Album Review: Babel (Mumford and Sons)

Okay. This one is long overdue but I reckon it is still a warranted review considering how well received this modern folk four piece’s début was. Sigh No More was an album everyone had listened to at some point, featuring the ever so popular Little Lion Man. I remember times where my friends and I would be chanting out the chorus to The Cave and it makes me realise how uncommon it is for Folk to penetrate the charts.

Well, the main question is, does this album match up to the first. In listening, it is easy to tell how a band develop with their music. I had the same thing with Two Door Cinema Club’s second album. These developments can be good, but can be equally as damaging. Listening to Babel, I found that this album is a lot more folky than it’s predecessor. For some this may be a good thing while for some it can be a bad thing. I found I enjoyed I Will Wait more than most other tracks because to me it felt much more like the Mumford I had known previously. That being said, I also loved the feel of the  opening title track, which felt powerful. Matter of fact it is a good example of how Mumford and Sons have developed for the better.

I cannot say honestly that I have given the rest of the album much attention. As much as the rest of the album is well written, it didn’t interest me very much. This is not to say that it is a bad album however. It certainly is good for people who actually like folk music, or anything of the like. It hasn’t reshaped itself completely to conform to the demands of the industry, which is what I fear the most from artists.

i will mention one other track, called Broken Crown. This is my favourite track on the album because of the power in the delivery. It is reminiscent of Dust Bowl Dance on the first release which, again, one of my more favoured tracks.

All in all, Babel is an album worth a listen although I somehow doubt that people will love the whole thing back to back. It is beautifully constructed back to back but I believe that some of the other Mumford “fans” will chase after some tracks on the album while others will care more for the calmness, beauty and deep lyrical value off other tracks. It is a very good album and manages to maintain the feel of the previous release but I would give it a listen before I buy it.

80%

NO