25 Records of Christmas, Day 18: Mumford and Sons

Easily one of the biggest breakout stars from 2010 and 2011, Mumford and Sons has been on my radar since their debut came out. With their introspective and personal lyrics, and folk-indie leanings, the band quickly became a favorite among friends of mine, and I was eager to hear their much anticipated follow-up. I wondered if it was possible for them to conquer the success of their debut, since it had been such a huge accomplishment to begin with. So does Babel hold up to Sigh No More?

As with any band, much of the same elements that made people fall in love with Mumford and Sons returns on Babel. In fact, the entire album has been played live through their tours to support Sigh No More. They’d begun writing on the road, and debuted songs for the crowd to see the response. Obviously the response was pretty positive, since we’ve got a 12 track (14 on the deluxe) album to go through. While there’s no real growth, musically nor lyrically, Babel is equally as strong as the group’s first record.

“I Will Wait” leads the charge, as a single and similar in structure to “Little Lion Man” or “The Cave”. One thing I can say about Mumford and Sons this time around is there’s more gang vocals; more parts during the record where the entire band is singing, creating beautiful harmonies and led by Marcus Mumford, with his signature yell/sing routine. He’ll bring you up to a climactic moment (“Lover of the Light” is a perfect example) and whisper something to you in song, evicting an emotion out of you right before the chorus comes right back in. "Lovers' Eyes" is another much deeper and soft tune, before leading up to a thrilling finish, and possibly the best track here.

Mumford and Sons hails from London, and is on Glassnote Records.

Lyrically, songs like “Holland Road” and “Hopeless Wanderer” stand out. They invoke a certain feeling of belief and hope, a stark contrast from some of pop music today. Words like “But I’ll still believe / though there’s cracks you’ll see / when I’m on my knees / I’ll still believe / and when I’ve hit the ground / neither lost nor found / if you’ll believe in me / I’ll still believe”. It’s about growth and belief in people, something not taught much in today’s society. Maybe that has something to do with the group’s success. People want to believe in something.

Overall, if you enjoyed Sigh No More, you’ll find plenty to love on Babel. I found Babel to be a bit more structured, and I liked more of the songs on it as well, compared to Sigh No More. But the songs on the first album still have a place in my heart and mind. They just need to make room for 12 new friends.