Florence + The Machine - As Far As I Could Get

The last Florence + the Machine record, ‘Ceremonials’, was one of the most absurdly overblown indie rock records since The Smashing Pumpkin’s ‘Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness’. Recently, things have been going in the other direction, going by early indications for forthcoming record anyway. ‘How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful’. ‘As Far as I Could Get’ isn’t quite as sparse or minimal as recent release ‘St. Jude’, but it certainly channels much of the same mood and atmosphere.

One of the chief criticisms of Florence Welch’s vocal delivery in the past is that it’s perhaps a little too unrefined, but her turn on this track is taut, soulful and cleverly pitched, smartly complementing the drums - which roll gently, but carry a hint of real menace - and the wandering bass line. Besides some barely-there synths drifting in and out, there isn’t a great deal more to this track - and therein lies the triumph. If the four (count ‘em) tracks we’ve already had released from ‘How Blue…’ are any indication of the finished product, we’re going to have a better balanced Florence + The Machine this time around, and some of the abundant promise displayed on ‘Lungs’ might actually be fulfilled.