Release Date: February 16, 2010
Reviewed by Chris Johnston
There’s an obvious reason that this record has been certified platinum as of March 2011. This piece of art is arguably the best thing to happen to folk-style rock music since Bob Dylan. I don’t say that lightly either. Mumford and Sons is the real deal. They’re straight up, insanely talented. There’s so much work that goes into this record, and you can hear it throughout every single song. Each song flows with a brilliance that’s unfortunately so rarely seen in the state of popular music. But it certainly helps the London, England quartet make their everlasting mark on us all. Marcus Mumford’s voice is the kind of entity that will haunt your every dream and keep you coming back for so much more. The beautiful harmonies that go on behind him are just about enough to make you fall to your knees and weep. But I can’t let the instrumentation go unmentioned. Every song just builds and builds and builds, and when you think there can’t be anything left to add, the Mumford boys prove you wrong. But the best thing about that is it’s not overbearing at all. You know, sometimes there’s just too much business going on and you can’t really figure out the song for what it is. But not with this LP, no sir. The arrangements are gorgeous, and banjo has never been more relevant. Folk music has its new poster boys. Sit back and watch Marcus Mumford take over the world.
I usually like to highlight a certain track or lyrical excerpt, but I don’t feel like I’d be doing all of the other tracks justice by just picking one or two. The whole record is THAT good. If you don’t listen to this record and get chills at the very least, one time, you should probably get your hearing and central nervous system checked. You might not be alive in the brain.
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