I remember exactly where I was and how I was left feeling the first time I heard Florence Welch’s voice. I also remember how stupidly happy I was to get her debut album, Lungs three days before it was released. I think I played it over a hundred times in the space of three days. Good job I have five copies.

I remember this feeling of euphoria, and “YES! This is what I’ve been waiting for my whole life!” just hitting me in the skull as I listened to each song. I was just so utterly overwhelmed by what I was hearing. How could someone my age have a voice like this? How could someone my age say all these dark things when I can’t even say my own name half the time? I was just in awe. I knew Lungs was going to be the best thing I’d ever heard, but I wasn’t expecting THIS.

Two songs from Ceremonials have been put out over the past few weeks, both of which have caused me to feel exactly the same way I felt when I first heard her voice in 2007. In pure awe of this voice. It’s unbelievable. I honestly cannot understand how anyone cannot fall in love with her voice. I know I write about her a lot, but each time I just find something else to write. It’s okay though, hardly anyone reads this so it’s fine.

Her music is like some kind of shield/comfort blanket. I don’t care that I’m nearly 25 and saying this, it’s true. Sometimes, you just need someone to sum up those feelings- and she does it. She can vocalise those dark feelings that you are constantly told are wrong to fee. Yeah, fuck that. Feel what you want, no one can tell you that you’re wrong. If you feel like shit, fucking feel it- don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t. You’re happy? Don’t let anyone tell you that you do not deserve it, because you do.

The darkness, the demons, battles, questioning, fragility that is in her music means everything to me. I still stand by meeting her was the best day of my life, nothing is ever going to top that. Unless I meet her again, this more than likely will not happen. Her voice is so grand and powerful, even when she is singing so softly it is so dominant. When she hits those high notes, every part of you comes alive. That’s what she does, she makes you feel alive. She wakes up that part of you that has been dormant for so long. No one else can reach you, but Florence can. She has this way of sending you into a trance- you don’t want to snap out of it.

When I listened to Shake It Out, I cried. I am not ashamed to say that her music can make me break down, even if I feel fine. I cannot listen to Shake It Out without having a bit of a cry. There is something so raw about it that just makes you cry. If you cannot feel how forceful it is, then you’re missing the point. If her music doesn’t move you and makes you feel alive; what’s wrong with you?

When you listen to her music, you just have to give yourself over to Florence. That’s all you can do, just give in and do it. No bad can come from it. Her music gives you this freedom that no other person on Earth can give you. Everyone wants something from another, the best thing you can do it call them out on it before they do so. Don’t let the bastards rob you of your soul. Just don’t. If it should happen (and I hope it doesn’t) play a Florence song. It will cause you to let go. I attract bad things most of the time, I don’t know why, it just happens. Florence’s music just allows me to let everything go and not care anymore. When you can allow yourself to embrace freedom and not caring- it’s such a good feeling. You know nothing can touch you because you’ve hit rock bottom and no fucker is going to take you there again.

I get this when I listen to Swimming and Hurricane Drunk. Just let yourself go, you don’t need to be caught all the time. Fall freely, who cares where you land. “I brace myself, ‘cause I know it’s going to hurt. But I like to think; at least things can’t get any worse.” It’s like shrugging it all off, you can’t feel much worse than this; and you know it. Fuck it.

Blinding owns a part of me. It wakes something up inside that I cannot describe. It’s so menacing and brilliant. A lot of songs around do not expose any dark feelings. Florence does. She said in an interview recently that music should be frightening. I wholeheartedly agree. Music should take you places that you are terrified to visit. It should make you feel things that you are shit scared to feel. When a piece of music does it, it’s less daunting than when a person does it. Her music is so haunting and delightfully captivating. You feel like you are floating, watching everything pass you by. It provides such a glorious sense of freedom. I write such nonsense after 11pm, but it’s okay- no one will read this, so I don’t have to worry about making sense, or not in this case.

“No more dreaming of the dead as if death itself was undone.” Why keep thinking about things that cannot be undone? People constantly mull over the bad and cannot seem to let it go. Stop thinking about that so-called friend that fucked you over, they don’t care about you. Stop thinking about your ex, they do not want you. Stop living in the past, you slowly kill yourself when you do that. You’re not living at all when you torture yourself with past events trying to work out what you would do differently and what you didn’t do. I mean fuck….life is hard enough at times; you don’t need to damage yourself more than you already. Come on now. Florence’s music is this exquisite wave of bliss with darkness that just captures your heart and shakes your bones. It’s everything and more. Those that love her, know exactly what I mean. I hope they do, because I don’t. I’m tired.

