Sophomore slump? Not here. Mumford & Sons released its second album, Babel, this past Tuesday, and the band of Brits that have become so beloved to flannel-wearing coffee-drinkers everywhere is stronger than ever.
Babel builds on the precedent set by Mumford’s first album, “Sigh No More” by continuing to harp on spiritual motifs – the album title itself is an allusion to a Biblical town – and include impassioned jam sessions, but by no means does this album piggyback on its predecessor. The album is peppered with Mumford-isms that are so endearing to fans – from the excited “woo!” after the first chorus in the title track, to the “har har har”s on “Below My Feet,” to the unavoidable expletive shouted in anger on “Broken Crown.”
The only critique that can be made of Babel is it too closely resembles “Sigh No More.” Music blog “Pretty Much Amazing” argues “Babel” is just a “dismantling and reassembling” of “Sigh No More.”
Longtime fan Wilson West, senior political science major, said he believes Babel is more than just a copycat of the first album.
“With iconic banjo riffs, soaring harmonies and lyrical commitment to universal truths, Babel reaffirms the band’s dominance of modern folk music,” he said.
Mumford & Sons is wonderful because the band really is a combination of everything that makes up good music. The band is like an experiment to see what happens when all of the greatest instruments combine, what sounds they make when paired with each other. Every part of the band could stand confidently alone, but the components of the band are complemented by one another. The chemistry of the band pulls together this mixture of music to make something wonderful. Marcus Mumford’s gritty, gorgeous voice paired with driving banjo paired with impassioned lyrics are ingredients that mix together to create a beautiful sound unique to Mumford & Sons.