The disc starts off on a grandiose scale with the title track, a full fledged folk rock sing along with the lead vocals of Marcus Mumford bringing wave to a slew of vivacious instrumentation and neatly laid out instrumentation that has no frills attached and allows you to focus on each piece individually. "Whispers In The Dark" tones it down slightly, but brings in elements of accordion courtesy of Ben Lovett and some distinct banjo elements from Winston Marshall that pumps up the diversity factor quite a bit and gives the listener something immensely entertaining that will keep them occupied all the way throughout. My favorite track off the release is the bombastic first single "I Will Wait", an intensely personal number that reads like a love song, but can be interpreted in a vastly different number of ways and really tugs at your heartstrings the moment you hear it and Marcus' sharp vocal power will leave you totally jarred and amazed with the exquisite and raw talent this group is capable of displaying at any given time. "Ghosts That We Knew" is an eerie, ominous number with toned down acoustic guitar numbers bringing the overall mood down several notches, and ushers in a different kind of tempo that we haven't seen on this album just yet, but is incredibly refreshing to hear what else the group has up their sleeve. "Lover of The Light" picks it up with a more upbeat frame of mind and a incredible instrumental arrangement that is too perfect to be ignored and sets up the second half with incredible promise.
And the second half begins with "Reminder" a downtempo, melancholy number that is a short, simple composition to fill up the plentiful space on the album and is a great focal point for Marcus to express his deep vocal persona on a well bodied track right here. "Hopeless Wanderer" begins with an intricate piano number and a deep emphasis on vocal harmony that sees everyone coming together for a terrific track that showcases each of the member's individual talents that aren't as noticeable if one member of the group isn't present. We start to usher in the final two songs on the album with "Below My Feet", a calm and comforting number that brings about a sense of musical warmth and the band's immense talent of transcribing the emotion happening around us through the power of song. The disc ultimately draws to an end on "Not With Haste" a pure, unadulterated blast of raw folk sensibility and the amalgamation of all the previous musical elements that we heard in the prior pieces and offers us a recap of what we've heard so far in our long-fulfilled journey to the end. As I've mentioned on my blog several times before, folk rock has enjoyed a incredible resurgence recently, coupled with raw folk ideals presented to us in a more modern format. Bands like The Avett Brothers and Fleet Foxes are helping charge this movement, but Mumford & Sons translates it for us in an extremely dynamic and creative fashion that makes everything else pale in comparison and puts them on a pedestal above the other groups out there today.
Overall, a wonderful and top notch effort here from Mumford & Sons, who are continuing to bring their musical mission to the masses here with a dynamic, high energy set that perfectly encapsulates who these guys are and accurately portrays them as one of the most electrifying and entertaining bands out there in the world of music today. Highly recommended and one of the best albums of the year so far!
Album Score: 4.5/5
Track Listing:
- Babel
- Whispers In The Dark
- I Will Wait
- Holland Road
- Ghosts That We Knew
- Lover of the Light
- Lovers' Eyes
- Reminder
- Hopeless Wanderer
- Broken Crown
- Below My Feet
- Not With Haste
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