Search - Mumford & Sons :: Sigh No More

Banjo Love

MJ | Australia | 04/17/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It's not often you stumble across a band that wins your heart within the first few chords. I was looking for a different band, and stumbled across Mumford & Sons instead. I heard The Cave and I loved it before the song had even made it to the minute mark. Then the banjo starts just after a minute and I knew I was going to like this band very, very much.



Mumford & Sons are something to talk about, in my opinion. It's not often you get a bluegrass country folky sort of band that actually makes it to mainstream radio. And they are successful for good reason! They write unforgettable melodies that beg you to hit repeat and infuse a whole bunch of styles to create something amazing. I find it a very likeable cross between Kings of Leon and The Fray, but with a banjo.



Track by Track:



Sigh No More - I must admit, this is a skip-able track for me. It's good, but by no means the best on the album. It's a good intro track and slowly lets you get into the mood. It introduces you to the style that will follow throughout most of the album, that is slowly building until it explodes at the end. But I think the reason it is skip-able is because I'm rushing to get to the next... 4/5



The Cave - This is simply an amazing song. Love at first listen, for sure. It starts off with Marcus's gravelly voice before building up to the banjo and then settling down again. The melody is infectious, as is the lyrics. I can guarantee you'll be singing along to the chorus at the top of your lungs in no time. 5/5



Winter Winds - The second single off the album that for some reason didn't do nearly as well as Little Lion Man, but in my opinion, just as good. It flows along like a river and is a hard one to skip. 5/5



Roll Away Your Stone - This one is particularly folky. It's one of the more upbeat, bluegrass infused songs and is sure to get your foot tapping. It's a great track, though not one my favourites. There are better melodies on the album than this and I find it a little disjointed. 4.5/5



White Blank Page - Definitely a standout track! This song is so achingly beautiful. Marcus's voice is simply stunning in it, you can actually feel the despair in his voice. It picks up just after the minute mark and the song soars into a powerful ballad with a whole lot of angst. 5/5



I Gave You All - A beautiful song. It is another that follows their style and builds from a quiet, soft ballad into powerful, angst-ridden track. 5/5



Little Lion Man - The first single! It was highly successful for very good reason. It is simply an amazing song. This is the one where the Kings of Leon comparisons come in... but with banjo. The banjo is definitely a highlight in this and as soon as it started, I was won. Also another chorus singalong track, extremely catchy! 5/5



Timshel - The harmonies at the beginning of this track draw you in and never really let go. It's one of the slowest on the album, and very beautiful. 4.5/5



Thistle & Weeds - This track is a little different, a little darker than the rest. It also has more of an appearance of piano in it, which works really well. It's a great track, but not my favourite. It lacks the melody of the others, in my opinion. 4/5



Awake My Soul - It's about this point in the album where I start to realise I'm liking almost every song. This is another catchy, beautiful track. Great intrumentalisation. 4.5/5



Dust Bowl Dance - This is quite likely the best written track on the album. The start is incredible. The banjo riff is so soft and melodious it makes your spine tingle. After this, it changes direction quite a bit and simply explodes into a wild, violent and angry piece. It is the best story-telling song of the whole album. The only problem is, I like the beginning much more the end and they're so different it feels like two different songs sometimes. I've got into this habit of flicking back to the start halfway through just to hear the banjo riff again... 5/5



After The Storm - A slow, beautiful, melodious track. It's one to listen to late at night, in the dark with your headphones on. Just close your eyes and listen. It is one the standout tracks, for sure. Amazing. It has some of my favourite lyrics on the album: "There will come a time you'll see/With no more tears and love will not break your heart/But dismiss your fears." 5/5



This is one of those albums that is going to get a lot of spins in my player, and will be a feature in my car for years to come I expect! Get it. It's awesome. =)



Standout Tracks:

The Cave

Winter Winds

White Blank Page

Little Lion Man

Dust Bowl Dance

After The Storm"

Review

Philip Hahn | Columbus, OH, USA | 07/16/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is the folk music for todays audience. It combines outstanding talent with foot stomping rythm to create emotion in the darkest of places. Listen to this album and there will be a track you will refrence for the rest of your life."

Most of it's pretty good.

ComfyHappyFeet | New York | 08/12/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

""Roll Away Your Stone" is breathtaking. Other than that, most of the album's pretty good, and some of it is a bit on the boring side. The lyrics especially tend to be less than stellar. They really are pretty generic, though still better than most of the junk that's flooding the airwaves these days. (BTW, in response to the reviewer who said they're a Christian rock band...I'm not really getting that vibe from these lyrics. It's true that they do tackle a lot of spiritual type issues but they seem pretty harshly critical of the whole Christianity thing.) But the music is seriously kickin, and these guys have an amazing sense of harmony and rhythmic drive. I love listening to this album in the car. Anyway, Mumford and Sons is clearly a band with major potential and I look forward to future releases."