Just like, it seems, everyone else in the world, I was knocked out by Mumford & Sons when they appeared on the American music scene back in 2009. I caught them at Bonnaroo in 2011 and felt a certain amount of energy and promise swirling in the air which almost never happens with any band - new or well-established. It felt like some kind of musical movement - a daring declaration of a new generation turning on to what could be done in the name of folk music.
So, it's with a little disappointment that I gave their follow-up album Babel a spin and discovered they decided against letting their sound evolve and, instead, released a disc which does pretty much exactly what Sigh No More did, all over again. It's not a bad disc by any stretch of the imagination, but the amount of maturity and depth displayed on the bonus songs indicates this band is capable of quite a bit more than they were willing to portray in the bulk of their sophomore effort. I'll keep holding out for hearing their promise realized on disc number three, whenever that comes. But, for now, here are my thoughts on Babel by Mumford & Sons.
image © Glass Note 2012
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