Mumford and Sons - SighNo More

Wed 5th Aug, 2009 in Music Reviews

Four youthful West London lads who go by the name of Mumford and Sons hook up with producer Markus Dravs, whose credits include Arcade Fire’s Neon Bible, Björk’s Homogenic and Coldplay’s Viva La Vida to create one of the more majestic records of 2009 to date.

There’s a purity in the sound of Sigh No More that is never forced, over-mixed, or overcooked, with the band allowed to develop and arrange the flow whilst Dravs (a production partner of Brian Eno’s) takes care of the ambience, instinct and energy.

Sigh No More conjures up this old world pastoral feel with the melodies flowing effortlessly into the ether with group harmonies a la a Fleet Foxes vibe. Marcus Mumford (vocals, guitar, drums), Winston Marshall (banjo, dobro), Ben Lovett (keyboards, organ), and Ted Dwayne (double bass) uniting to maneuver the material somewhere between 19th century sea shanties and ageless English and Irish folk music.

The best compliment afforded Mumford & Sons’ Sigh No More is that it can’t be given a throw away reference to anything else – either directly or indirectly – no matter how hard you try to compare it. Incredible. If anything, songs grow stronger from one to the next.

Marcus Mumford’s storytelling is front and centre; his vocals sublime, so real, and so endearing with his caressing vocal shifting from whisper to scream when required (the barnstorming operatic progressions of I Gave You All, Thistle & Weeds and Dust Bowl Dance case in point). In fact, most songs lead off with Mumford’s easing verse vocal coupled with gentle waves of band harmonies washing in before crashing headlong into some of the more infectious chorus lines you’re likely to hear on record this year.

Perhaps Sigh No More’s biggest strength is its evolving instrumentation that helps guide the tunes into a series of angelic, craftily constructed runaway anthems. Charming riffs, sing-along melodies, epic violins and the banjo and dobro playing of Marshall consuming the record and sucking you right into the Mumford vortex, with a new favourite song ( White Blank Page, Little Lion Man, Roll Away Your Stone ) jumping out at you the more times you ingest the material.