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Ceremonials
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Ceremonials Image
Metascore
75

Generally favorable reviews - based on 36 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
8.9

Universal acclaim- based on 585 Ratings

  • Summary: The darker second album for the indie band was produced by Paul Epworth.
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Top Track

Shake It Out
Regrets collect like old friends Here to relive your darkest moments I can see no way, I can see no way And all of the ghouls come out to play And... See the rest of the song lyrics
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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 36
  2. Mixed: 14 out of 36
  3. Negative: 0 out of 36
  1. Q Magazine
    Dec 13, 2011
    100
    Ceremonials is quite some achievement: an accomplished pop record infused with intelligence and imagination... It offers the final, conclusive evidence that she's a pop star to believe in. [Dec. 2011 p. 118]
    All this publication's reviews
  2. Sputnikmusic
    Nov 4, 2011
    90
    Ceremonials is truly one of the few recent pop LPs that works both as a collection of individual songs and as a true album, with the right balance and flow to keep the record captivating from start to finish.
  3. Under The Radar
    Nov 11, 2011
    80
    An ambitious LP like is, backlit by harmonies and dramatic chord changes, is the perfect vehicle to showcase her voice; a less talented vocalist would crumble under its heaviness.
  4. Paste Magazine
    Nov 2, 2011
    73
    Ceremonials abandons so many of the musical avenues she mapped out on Lungs and focuses instead on a monolithic sound that is certainly affecting but is becoming increasingly conventional in 2011.
  5. 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.
  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. The Observer (UK)
    Oct 31, 2011
    40
    Ceremonials never comes down off the high precipice.

See all 36 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 78 out of 83
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 83
  3. Negative: 1 out of 83
  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.… Expand
  2. LanaDelRey
    Mar 24, 2013
    10
    This Album Is Just The Best Damn Thing I've Ever Heard!
  4. RobbyP
    May 4, 2018
    10
    A beautiful, sprawling, atmospheric album that takes me to dark places where I want to wail the lyrics with careless abandon. Okay, maybeA beautiful, sprawling, atmospheric album that takes me to dark places where I want to wail the lyrics with careless abandon. Okay, maybe that's dramatic, but Florence + the Machine IS drama. And this album is the perfect embodiment of their affinity for gut busting numbers. I love this album, and there are very few tracks on it that I will skip.… Expand
  5. Haldy
    Nov 3, 2011
    10
    Florence has always been one of those beautiful acts that are always there on your iPod should you need something powerful to play in yourFlorence has always been one of those beautiful acts that are always there on your iPod should you need something powerful to play in your ears, for me. This album, however, has made her so much more.

    It's powerful, a power that exceeds even the near flawless 'Lungs'. It carries with it the haunting edge 'Lungs' also held, but plays on it in far more straight-forward ways, a hurricane in musical production and voice, though she equally explores softer melodies, wind instruments and sweeter singing, reminiscent to my 'Lungs' highlight, 'Blinding'.

    This is not to mention the fact that Florence Welch is one of the best songwriters in recent memory, let alone singers. She's truly crafted herself a niche in music and still manages to feel like a breath of empowering, fresh air on every listen. It's thus far, for me, the quintessential album of 2011.    … Expand
  6. CBRN10
    Mar 25, 2012
    9
    amazing album!!! made me buy her other album and fall in love with this band from the beginning. shake it out is pure genius. that songamazing album!!! made me buy her other album and fall in love with this band from the beginning. shake it out is pure genius. that song speaks volumes.… Expand
  7. InvisibleM
    Jul 22, 2012
    8
    Ceremonials is really baroque and haunting and one of the best album released in 2011. Thanks to songs like What The Water Gave Me (aCeremonials is really baroque and haunting and one of the best album released in 2011. Thanks to songs like What The Water Gave Me (a masterpiece!), Shake it Out, Leave My Body, Never Let Me Go and Spectrum this album won't leave your head & while listening to it you'll have the feeling of participating in some kind of old ceremony or ritual to get rid of the devil inside of you (or whatever, it doesn't really matter at all).… Expand
  8. JamesKeely
    Nov 26, 2011
    3
    After finally managing to force myself to listen to Ceremonials for a third time, I can safely say my initial verdict was the correct one -After finally managing to force myself to listen to Ceremonials for a third time, I can safely say my initial verdict was the correct one - Just about every song misses the mark on what it tries to achieve and they all suffer from the same problem of being over-produced and under delivered. In the end, a grand, sweeping sound throughout can't mask the half-baked lyrics and bad arrangement. Lungs was a masterpiece. This is utter crap.… Expand

See all 83 User Reviews

Awards & Rankings

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

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