Went through Ceremonials completely already, a modest review:
Only If For A Night - Great song as a intro, beautiful modern melody and the piano beat throughout the whole song is beyond outstanding. The chorus is somewhat repetitive and her voice doesn't really change from tone, it remains constant, which is a shame given her natural talent to hit extremely high notes.
Shake It Out - Nothing impressive nor fulfilling, the 'shake it out' line drowns itself into repetitiveness very quickly and wears down the melody from any meaning other than a bunch of noise. I really can't picture this song being performed live. And "best new track" according to Pitchfork?
What The Water Gave Me - Powerful lyrics and excellent imagery, very calm and grows progressively changing different tempo markings giving it a sense of uniqueness into one of many styles that the band possesses. The arp is noticeable at several parts and ends the song with a nice touch.
Never Let Me Go - Her voice really hits the marking on this one as well as the tranquility that surrounds each verse. A potential mainstream hit on record and live.
Breaking Down - A very big part sounds like late 70's, early 80's soul music. Again, her loud voice could make this song much better instead of pretty much using a low tone, almost whispering, into the whole melody.
Lover To Lover - Stands out mainly because it's one of the few songs so far where her voice is projected into the beat. Most of the piano is heard as a combination of indie background that supports her vocals on a high tone.
No Light, No Light - Finally something somewhat similar to their previous work; would make a great live performance but it lacks deepness unlike other songs.
Seven Devils - Creepy melody, hence the name... very mysterious lyrics and somewhat challenging to comprehend. Her voice doesn't project itself again due to the lack of intensity from the melody. Definitely a filler that lacks originality.
Heartlines - Very similar to Shake It Out, just a few changes with tone and rhythms used.
Spectrum - Indie rock at its best, a great song with a modern and danceable background and the overall tones used make it unlike any other present so far.
All This And Heaven Too - Not bad but not too great either, has a lot of diversion to different tempo markings making the melody not suitable for the lyrics combined.
Leave My Body - A flowing melody that projects her voice, backing vocals, and a lot of the beats altogether almost magically. Ends the album with a great touch.
Overall, the album is good but not better than Lungs. There are a lot of fillers, almost every track sounds the same style-wise, and there's a lack of originality from Paul Epworth. Lungs has a different approach to every song, more variety and creativity, mainly due to the production of Eg White, Charlie Hugall, and Isabella Summers as the main songwriter.
A hit single like Dog Days Are Over isn't within perspective on this record. I perceive that the band rushed too quickly into doing this album with no vision of progressing and doing better than what Lungs brought to the table; maybe the unexpected fame and hefty cash flow got too heated up in their heads.