When I first heard that Mumford & Sons was coming out with a new album, I almost smiled. I joined the rest of the world in awe when their first album, Sigh No More, came out in 2009. Never before had a British band brought independent folk to America with success. Their sound was completely unique and independent on its own, and the first album reaped success, selling more than 700,000 digital copies. However, sophomore albums can destroy a group and I was not looking for another of Weezer’s Pinkerton.
The group’s first single, like most lead singles, sounded exactly like their previous album. “I Will Wait” is a great track; it fits nicely alongside “The Cave” and “Sigh No More,” major tracks from their first album. The first real test for them was their appearance on Saturday Night Live, which showcased new instrumentation for the group. It was scary the second they hit the stage: lead singer Marcus Mumford was carrying an electric guitar and banjoist Winston “Country” Marshall, was not, for once, holding a banjo. This change was huge for a band known for being almost entirely acoustic; a band whose lineup includes no drum kit yet drives like a full-fledged marching band. However, my disappointment faded within seconds. “Below My Feet” rocks the new setup. The soft growl of Mumford combined with the grinding hum of the lead guitar creates a texture of softness within rage. It is a beautiful introduction into Babel.
Now to the album. While I like music to settle and grow on me, the album was just released, so first impressions (which can be very bad in music) must be tolerated. “Babel” starts with a bang, literally. The single bass drum smacks Mumford’s crooning and launches a lush banjo straight into the verse. Like most Mumford & Sons songs, the buildup to the chorus and bridge is driving, uplifting and somehow wholehearted at the same time. “Whispers in the Dark” is a smooth transition, a flowing tune that is only broken up by a jagged banjo line that seems to repeat throughout the album. It is at this point that Mumford & Sons employs a few studio effects, a usual move for electro bands, but not folk rockers. The slight reverb on the drums and chorus-layered guitar fills the track with a screaming outro that literally shouts, “While we are young.”
This message does not continue into “I Will Wait,” the lead single. Instead, Mumford looks back at some old memories and throws age out the door. This is another “Roll Away Your Stone,” but I’m not complaining because that song was great. The subtle guitar found on Sigh No More’s “White Blank Page” is revived in “Ghosts That We Knew.” There are small amounts of what appears to be Chris Martin’s distinct broodiness in the middle, but that could just be a common characteristic of soulful, piano-driven songs. It is a gloomy tune, even if the lyrics promise that “Everything will be alright.” Sound familiar?
It is at this point that Mumford & Sons employs some orchestra strings and, astonishingly, a full drum kit. “Lover of the Light” is a real rock tune, or at least as close as the band will get to one. The stereotypical rhythm guitar line is still broken up by banjo, which heavily relates it to songs released by other Irish rock bands. The bridge builds unlike any other before it, layering on pounding keys, revitalized brass and, for the first time, some snare drum. Mumford shouts the track’s name with compassion as the pounding dies down into the next track, “Lovers’ Eyes,” which starts with an atmospheric organ. It starts as a light reprieve from the previous track that eventually builds back into the bridge of its predecessor, led by bassist Ted Dwane pounding against piano riffs that stand strong and lead into a crying chorus and Mumford’s usual callbacks.
“Hopeless Wanderer” gives more attention to pianist Ben Lovett, whose light presence on the group’s freshman effort is more than made up for on Babel. The song powers into scratchy power chords – a foreign concept for this group until this point, with minor chord tonalities looking for a sense of relief. “Broken Crown” is chilling and ghostly, with plenty of broken lines and a very harsh, angry Mumford, who seems to hate himself at this point. “Below My Feet,” the penultimate track, already discussed, is followed by “Not with Haste,” a calm, harmoniously layered track that overviews the major themes of the whole album. It fits as a final ultimatum for the top of the tower Babel.
While Babel is written and performed by the same group that was launched into stardom with Sigh No More, it is a much older, wiser and wistful crew that layers their hopes into this effort. The added drums, distortion and studio effects develop into a richly textured album. If any of their previous work appealed to you then you should check out this album. It is a continuation of Sigh No More and, if that first album was the foundation, Babel is certainly a reaching tower placed upon it.
