I think the reason I took a while to get into Florence + the Machine’s debut album Lungs is because I didn’t really like the singles “Dog Days Are Over” and “You Got The Love”. It was too stage show for me.

However, I ignored those songs and found that the bulk of her songs have a more darker, tribal sound that’s more to my liking.

Thankfully, she continues to delve into her dark side even more for her new album Ceremonials. Florence even coined the term “chamber soul” – a fusion of chamber pop and soul music – to describe the bigger and darker sound.

Ceremonials is haunting, violent, scary and hopeful, a careful examination on the negative outcomes of love and romance. 

Sidebar: I was very late on the Florence + the Machine train. I'm not sure why. Despite everyone telling me to check them out, the snippets I would hear on car stereos sounded noisy.

Then, "Cosmic Love" came along and opened my ears. I was converted and haven't looked back since.

Anyway, still riding high on the slow-building success of Lungs, Florence Welch and company are prepping their second album for its November release. The first single and video has dropped for "What The Water Gave Me" and it is amazing!

It's got a more of a raw, 70s rock feeling to it, in my opinion, while still sounding like definate Machine material.

And to match the stripped down production, we have a video that is shot in studio and it looks like it was a pretty rockin' time.

I can't wait for this album!

Somewhere between Robyn and Florence + The Machine lies Austra, a Toronto trio who is gaining buzz for their debut LP Feel It Break.

Having studied opera, viola and piano as a child, lead singer Katie Stelmanis ditched it all once she saw a punk show and was exposed to the likes of Nine Inch Nails and The Knife. She wanted to start a band where opera and new wave would live in harmony.

Austra does just that. Bandmates Maya Postepski and Dorian Wolf provide the minimal electro sounds that Robyn would envy, while Katie's strong voice lends itself to the lush vocal styling of Florence Welch. 

Carving out a new identity has probably been informed by the fact that Katie and Maya are gay, which Katie partially credits for affecting the type of music she makes.

Check out their odd, David Lynch-ian video for "Lose It" now. And check out their creepy, sexy, NSFW video for "Beat and the Pulse" here.

Fight Club. My all-time favourite (non-Batman-related) movie.

Florence + the Machine. One of the best musical acts to wow me in recent years.

So, I welcome this amazing video mix of scenes from Fight Club set to Florence's songs appropriatley titled "Kiss With A Fist".

Enjoy!

<p>JYCINEMASHUP - Fist Club from Jeff Yorkes on Vimeo.</p>

It's not suprising that when one musician breaks big in the mainstream, it opens the doors for many artists with a similar sound.

So, with Florence + the Machine paving the way for the resurgence of big-voiced, dramatic and turbulent female singers, we have Clare Maguire dropping her debut single to the masses. 

But, where other copycats fade as quickly as the echoes that they really are, Clare's voice is its own beautiful beast. 

The London singer's voice is at once longing and menacing, filling the stark landscape in her video with her bold proclamations of love. I'm curious to see more from her.