Okay, so I’ll admit it. I have mixed feelings about Florence and the Machine. We started out good. I liked most of her first album, even though some of it sounded like it was written to be  played at Wiccan Singles Mixers. She did pretty great on SNL, proving she can actually sing, like really well. Then there was the rooftop dance party with Andy, Dan, Jessica, and Celeste to the Dog Days are Over– 4 minutes and 13 seconds that will live in infamy. We got a standing ovation from Celeste’s neighbors who were having a dinner party on the next roof over.

That was the beginning of the end. The album wore thin on me and Florence was promoting it EVERYWHERE. And then the newest album came out. A girl can only take so much. So I turned on it, I started making fun of her. I even laughed when my co-workers called her a “shouting robot.” It just felt like her music was optimistic to the point of being insincere and was missing any sort of depth or real feeling. But she sang loud, so people kept buying into it. Too often in music volume gets mistaken for emotion, even though the two aren’t mutually exclusive.

Then I flip flopped again. A few months ago I came across an interview in Rolling Stone about how Florence is a total Green Day geek. Something I can very much relate to. In the interview, she talked about getting pulled up on stage by Billie Joe and getting to perform with him. I have this weakness for people having their dreams come true, so the deal was almost sealed. Then I did some you-tube-ing and saw the covers she did with some friends of Green Day’s Nimrod and that was that.

This chick is badass and a lover of music and did this really cool thing where she has very strong influences that help enhance her unique sound without changing it. A Florence song is beautiful, ethereal, and emotional, but owes it’s catchiness and passion to a person who grew up listening to punk and rock and roll.   Pretty neat stuff. I’m excited to hear more from her, and based on how loud she sings, I know I’ll hear it well.