"High As Hope" by Florence and the Machine - A Review

The first song I heard before the whole album was released was the single 'Hunger' and it was impeccable. It has such a vulnerable and personal opening and with the instrumental build up to that first line "At seventeen I started to starve myself" you can't help but completely fall in love with this song. Florence Welsh uses her amazing vocal abilities to the max giving us that imitate but power vibe that we've come to know and love. 

After hearing Hunger I was shocked at the controlled voice Florence uses in 'June' the first song on the album. The first line is a statement. It starts with silence, then a single guitar pluck and another and then the lyrics "The show was ending". To start the album at the ending is a bold and dramatic move and perfect for the theatrical vibe Florence and the Machine have always kept true to but sets the scene for the calmness that the newest album will present. It's this calmness that makes songs like 'Hunger' and 'Sky Full of Song' really stand out.

Many of the songs have a stilled humbled appreciation of the past, each song lending itself to a wistful point in Florence's history. An apology to her sister and the concern Florence has for disappointing her mother in "Grace" bears Florence's soul. 'South London Forever' strikes a cord with many late teen to early twenties listeners as she opens up about drug use. 'South London Forever' also provides an insight in to nativity Florence had. You can hear the disappoint when she thought "nothing can be better than this" describing the youthful hand holding and drunken stumbles through the London streets.

One of the most unique songs I found was 'Patricia' an ode to  Patti Smith, a rock hippie who made her name throughout the 60s and 70s. When I heard this song there is such an unforgettable appreciation for this time of hippies and punks. You can hear The Beatles influence throughout  especially with melodies between the chorus'. Florence's love for Patti is also a key element seen when Florence states "You've always been my north start".

This Album offers more than an indie party full of fun beats and feet stomping as her other Album have done. 'High As Hope' opens Florence up for scrutiny and she doesn't let this scare her. These songs are real and beautiful and raw but retain the essence that we love from Florence and the machine while offering us an exciting deceleration of a new chapter in their music. The album closes with the song "No Choir" as Florence sings "This will be entirely forgotten" but I think Florence has fooled herself as the wounds she has exposed to us in these song will never be forgotten.