Mumford & Sons are known for their folky sound and heartfelt songs. This four-piece band comes out of London and are made up of four multi-instrumental Englishmen. They combine all of their talent to create a very unique and complex sound; there are so many instruments used in so many different combinations to make the best music possible. They are led by Marcus Mumford (lead vocals, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, drums) and he along with all of thy rest of the band- Ben Lovett (vocals, keyboard, piano, synthesizer), Winston Marshall (vocals, electric guitar, banjo) and Ted Dwane (vocals, bass guitar, double bass)- combine to create amazing music that isn't quite like anything else out there right now.
Wilder Mind is their third studio album and these boys from England seem to have taken a step back from their usual sound to try something a bit different. I have noticed that a lot of my favorite bands are coming out with their third albums right now; the funny thing is that a lot of them are also trying something new and changing up their sound a little bit. I don't mind this phenomenon, but I do think that it is magnificent when bands feel comfortable enough to feel that they can take some risks and try something new; though I never want an artist to feel pressured to change what they want to play for anyone else. I feel like this album has allowed Mumford & Sons to stay true to their sound while still going a little bit out of their comfort zone.
While there is no doubt this is a Mumford & Sons album, when you listen to it you can hear the absence of the folky instruments we've come to know. The electric guitar and drumming sounds a lot more like something you'd hear in from a band like Arcade Fire, but this situation is kind of like seeing Tom Hiddleston in sweatpants- it's not what you're used to, but it's still absolutely beautiful. They actually had Marcus and their producer, James Ford, trading off as drummer because the band hadn't really used drums on a regular basis before now. This album has shown me the versatility that they have as a band, especially Marcus' voice still sounding absolutely amazing with this louder and more hardcore instrumental backing.
The song "Snake Eyes" is one of the first I heard off the album. It stands out from most of the album, because I feel like it kind of shows their journey and exploration with styles of music. It starts off sounding very folky and mellow, and works its way up to sound like their most hardcore stuff on the album. It transitions in and out of folk and rock; it's like a roller coaster of music- some times it is really mellow and you feel like you're working up to something, but then it all changes at once and it's suddenly crazy and you're dropping. My favorite line would have to be "It's in the eyes. I can tell, you will always be danger. We had it tonight, why do we always seek absolution?". It's like he's having a lovers' quarrel and he just wants answers; you can feel his emotions so deeply on this album. I love it when you feel like can tell what a person felt like when they wrote a song by the sound of it.
Wilder Mind is a very unique album. I have the deluxe version, and there four live songs on it in addition to the twelve studio recordings. Some bands end up sounding worse on live recordings, but Mumford & Sons sound just as good as in studio- if not better. This album may not sound exactly like what people were expecting from them- I know I was taken aback when I heard "Believe for the first time- but they sound amazing and are so versatile. I think if Mumford & Sons had sounded like this on all their albums prior, they would've gotten all positive reviews, but people are scared of change. This album may sound different than Babel and Sigh No More, but it's just as amazing and I couldn't ask for anything more from this band. Mumford & Sons' Website
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