And we’re back.

This week I bring you an album that’s been making quite a stir in indie circles and, occasionally, even mainstream circles. British group Florence and the Machine (which might as well be Florence and her machine, as she’s definitely the driving force) have release their 2nd LP Ceremonials and it’s quite the the piece of art.

The first thing you’ll notice when you fire up Ceremonials is Florence’s voice. Any number of words could be used to describe it – angelic, amazing, powerful – in any case, she’s a rising talent with pipes that easily match better-known vocalists like Christina Aguilera. Her voice makes this album.

However, that isn’t to say her backing instrumentalists aren’t good either. The Machine succeeds in creating a multi-layered, ethereal composition that wonderfully compliments the vocals. Ceremonials is a fluid, diverse album with indie and pop roots – but when I say pop, I’m referring more to artful pop like that of Janelle Monae instead of crap pop like Ke$ha.

There are a lot of great songs on the album; my favorite is “No Light, No Light”. Check it out:

Ceremonials is simply an album that shouldn’t be missed. Grab a copy on iTunes and support the band on Facebook!