After a four-year-long wait compared to the smaller two-year gap between “Lungs” and “Ceremonials,” Florence Welch and her band of artists finally graced us with their third album: “How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful” this year, proving that their third musical experiment was well worth the wait.
As the albums prior have delved into Welch’s inner demons and themes of loss, love and struggle, “How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful” continues that trend more literally and figuratively than ever before.
While recording in 2014, the talented lead singer felt it was right to explore her own troubles holding down a relationship and her self-destructive nature therein through a musical outlet. Every track in the third discography highlights something different, an emotion or a process, relating to an intense personal journey of reflection.
The music videos have also become more potent now as each new release is subtitled a chapter of “The Odyssey,” detailing further Welch’s journey and that of listeners everywhere; of course, the themes and lyrics are universal and profound as such still.
“Ship to Wreck” opens the album with fast guitar chords and reclusive vocals from Welch. An avid listener of the band will know that that only means booming outcries are to come later in the song, and the first track does not disappoint in this way, nor any other. With powerful metaphors and a cathartic release, “Ship to Wreck” is one of my favorite tracks from the band, and my favorite off the stellar and complex third album.
As the songs continue to spiral through Welch’s journey, different pieces strike polar opposite emotions. “What Kind of Man” is empowering and energizing, for example, while “St. Jude” is tragically reflective and tear-inducing just on the merits of Welch’s tender voice alone.
The title track is certainly one to behold. Unlike most of the self-conscious tracks on the album, “How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful” acknowledges the world around us and pokes at love and the world, opening with the line: “Between a crucifix and the Hollywood sign, we decided to get hurt.”
Horns play a major role in the entire album, and that motif is certainly most evident in this song. The choir of instruments sounds so righteous, and they really help to differentiate the instrumental feel of this album versus the more youthful “Lungs” and churchlike “Ceremonials.”
“Queen of Peace,” another personal favorite, also manages to deliver a different type of feeling with an Asian-like sound paired with Welch’s typical adult angst. Like many of her unique tracks, the vocals and the sounds are a wonderfully weird combination, and that is why they work for so many listeners.
“Delilah” as well is splendidly ambient and angelic at its start, then soars to glorious, spiritual highs. During this track, “Third Eye,” and over half of the soundtrack, it just feels great to bellow out along with Welch and the bold array of instruments.
Fueled with fast beats and adrenaline or supplied with soft tones and dramatic lyrics, every song in “How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful” is perfectly reflective of life and its wonders, making for the best album from “Florence + The Machine” yet.
