Mumford & Sons – Babel

2013 Grammy Awards:

Album Of The Year

180-gram vinyl, album download code included

Mumford & Sons are Marcus Mumford, “Country” Winston Marshall, Ben Lovett, and Ted Dwane. “Sigh no more, Mumford & Sons fans: The folk rock balladeers have finally released a new album. Their sophomore release Babel is epic for a number of reasons: The gripping emotion, vulnerability, dark moments, the banjo — all elements for a great musical composition. And then there is Marcus Mumford’s voice.

“The songs on Babel are anchored by his powerful tone, which is beautifully gritty and gravely, and downright commanding. He’s got one of the best voices of our time. On ‘I Will Wait,’ Mumford proclaims: ‘But I’ll kneel down, wait for now, and I’ll kneel down, know my ground.’ And on the closing track, ‘Not With Haste,’ he sings: ‘And I was broke, I was on my knees, you said yes as I said please.’

“The album explores the many facets of a relationship with deep, touching lyrics that don’t sound cheesy, making for a collection of songs that feel honest and heartfelt. (Some of the songs could very well be about Mumford’s wife, Oscar-nominated actress Carey Mulligan.) But Mumford isn’t the album’s only star. When the foursome harmonizes on songs such as ‘Ghosts That We Knew’ and ‘Below My Feet,’ it brings on the chills. Another star is Markus Dravs, who produced the new record as well as the band’s 2009 double platinum debut, Sigh No More, and Arcade Fire’s Grammy-winning The Suburbs.

“‘As a band, we’ve never been closer or more collaborative, all working to our strengths,’ a press release from the band via their record label, says. ‘And so we feel that this record is a natural progression that we’re proud of, and we cannot wait to take it out on the road.’

“Babel, with its indie folk-rock swag, is one of the year’s bests.” — The Huffington Post

Format : Vinyl Record

1 Lp