Mumford & Sons: Sigh No More
Mumford & Sons: Sigh No More
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By Matt Hallam. |  |
Friday, 02, Oct 2009 02:28
Gentlemen of the Road (Island), out October 5th.
In a nutshell...
Anthemic, yet soulful high energy folk
What's it all about?
Sigh No More is the band's long-awaited debut after several EPs released under Chess Club records, with this effort being released instead through Island records. The album consists of 12 tracks ranging from soft sweet ballads to fierce banjo strumming and foot stomping anthems.
Who's it by?
London band Mumford & Sons are made up of Marcus Mumford, the lead vocalist, also on guitars and drums, Winston Marshall on vocals banjo and dobra, Ben Lovett on vocals, keyboard and organ and finally Ted Dwane on vocals and bass. They only just formed in 2007 but have frequently played in the folk scene as part of Laura Marling's backing band and with Johnny Flynn, JJ Pistolet and Noah & the Whale.
As an example...
"But it was not your fault but mine/And it was your heart on the line/I really f***ed it up this time/Didn't I, my dear?" - Little Lion Man
Likelihood of a trip to the Grammys
Although this is Mumford & Sons' first album I'm sure it is at the top of many a music critics' radar. Whilst the band has produced much hype and a strong initial following with its high energy shows and soulful songs, it still seems like early days for Mumford. The Grammys aren't really their style, but with the amount of people calling them 'London's next best thing' and the BBC longlisting them in the 'Sound of 2009' who knows?
What the others say
"At their best, the music is in perfect harmony with Mumford's lyrics: swaying between head and heart" - Guardian
"Initially known as the on-off backing band for Laura Marling, Mumford & Sons finally step out of the shadows with Sigh No More, staking its claim as The Band to the elfin one's Bob Dylan. The result is a record to rouse rabbles and warm cockles in equal measure, full of salty words to the wise and buoyed by Arcade Fire and Maccabees accomplice Markus Dravs' slick production job." - NME
So is it any good?
Listening to the lyrics, they could easily make a mushy pop song, but Mumford take their heart-string tugging lyrics and weave them in with banjos and folk rock to construct traditional sounding, yet powerful ballads for the modern folk enthusiast. The lyrics are vocalised from soft lament to reverberating bellows with themes of romantic misadventure and the spinning of old fashioned fairytales.
The urgency of lead single Little Lion Man is impossible to ignore. It is probably the most powerful and effective song on the album. At their live shows this is the one where everybody yells out every line of the lyrics with more passion than one usually sees at a show for such a new outfit. The reeling crescendos climax with foot-stomping and fierce banjo strumming. You get the feeling that any minute people will link arm in arm and start flinging each other around in an impromptu hoedown.
White Blank Page is excruciatingly romantic, with Mumford's dramatic, yet sensitive vocals pleading "Tell me now where was my fault, in loving you with my whole heart?" before leaping into a pounding piano backing and furious banjo strumming. There is a weight behind this song, as there are with many others which lead the listener into not wanting to doubt the weight of the songs, or the true subject behind them.
Some folk albums easily fade into background music and become part of the chill out genre. Mumford & Sons' album on the other hand stirs up emotions both of sadness and joy. Whilst this album certainly shows off Mumford & Sons' sound, they haven't kept to a formula, but rather delivered a mixture of sweet soft folk songs and mixed it in with raucous vocals and anthemic songs which border on bluegrass and country.
Few artists achieve the feat of leaving one slightly speechless, but Marcus and Co. seem to have achieved just that.
10/10
Gemma Alver