I am now officially obsessed with Florence + the Machine. I started listening to their new album, Ceremonials, on iTunes the other day and then I purchased it. It’s definitely a great album. So far, my favorite track if “What the Water Gave Me“:

I love the video for this song too. I’m fascinated by how different Florence Welch looks from different angles and in different clothes. Sometimes she looks like a teenager; sometimes she looks like a middle-aged Joan Crawford. She’s actually 25. I love the way she plays with her image in this way — sometimes seeming to be an innocent girl and sometimes being an amazonian woman. Her visual sense is even more impressive to me than Lady Gaga’s (who I also love).

While “What the Water Gave Me” is my favorite track, I also love several others: “Only if for a Night,” “Shake It Out,” and “Spectrum.”

Here’s the video for “Shake It Out”:

And here is a live performance of the song on The X Factor, just to show her visual aesthetic:

Here are the lyrics for “What the Water Gave Me”:

Time it took us
To where the water was
That’s what the water gave me
And time goes quicker
Between the two of us
Oh, my love, don’t forsake me
Take what the water gave me

Lay me down
Let the only sound
Be the overflow
Pockets full of stones

Lay me down
Let the only sound
Be the overflow

And oh, poor Atlas
The world’s a beast of a burden
You’ve been holding on a long time
And all this longing
And the ships are left to rust
That’s what the water gave us

So lay me down
Let the only sound
Be the overflow
Pockets full of stones
Lay me down
Let the only sound
Be the overflow

‘Cause they took your loved ones
But returned them in exchange for you
But would you have it any other way?
Would you have it any other way?
You couldn’t have it any other way

‘Cause she’s a cruel mistress
And a bargain must be made
But oh, my love, don’t forget me
I let the water take me

Lay me down
Let the only sound
Be the over flow
Pockets full of stones

Lay me down
Let the only sound
Be the overflow

Lay me down
Let the only sound
Be the overflow
Pockets full of stones

Lay me down
Let the only sound
Be the overflow