[T]he four British folk rockers of Mumford and Sons are back with Babel, their follow up to their 2010 debut, Sigh No More. With one album, the foursome peaked at
#2 on the Billboard 200, earned two grammy nominations, and managed to get banjo-heavy folk rock played on top 40 and adult contemporary stations across the U.S. Their second album, out today, picks up right where Sigh No More left off. A longer album with the same standard Mumford formula, this album should more than please Mumford and Sons’ fans.
There are three main components to any one Mumford and Sons song. You’ve got verses of Marcus Mumford’s compelling storytelling, sandwiched between rolling banjo instrumentals and harmony-heavy verses that pack an emotional punch. The Cave, Winter Winds and White Blank Page, all have this basic structure.
The guys have stuck with the waves of banjo and guitar, and building emotion on almost all of the tracks from Babel. On the lead single, I Will Wait, the song starts with the rolling banjo and guitars, before they break
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for Marcus’ lead vocals. And it’s the 2nd chorus when the guys join in, “I will wait, I will wait for you.” It’s pretty standard. Quiet but solid vocals from Marcus. Banjos and guitars furiously kick in. Then die down for the chorus. Then kick back in before Ben, Winston and Ted join on harmonies. That is your basic Mumford and Sons song. And it clearly works.
The guys have however, added a bit more depth to the standard keyboards/banjo/guitar/upright bass sound with a more prominent horn section. While there were horns on Sigh No More, they were most often quiet and deep in the background of tracks (the exception, of course, being the opening of Winter Winds.) On Holland Road, horns anchor the song, where for once you can hear them almost louder than the banjo. And they add heft to the closing on I Will Wait as well. In that sense, Babel is a bit more layered and developed than Sigh No More. And though it is an improvement, it might take fans a bit longer to get into them.
And for those who were fans of the more quiet tunes, that swelled with emotion, Ghosts That We Knew will
settle that craving. “So give me hope in the darkness, that I will see the dark,” Marcus pleads on the chorus.
I’m not going to say that Babel is better than Sigh No More or vice versa. But honestly, it doesn’t really matter. If you loved Sigh No More, you’ll love Babel. And if you’ve grown weary of their banjos and massive growth, you’ll probably want to steer clear. It’s doubtful Mumford and Sons will be dying down anytime soon.
You can grab their album here. And it’s worth noting that the deluxe version of Babel features three bonus tracks including a cover of Simon and Garfunkel’s The Boxer, featuring Jerry Douglas and Paul Simon himself. And it also looks like it might be a while before the guys are back on U.S. soil, as minus one date in LA in November, all of their upcoming tour dates are in the UK, Australia and New Zealand. But you can keep your eye on their tour dates here.
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