|
| |
|
|
|
Review Summary: A thoroughly enjoyable debut released at the right time, amidst a backdrop of renewed folk interest. Sadly, the repetetive song structures hurt the overall experience 'Sigh No More' is an eclectic, ballsy debut from British folk act Mumford And Sons, and one worth a listen from anybody with an hour of time to kill. Blending bluegrass-influenced banjo lines, chord-driven choruses excellent to sing along to during a car drive, and deep lyricism conveying strong Christian sentiments without ever feeling too preachy, this first effort from the quartet became one of the most important of the renewed folk interests of the time, spearheading that movement alongside Fleet Foxes and - to a lesser extent - Bon Iver.
This album opens with its title track, a number that takes a little time to develop with chords left to ring out, before exploding into a faster tempo with some strikingly aggressive vocal tones taken. It is changes of tempo such as this that keep the album feeling fresh, with the bridge of Roll Away Your Stone standing testament to this. Winter Winds is a standout track that brings an optimistic emphasis to its vocals, and whilst the lyrics are as cryptic as ever, the chorus of "my head told my heart let love grow, and my heart told my head this time no," is as relatable as it is entertaining. There is something about the dichotomy between the spiritual and the personal in the lyricism that ensures there is something for anyone here, and the musicianship is nothing to scoff at either. The banjo lines found in the hit single Little Lion Man perfectly compliment the instantly distinguishable chords that ring out during the chorus, whilst the sheer regret in the lyricism segues into the more up-tempo banjo moments in stellar fashion. This is truly a standout song.
Something that does not hold up so well on this album is the song structure. Formulaic, bland, and repetetive are all adjectives that could be used to describe this aspect of the band's music, and are tropes that would continue to haunt them throughout their career, to the point that they are now borderline irrelevant despite filling stadiums. Many of the songs have extremely soft and patient verses that lead into the more infectious choruses, with Thistles & Weeds only scarcely evading this tag due to the more interesting progression throughout the track. The Cave, whilst being among the band's most beloved songs, is also an example of where these song structures really fall short, with the verse-chorus-verse-chorus-break-verse-chorus repetition throughout the album becoming strikingly noticeable towards the end of its runtime.
It is a shame, then, that the band were unable to escape these trappings in the follow-up, 'Babel'. A debut album with a lot of entertaining properties, 'Sigh No More' established the band as almost a household name in their native country and also an international sensation for just a few short years, with songs such as Little Lion Man standing out to this day. This is a really enjoyable album, that unfortunately is let down a little by the repetition found throughout.
| other reviews of this album |
Knott- EMERITUS (1.5)
If you don't listen to it properly, Sigh No More is a fantastic debut....
DaveyBoy EMERITUS (3.5)
Delivering folk - and the banjo - to the masses....
Eclectic (3.5)
Despite murdering their best idea with the best intentions Mumford & Sons still manage to craft a se...
Douglas (4.5)
With banjo in hand, Mumford & Sons have created the debut album of the year....
|
|
For me, the band have always struggled in diversifying their lyrical themes and song-writing. In isolation, some of their songs are alright but when put together in a full album, they falter from similarity. Of course, their sound changed with Wilder Mind but I'd argue they went in a worse direction...
I think it might have been better to focus their efforts in the folk rock direction (even if Winston Marshall is a bad musician) and diversify their song-writing more. I don't know, I never was mad on this group but they were stronger in their folk rock days.
| | | Album Rating: 2.0
Band was always just the worst
| | |
They rose to prominence at both the best and worst time. On one hand, there was a niche in the mainstream market for an authentic or acoustic act that would subside the typical radio pop that Mumford & Sons gladly filled. It earned them a gigantic audience in the process.
On the other hand, the folk revival was well established outside the mainstream demographic, and Mumford & Sons' pop contributions were unconvincing for a lot of the press and music nerd's zeitgeist. They were seen as the poor man's Fleet Foxes or The Decemberists.
Then again, Mumford & Sons' mainstream success also paved the way for other, similar artists to achieve relatively similar success (for better or worse).
I wonder what they will do next. Whoever they hire to replace their banjoist/guitarist could only be an upgrade. He wasn't a particularly good musician.
| | | Album Rating: 2.0
"On one hand, there was a niche in the mainstream market for an authentic or acoustic act "
well, maybe there was a niche for a hoedown acoustic act, but certainly not for an authentic one
| | |
Right. I should specify it was more the authentic aesthetic. Urban Outfitters authentic. Whether it was genuine or not (it wasn't in this case as the band themselves declared during Wilder Mind press touring) wasn't important.
Although, there's nothing inherently wrong about that. I certainly have no problems with the lack of authenticity but a lot of press did. Pitchfork, the king of kool, hated the idea. A lot of people hated the idea of very wealthy and privileged young men creating a pastiche of music that comes from a different place.
All the same, it was an intuitive idea to take folk aesthetics and place them in a pop structure. It has been done before in other capacities but here it was the right sound at the right time. It makes sense why they became so big. I felt they were too repetitive and their banjoist is rubbish.
| | | Album Rating: 2.0
"A lot of people hated the idea of very wealthy and privileged young men creating a pastiche of music that comes from a different place."
some people don't need to come from a certain background to connect with material... but everything about mumford and sons doesn't work.
| | |
It worked for some. A lot of people were wholly convinced that Mumford & Sons were 'real music' and authentic in every sense of the word. They were approachable in a way other folk rock revivalists weren't but acoustic enough that they weren't "pop crap like Maroon 5."
Obviously, it wasn't who the guys really were. They said as much when they totally switch lanes with Wilder Mind. That was still a successful album, right? I feel like it was wrong timing, though. There was no shortage of stadium pop-rock acts like Imagine Dragons, Twenty One Pilots or Coldplay. Pop-rock was also embracing 80's pastiche hard with The 1975 and Bleachers. Even Taylor Swift had a go at it.
So our Mumford boys were left in a rough spot, Fogza. : (
They were bored of their folk-rock aesthetics and entering a saturated pop-rock market with a brooding vibe that Kings of Leon had already ran with long before they entered.
| | | Album Rating: 2.0
"It worked for some."
Look, i'm fully aware they were successful and lots of people liked them for a hot minute. i just think they're flat out awful... those vocals, those lyrics, the artwork, the videos, the bullshit intensity, all of it
| | |
Allegedly they're a fun live-band to see. I've never seen them. I have a hard enough time sitting through one of their albums from start to finish. I don't think I'd last a concert.
All I'm trying to say is that even though their folk-rock was very repetitive and they ran out of ideas by the end of their first album, never mind a second album full of the same ideas, they were still better off in this space than going stadium rock. At least they had their own space in the folk-rock genre. They didn't make much of an impact when they entered an already well established space of rock music.
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
Ah nice, a neg out of nowhere, with no comment, on a review that isn't the flagged review for this album. Good to see people have nothing better to do with their time!
| | |
| |
