Sigh No More…Mumford & Sons Have Arrived

The debut album from Mumford & Sons is nothing short of inspired. A revelation, if you will. Which is fitting, given the spiritual ideology that resonates through the record. Surprised? Get used to it. Sigh No More blurs lines and crosses boundaries, legitimizing a genre that may yet be unnamed. Channeling Irish folk and American bluegrass, Mumford’s first record is courageous and undeniably “old school”. But after one listen I was scouring the interweb for tickets, and even those who scoffed at such styles in the past will likely be doing the same. Because old school or not, this music is fun.

Naysayers will argue that Mumford & Sons stand on the shoulders of giants. Marcus Mumford's lead vocals bear more than a slight resemblance to The Frames’ Glen Hansard, and the fusion of the band's folk and indie rock sounds are reminiscent of The Avett Brothers and Kings of Leon. But make no mistake: Mumford & Sons are their own entity, and they are for real. With banjo-laced rhythms building flawlessly toward bass-driven crescendos, Sigh No More is a welcome reminder of how inventive and exciting and good rock music can be.

Not since Coldplay’s Parachutes has a debut album held so much promise, and fans of the record can certainly look forward to incredible live performances and more (we hope) genre-pushing records to come. For now, Mumford and Sons has offered a collection of tracks that are sure to be monopolizing our iPods well into next year. Hallelujah.

G


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And just for fun…My Top 5 Albums of 2010 (so far):


1.  Band of Horses, Infinite Arms 
2.  Mumford & Sons, Sigh No More
3.  Gorillaz, Plastic Beach
4.  Arcade Fire, The Suburbs
5.  Broken Bells, Broken Bells