Album of the Week: Mumford and Sons- Wilder Mind

I was really worried about Wilder Mind. It’s old news by now, but when Mumford and Sons announced this past winter that they were dropping the acoustic instrumentation for their latest album you could almost hear their fan base (including myself) grumbling. And then came the underwhelming lead single, “Believe”; devoid of any warmth, personality, or banjo twanging that coursed through the band’s previous efforts (2009’s Sigh No More and the Grammy- winning Babel three years later). If this was the new direction, it whimpered like a watered down Coldplay/U2 misfire.

Fortunately, the rest of Wilder Mind has loftier ambitions and rarely fails to meet them. While not perfect, there’s enough here that keeps Marcus Mumford (and his Sons) sounding like themselves amidst the electric guitar evolution surrounding them. There’s still everything you’d want from one of their songs: shout-at-the-sky choruses, gleaming harmonies, and that always refreshing rasp from the frontman himself. Some will still miss the old folk rock celebrations, but Wilder Mind still has the soul and charging energy of anything the group’s ever done. If anything, Mumford and Sons have raised the drama and stakes within this subdued yet constantly buzzing collection.

Track Picks: “The Wolf”, “Just Smoke”, “Cold Arms”, “Ditmas”

Fun Fact: The band’s interest in folk rock began when they heard the soundtrack from the Coen Brothers’ movie O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Under the Radar: Mumford and Sons- “Where Are You Now?”

2012 saw the release of Mumford and Sons’ sophomore album, Babel, a record that would go on to sell over 2 million copies, a figure that’s difficult to reach in the current music market. You might be familiar with the album’s lead single, the sweeping “I Will Wait”, which earned the band a Best Rock Song nomination at last year’s Grammys. “Where Are You Now?” is a bonus track from Babel that I missed my first time listening through the record. While replaying the album recently, this track stuck out to me as a Mumford track that deserves more recognition. It’s a subtle acoustic ballad that has the all the group’s signature harmonies and sincere, raspy vocals from Marcus Mumford himself.