Album review: High as hope of Florence and the Machine is a discreet and disappointing return

Florence and The Machine have never been known for her minimalism. She burst into the mainstream with her loud gale voice, and continued to roll this wave on three albums that drew on visceral instrumentation to deliver some of the most cinematic and dramatic movies of this decade

Welch's fourth offer composes things with diminishing returns. It's a surprisingly raw record, with Welch offering some of the most honest and personal lyrics of his career, and production playing mostly with drums, pianos and horns in slow motion. But what's missing is Welch's usual talent for hot vocal hooks and stunning melodies. A number of songs on Hope fail to break down the ideas that Welch put on the table, resulting in a recording that disappears from memory when it is finished.

The second single Hunger opens on a heartbreaking confession ("At 17, I started to let myself starve"), and continues to reveal some of the most poignant words of Welch speaking about his fight against drug addiction – "I thought that love was in the drug – a way". But the forgettable structure of the track drops off its own emotional work, with a chorus that follows the same chords as the worms, revolving around a sterile vocal hook – "we all have a hunger".

Songs such as June and Big God are dropped by similar pitfalls, with a lack of elevation leaving a noticeable void. But it is a record of Florence and the Machine, and it would be criminal to ignore the essential moments of beauty that Welch invariably delivers. South London Forever is an ode turned towards the sky towards the kind of distilled and ephemeral happiness that one finds in the party; with some of his most poetic lyrics ("Young and drunk and stumbling in the street … like unsteady foals on their feet"), the chorus intertwines a modest rhythm with Welch's falsetto, allowing him to unfold like a budding flower. Later, the hypnotic Patricia, written in tribute to Patti Smith, uses thrilling palpitations and a frantic pace before making its way into an ambient, heavy ropes.

On Welch's debut, Lungs, she balanced her crescendos with more meditative moments and more folks – and the shining line was how each song had been refined into one essence, and allowed to skyrocket if necessary. On High as Hope, Welch is able to show this ability to become a force of nature – but all too often, ideas are left as if they had never gone beyond their first draft.

Florence and the Machine, High as Hope

Artist:

Florence and the Machine

Album:

Great as Hope [19659002] Tag:

Universal

Verdict:

An offering covered with a force of nature.