Lungs: Florence And The Machine
SHE'S endlessly bracketed with the other female solo artists breaking through this year but there's more violence to Florence Welch's dramatic, multi-layered soundscapes, with lyrics like "Happiness hit her like a train on a track".
She shares a kooky theatricality and love of otherworldly instrumentation with Bat For Lashes' Natasha Khan while the swooping range of her vocals echoes Cranberries' Dolores O'Riordan.
VERDICT 4/5
(Island)