It’s important we get this point out of the way early: I do like Mumford & Sons. Sigh No More was a folk-rock revelation; an ode to crescendoing banjos and acoustic guitars that was paired so nicely with powerful lead vocals that it was similar to a fine wine and food pairing. Every song went down smoothly. Was there inherent self-style repetition in the tunes? Of course. It is no secret that Mumford & Sons change some chords around and follow the same exact pattern in mostly every song: slowly rising power fit with a climactic crash of all instruments at the end of a piece. But that was OK. The music was rich in sound and ebullient. It was the pinnacle of the newer folk/rock movement. And, 5 years later and tremendous success behind them, the band has dropped the banjo, added an electric guitar, and have abandoned the folky sound in favor of mainstream Coldplay-like tunes, which works for Coldplay, of course, but sounds mightily contrived for a band that once yelled “I really f*cked it up” in a fast-paced angry folk song.
But evolution is good in music, Matt. Doesn’t this just show that the band is not willing to follow the same pattern in its songs. This would be true if it were indeed reflective of the song. Listen to it. Instead of slow acoustic instrumentation, the song starts with an ethereal piano that basically replaces the string instrumentation. It is a 2-minute “Fix You”-like piece that lulls the listener to musical sleep. Then, a weird out-of-place electric guitar solos over some drums, and the song turns to a mainstream pop/rock song, a trope overdone by SO many bands. Mumford & Sons has abandoned its originality in favor of a type of music and the band is clearly not adept with it.
Maybe I just don’t get it, and remember this is just one person’s opinion. However, I’m not loving it, and if this is the direction of the new album, it’s a real shame.
The Music Court 