Mumford & Sons :: “Sigh No More”

Here’s another Enter The Shell guest writer, Sean, giving us a review of one of 2010’s break-out artists!

Mumford & Sons, whose debut album title, Sigh No More, comes from a line in Shakespeare’s play “Much Ado About Nothing,” is folk music’s official big comeback…Unless you’re a die hard folky.

The big splashes of pop elements throughout the 2009 album would appeal more to a Green Day fan than a Guthrie fan. Still, in a generation filled with brain numbing, ear rapist music, M & S is another thread of hope for a GaGa stimulated generation.

London England’s Marcus Mumford, Winston Marshall, Ben Lovett and Ted Dwane have been together since 2007 and Sigh No More has earned them considerable success in both the UK and the US. Many of the songs in the album have literary influences from Shakespeare plays and John Steinbeck novels. Most of Mumford’s word play comes off beautifully poetic without sounding douchey…Most. The album’s first single, “Little Lion Man” sounds a bit self-rightous: “It was not your fault but mine/It was your heart on the line/I really fucked it up this time/didn’t I, my dear?” As if apologizing makes you a better person.

The band likes big emotional moments which are heard throughout the album. The highlights of the album come from the folk ballads like “Dust Bowl Dance” that begins with light instrumentation and breaks into a loud musical orgasmic mess of rawness. “The Cave” combines a poppy sounding madness of banjos and mandolins. The album’s title track starts with a dark and moody tone before breaking into their comfort level of the full chorded strumming of acoustic guitars. After hearing the first three songs you can already predict how the other songs will unfold. Their change ups become predictable and the element of surprise evaporates almost completely.

There’s no denying their talent and how energetic their live performances are. They’re young men with old souls, sending out a warm feeling of nostalgia. However, they fail to put out a timeless element you’d expect from a folk band breaking out in 2010. Compared to indie bands, that in their beginnings wrote songs that sound like trash cans being banged in outer space, Mumford & Sons definitely has a sweet beginning to the songwriting. Mainly because they’re all in their early 20s.

The band was lucky enough to receive two Grammy nominations this year for Best New Artist and Best Rock Song. Aside from the fact that the award show is fueled by politics and not the art, they would still not win. Unless they can evolve into something more emotionally and lyrically relevant to today’s culture, they’ll be like a forgotten 90’s song that plays on radio stations from time to time. R.I.P. Semi Sonic.

Buy the album at our record store on Amazon

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