Florence and The Machine Crosses the Pond

© Island Universal Records

Florence Welch, the beautiful songstress of the UK's Florence and the Machine.

Florence Welch hails from a town in south London called Camberwell, and draws all eyes towards her when entering a room with her fierce red hair and strong presence. Who is she and why should you care? Florence is the front woman of UK's hottest new band, Florence and the Machine, and they are on the verge of making it big. Undeniably big.  

This past July, Florence and the Machine released their debut album, Lungs in the UK; today, Lungs is being released in the U.S., to much acclaim. Lungs features 13 solid tracks that intermix indie-rock with a touch of pop and soul, creating a compelling, catchy sound. But what makes Lungs truly remarkable is its deep, dark energy. In brief, Florence Welch ain't no Spice Girl.

Welch truly has a magnificent voice – she can hit high notes and the low notes with ease. If you enjoy artists like Adele, you will become a fan of Welch's powerful and alluring voice. Sweet as she sounds, this album is not for those faint at heart. Edgy and dark, Lungs is an adrenaline rush with just a few hits of opium here and there. The energetic songs are deceivingly up tempo, given their dark themes. This duality is represented best in songs like "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)," whose up driving melody all-but betrays the song's dark and brooding undercurrents.

Throughout Lungs, Welch takes the listener to some very dark and deep places, such as on tracks like "Howl" and "Kiss With a Fist," a raw pop-punk track with dirty guitar riffs, and angry, conflicted lyrics. The album's angry tension continues to build until one of the strongest tracks, "Drumming Song." This passionate and driving song acts as a musical release from the tension of the previous tracks. The song "Blinding" continues the release, but with a softer, more feminine touch, thanks to the harp that's played throughout. If a woman fronted TV on the Radio, you could expect a song like "Blinding" as well as the softer, more low-tempo tracks, such as "Cosmic Love" and "Between Two Lungs."

Through it all, the listener is treated to a narrative of sorts, as Lungs takes them through the evolution, and dramatic dissolution, of a relationship. This is nothing new in first albums (or first books) but what is new is the raw, in-your-face style of Florence and the Machine. This is not "You Oughta Know," it is its bloodier, dirtier, more physical, more troubled sister, Florence.