Ceremonials
by Florence + the Machine
  • Record Label: Island
  • Release Date: Nov 1, 2011
Metascore
75

Generally favorable reviews - based on 36 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 36
  2. Mixed: 14 out of 36
  3. Negative: 0 out of 36
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  1. Delusions of Adequacy
    Mar 22, 2012
    60
    It's this robust fervor and subject matter that fire up and lift up many of the songs on Ceremonials, but the constant exhortation comes at a price. Listener fatigue sets in as the relentless, up-tempo pace and sharply exclamatory vocal tone overwhelms over the course of the album.
  2. Mojo
    Jan 10, 2012
    60
    For all the florid curlicues and crescendos, Welch's second album is light on true beauty, real idiosyncrasy. [Dec. 2011, p.94]
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  3. American Songwriter
    Nov 7, 2011
    60
    What's offered on Ceremonials is solid, even a cut or two above solid. But it doesn't move the band forward.
  5. NOW Magazine
    Nov 3, 2011
    60
    Like Mickey Mouse conducting the ocean in Fantasia, she often seems more a celestial vessel for the heady energy and abstract imagery than a relatable character--a balance she doesn't always strike.
  6. Pitchfork
    Nov 3, 2011
    60
    Instead of Lungs' largely charming yet discombobulating diversity, Ceremonials suffers from a repetitiveness that's akin to looking at a skyline filled with 100-story behemoths lined-up one after the other, blocking out everything but their own size.
  7. Drowned In Sound
    Nov 1, 2011
    60
    As a second album, it is perfectly acceptable and there are many aspects of it to admire. But the static present on much of Ceremonials cannot quantify the record as anything but a regression in broader terms.
  8. No Ripcord
    Nov 1, 2011
    60
    As it stands, the best that could be said about Ceremonials is that it's a pleasant enough listen that will change absolutely nobody's mind about Florence and her machine.
  9. The Independent (UK)
    Oct 28, 2011
    60
    But in cementing one style, some of the possibilities offered by Lungs have been choked off.
  10. BBC Music
    Oct 27, 2011
    60
    This is all grandeur without any grace.
  11. The Guardian
    Oct 27, 2011
    60
    Ceremonials always sounds wonderful--producer Paul Epworth has created a warm, soft, four-poster featherbed of sound for Welch to emote over--but it never really satisfies.
  12. The New York Times
    Nov 7, 2011
    50
    In making the songs so monumental, Florence and the Machine have also made them impersonal.
  13. The Boston Phoenix
    Nov 2, 2011
    50
    For a while, it's promising: "Only If for a Night" pits Welch's soulful-and-strange vocal gymnastics against a firecracker beat and a gang of chorus chanters. But elsewhere, Ceremonials feels drained of personality.
  14. Uncut
    Nov 11, 2011
    40
    The result is exhausting, an album of songs that all want to be showstoppers. [Dec 2011, p.86]
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  15. The Observer (UK)
    Oct 31, 2011
    40
    Ceremonials never comes down off the high precipice.

Awards & Rankings

12
#12 Most Discussed Album of 2011
12
#12 Most Shared Album of 2011

User Reviews

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User Score
8.9

Universal acclaim- based on 585 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 541 out of 585
  2. Mixed: 13 out of 585
  3. Negative: 31 out of 585
  1. Dreamcatcher189
    Nov 1, 2011
    10
    I can honestly say that is album is the best album released in 2011. There is no contest. The sound is like nothing you have heard before, theI can honestly say that is album is the best album released in 2011. There is no contest. The sound is like nothing you have heard before, the vocals are breathtaking and the production is perfection. As much as I liked "Lungs" it does not compare to "Ceremonials". It is an experience, It cannot be explained! you have to live it to understand.… Full Review »
  2. drukqs
    Nov 1, 2011
    9
    In an era of pop music full of insipid one hit wonders and autotuned abortions it's really refreshing to hear an album like Ceremonials. ForIn an era of pop music full of insipid one hit wonders and autotuned abortions it's really refreshing to hear an album like Ceremonials. For anyone who's heard Lungs, it shouldn't be a surprise that this delivers in areas where other pop albums simply can't. Ceremonials, like Lungs before it, provides an interesting juxtaposition of glossy synths, natural instrumentation and organic drum patterns topped off by Florence's brilliant vocal delivery. However, the mood of Ceremonials is what sets it apart from its predecessor. Whilst Lungs was springlike and frequently jubilant, Ceremonials is more like its slightly more subdued autumnal counterpart. That's not to suggest that Ceremonials is at all joyless, far from it, but there are moments of frosty atmospherics in between Florence's blustery vocals.… Full Review »
  3. marktron
    Nov 15, 2011
    4
    Instead of a nuanced, eclectic collection of songs similar to Lungs, Florence has decided that every second of Ceremonials must sound exactlyInstead of a nuanced, eclectic collection of songs similar to Lungs, Florence has decided that every second of Ceremonials must sound exactly like biggest moments of Dog Days are Over and Cosmic Love. What happens is that all of the songs start to blur together in their big drum, harp, and choir sameness. Highlights include Only If For A Night, Breaking Down and What the Water Gave Me. The rest of the songs are essentially re-writes of those tracks except the failed Adele-esque adult contemporary of Lover To Lover or the embarrassing kid's Halloween movie level of spookiness of Seven Devil's.… Full Review »
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