – Florence + The Machine are back with their third album, How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful.

It’s a return to reality for Welch, written straight off the back off a tour. Whilst her grand, ethereal nature isn’t lost, the emotions are real; venturing away from the themes of death and escapism of Ceremonials, How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful focuses on, as Florence admits, the reality of “trying to learn how to live, and how to love”. This is, of course, something someone who became a popstar at just 21, perhaps missed out on, but also something that she manages to portray perfectly in the album.

The album kicks off with singles ‘Ship To Wreck’ and ‘What Kind Of Man’, instantly proving the album to be what she claims it to be – much more grounded. Her vocals remain as powerful as ever but it’s certainly more band-led. With the title track (the third on the album), producer Markus Dravs’ influence becomes clear: he brings the trumpets and the defiance that make the record, arguably, even bigger than Florence’s others, something I (and no doubt many others) thought virtually impossible. As Welch puts it: “The trumpets at the end of that song – that’s what love feels like”. It’s clear in her own, musical way, Florence is opening up and, despite the strength and power in the vocals and anthemic sounds, making herself a little more vulnerable.

There’s a fear when you have two singles followed by the title track kicking off a record that the rest of it could become somewhat mundane or irrelevant; of course, this is Florence + The Machine, and as expected, in only gets stronger. ‘Queen Of Peace’ continues the brassy sound, something it would seem only Welch’s voice could almost overpower, before slowing down for the twangy guitars and spine-tingling vocals of ‘Various Storms & Saints’. Once again, Florence proves her unquestionable talent – her voice, whilst losing none of it’s power, can both compete with trumpets and beautifully compliment gentle guitars. Speeding up again, the steady beats and sassiness of the backing vocals in ‘Delilah’ prove there’s never a dull moment in the record. Once again, she perfectly sums up being in love – “it’s a different kind of danger / and the bells are ringing out / and I’m running to my mother” – perhaps a little belatedly in life, experiencing things that are seemingly pushed aside when you’re busy being a popstar.

Despite it’s undeniable beauty, with folky influences and charming harmonies, ‘Long & Lost’ gets, rather ironically, a little lost. While an album – particularly one with a theme like this – will expectedly have sad songs and low points, there’s a way to do it; and although ‘Long & Lost’ may have missed the mark, the next track ‘Caught’ seems to hit the nail on the head.
‘Third Eye’ and ‘St Jude’ follow, and as the album comes to close, with ‘St Jude’ being the Patron Saint of hope and impossible causes, Florence begins to bring the heartache and the uncertainty of the album to a close as well.

Not only a return to reality and relationships in the way of love, How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful sees Florence enlist the help of her inner circle and close friends for the album: produced by Markus Dravs, with contributions from Kid Harpoon and Paul Epworth (who both helped on Ceremonials), Florence + The Machine end the album with ‘Mother’, co-written by Welch’s bandmate and right-hand-woman Isa Summers. Soulful and sweet, it’s the perfect closure to a fantastic album, which marks the defiant and very welcome return of Florence + The Machine.

How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful is released on 1st June via Island Records.