-
10.0
76602
10.0 |
Time Out
This is an overwhelmingly accomplished record that deserves your time
Read Review
-
9.0
76778
9.0 |
Gig Soup
This album should enhance Florence Welch's reputation as one of the most talented female artistes, not just in the UK, but worldwide
Read Review
-
9.0
77085
9.0 |
No Ripcord
Welch may have lost her bearings and been forced to confront unpleasantries that bubbled to the surface, but she tackled these problems the same way as her entire career: with power, passion and grace
Read Review
-
8.5
76820
8.5 |
The Line Of Best Fit
A cathartic, devastatingly honest personal diary set to music
Read Review
-
8.3
76600
8.3 |
Pretty Much Amazing
How Big How Blue How Beautiful may just be a better record than the one it follows. It chisels at Ceremonials’ baroque marble sculpture to reveal something smaller and more appealing
Read Review
-
8.3
76712
8.3 |
Consequence Of Sound
With HBHBHB, Welch has added a considerable amount of feeling to her catalog, and it should go down as one of the year’s most well-crafted personal statements
Read Review
-
8.2
77189
8.2 |
Earbuddy
A sharp, streamlined yet equally enjoyable record
Read Review
-
8.0
76949
8.0 |
FasterLouder
Three albums into their career, Florence and The Machine know what they’re good at, and how to deliver what their fans want
Read Review
-
8.0
76972
8.0 |
The 405
An impressive record that seems to be ushering in a new, exciting era for Florence and the Machine
Read Review
-
8.0
76714
8.0 |
God Is In The TV
She continues to effectively use metaphors from literature, poetry and art to describe heart-aching issues
Read Review
-
8.0
76731
8.0 |
Paste Magazine
She sounds liberated in sprawl, veering from soulful shouters (“Delilah”) to measured electro-pop ballads (“St. Jude”)
Read Review
-
8.0
76592
8.0 |
Digital Spy
One of the most majestic crash landings in music
Read Review
-
8.0
76613
8.0 |
DIY
Could well be Florence’s finest hour of all. Things are only going to get bigger from here on in
Read Review
-
8.0
76374
8.0 |
NME
A restrained but joyful return, and a collection that will last long after Welch’s broken bones are mended
Read Review
-
8.0
76384
8.0 |
Q
This time there's less moping, more righteous indignation, a fresh sense of purpose. Print edition only
-
8.0
76395
8.0 |
Mojo
More lyrically direct and honest, even if sonically the lure of The Big Music remains strong for Welch. Print edition only
-
8.0
76440
8.0 |
State
Welch is refining her sound further still on album three, focussing on that balance between organic and electronic
Read Review
-
8.0
76524
8.0 |
musicOMH
Her best album to date, with some of the catchiest hooks and melodies she’s ever conjured up
Read Review
-
8.0
76548
8.0 |
Evening Standard
The sound is huge, with that mighty voice multitracked so that there always seems to be at least 10 of her
Read Review
-
7.6
76622
7.6 |
Pitchfork
This is a huge, sturdy record, built for arenas and it's richly and carefully enough constructed to endure the extensive exposure Welch's heartache is going to get over the course of this summer
Read Review
-
7.5
77806
7.5 |
Under The Radar
Welch and company have produced a series of songs that truly match the singer's formidable vocals while providing the players plenty of room to shine
Read Review
-
7.5
77023
7.5 |
Spectrum Culture
How Big may find Florence and the Machine simplifying their approach, yet this album may be their most varied, and it is without question their best to date
Read Review
-
7.0
76988
7.0 |
PopMatters
Florence Welch is still the master of massive choruses, but on How Big How Blue, How Beautiful, she also finds restraint
Read Review
-
7.0
76794
7.0 |
Spin
The album too often focuses on the latter two-thirds of the album title at the expense of the first
Read Review
-
7.0
76705
7.0 |
Rolling Stone
Art-pop diva Florence Welch returns with a renewed love for loud guitars and soul vocals
Read Review
-
7.0
76643
7.0 |
Sputnik Music (staff)
As gaudy as Florence and the Machine can get, the hypnotic heights the group reaches as “Mother” soars through that cloud of distortion is why we listen to them in the first place
Read Review
-
7.0
76617
7.0 |
Drowned In Sound
She’s gone from making an album that felt in constant peril of collapsing under its own weight to one that carries her predilection for drama with genuine confidence
Read Review
-
7.0
76373
7.0 |
The Music
The arrangements are grandiose as Welch and her collaborators smother much of this album in lush orchestral moments that sparkle
Read Review
-
6.0
76603
6.0 |
The Arts Desk
Although high on the drama, lyrically the album is as grounded as Welch’s work has ever been
Read Review
-
6.0
76661
6.0 |
All Music
When the album connects it moves right in and starts to redecorate, but when it falters, it's akin to a chatty party guest failing to realize that everyone else has gone home.
Read Review
-
6.0
76549
6.0 |
The Independent
This is Welch facing up to reality, confronting her emotional demons in a frank manner
Read Review
-
6.0
76567
6.0 |
The Observer
Finds her circling the drain of an imploded relationship, this time with novel directness
Read Review
-
6.0
76511
6.0 |
The Guardian
It’s an album that’s too overblown and daft for the songs to have the desired emotional impact: it’s never really intimate enough for the feelings Welch expresses to connect
Read Review
-
6.0
76514
6.0 |
The Irish Times
A brisk display of regained confidence and strength
Read Review
-
6.0
76747
6.0 |
Uncut
This is a sturdy and good-looking set of songs. Print edition only
-
6.0
76895
6.0 |
Clash
Florence & The Machine have delivered a much more dynamic record, that could draw in those put off by their overblown, dramatic sound
Read Review
-
4.0
76711
4.0 |
The List
An unsubtle fan pleaser following tried-and-tested formulas
Read Review
-