Lungs by Florence + the Machine

By gaiJen, a stranger in a strange land

ungs, the debut album from Florence + the Machine, is bizarrely beautiful for long stretches of time and oddly overproduced in a way I can only describe as disco-boom at other times.

• "Kiss with a Fist" was the first single from the album and is a jokesy celebration of mutual domestic violence. While I don't condone kicking the sh*t out of each other, the song has this sort of happy, scuzzy guitar sound that reminds me of The White Stripes.
• "Dog Days are Over" has a faded summer charm to it and would fit perfectly on a playlist of songs to listen to while driving in the country with the windows down at dusk in late August.
• "Rabbit Heart (Raise it Up)", "Girl with One Eye", "Howl" and "Hurricane Drunk" are songs for people who enjoy the darker gothic stylings of Annie Lennox, Tori Amos, and Fiona Apple.
• But the song I hit repeat on as soon as it finishes is "I'm Not Calling You a Liar," mostly because I am enchanted by the first 20 seconds of the song.

As a debut album, Lungs leaves me curious about their sophomore effort, rumored to begin recording in January 2010.