I remember listening to Howl, and realising- this is what love is. Love starts out to be the best thing in the world (or so you are led to believe) but in the end, it destroys you. Then you get over it, and start over again. Or you don’t- you don’t allow yourself to fall for anything or anyone- because no one has done it over you. “Be careful of the curse that falls on young lovers. It starts so soft and sweet, and turns them to hunters.” It’s like a piece of advice that you should keep chained around your heart, but one day- you’ll find the right time to let it go. Don’t be quick and don’t be foolish, young lovers. Don’t ruin your poor heart so quickly.

Her bruised knees and earthly presence makes her so easy to relate to and love. She has this warm personality, you just know that if she saw an insect struggling on a path she’d stop whatever she was doing to rescue it. If kids want someone to look up to, I’d say use your parents first- if not, go with Florence. Don’t worship her; no one deserves to be worshipped. But look at her and think, “I can do anything.” Because you can. The only person, who stops you, is you. Her music is a safety net and can also make you feel things you don’t want to feel. There was once a time, long time ago where I just couldn’t listen to Cosmic Love. Everything about it just broke my heart. That phase lasted not even a week. It’s one of the most beautiful and purest songs ever written. Imagine being in the same room as her recording this. Same with Blinding and Between Two Lungs. You know how everyone says, “I hate hangovers.” Well, Florence has created masterpieces whilst hung-over. Most just stay in bed and waste the day away. She writes songs that pierce through your heart. I’ve only been hung-over once, I wanted my mum and my head hurt.

She even makes cover versions sound a billion times better than the original. Covers such as Addicted To Love, Postcards From Italy- she has this way of being so brilliant, I wonder if she knows it? You know when someone is so amazing, and they don’t know it? It’s what draws you into them? That’s what it’s like with Florence. She has the voice of an Angel and is so bloody humble about it. I rarely get drunk, but I bet she’d be amazing to drink a bottle of Rum with. You’d probably end up running round a park and smuggling a squirrel home.

I’m not someone who strives to find total happiness. Being sad doesn’t bother me, and being totally happy isn’t something that makes me feel warm inside. Florence’s music make those unspoken feelings okay to feel. Everyone knows growing up is a bloody pain. They know it’s such a chore. You’re supposed to do this, that, feel like this, dress like that, behave like this- NO! Don’t do it. Do what you want. Not knowing what you want should keep you going.

Her voice is so soothing and powerful at the same time. Her voice has so much soul in it, how can someone so young have this much power? Truly, truly gifted- you can’t deny it.

What The Water Gave Me and Shake It Out have a more soulful and gospel feel to them compared to the old demos and Lungs. Shake It Out is so bloody empowering, most of her songs are. Anything you go through in life; good or bad, you can probably associate a Florence song to it. But be careful, you don’t want anyone ruining her music for you.

There’s a song she covered that, when I heard it, it just gave the song much more pain and despair to it than the original. Her take on Marvin Gaye’s Heard It Through The Grapevine evokes much more torment than the original. Musically, it is much more basic- but the way she sings it just breaks you. Marvin’s version is obviously a work of art, but Florence takes it to a different place. You can imagine her being stood there looking at this person and singing this through gritted teeth as her heart slowly breaks into tiny pieces- your heart breaks with hers. It is that powerful, you can’t deny that.

One thing that I love about her music is how dominating the drums are in her music. From Drumming Song to Strangeness And Charm- the drums just hit you in the gut. As the drums are so powerful, it causes you to lose your mind when you listen to the songs. And live? Oh bloody hell. Live, you just lose it. Everything goes, you are free. Her live shows are truly wonderful. You sing every song as if your life depends on it. You gaze at her on the stage as she controls everything you think and feel- you don’t mind losing your self control here. Everyone goes mental to Dog Days Are Over. It is such a beautiful thing to see everyone full of joy during that sing, screaming along with her. How one person can control a crowd like that is beyond comprehension. It is most overwhelming. It is honestly like a religious experience.

October 31^st cannot come quick enough. Her second album has been highly anticipated and is easily going to be THE album of 2011. Will it be better than Lungs? Well, no. It’ll be different won’t it, and if something is different you really cannot compare it. If she can create such a wonderful work of art for her debut album, it is obvious that Ceremonials will be just as stunning- and so will her albums after that. I have no idea how I’ve managed to write over 2000 in under an hour. I’ve probably made no sense but I’ve wanted to write something like this for some time, I guess with a second album about to be released- now is as good a time as any.