Mumford & Sons - Babel

Sigh No More is to grass as Babel is to wheat. green to gold is the distinction i immediately noticed upon listening to this album, as it's much brighter and more uplifting than its predecessor. while Babel still has its humble as well as aggressive moments, it doesn't contain any of the sorrow, frustration and desperation that came through on such tracks as "White Blank Page", "I Gave You All", and "Dustbowl Dance"; with "Broken Crown" being an obvious exception. i believe this (record) to be a reflection of where they are as a band that's received the attention they deserve, and are/have been touring the world doing what they love most with what they most likely consider to be unprecedented success. wouldn't that make you cheery, too? 

i'm glad that they've expanded on their strengths as song-writers/performers, i.e. effective dynamic changes, swelling choruses, and an easily-replicated-live feel. it doesn't disappoint me in the least, as many of these songs were probably written immediately after, during, or even before those released on SNM. these are four extremely talented musicians who have plenty of versatility and tricks up their sleeve, but this record is not where that experimentation or progression belongs. (in fact, i think SNM already displayed more creativity in rhythm and time signatures than Babel, which is more straight forward, but also "bigger".) truthfully, they probably already have enough material to put out another album or two with an entirely different sound/style. that being said, i don't think we'll have to wait another 3 years for a new release.

for me, the record really picks up steam and becomes truly beautiful and powerful from the stretch between "Lovers' Eyes" (favorite), continuing through "Hopeless Wanderer", "Broken Crown", and "Below My Feet". "Babel" is a great song which accurately sets the precedent. "For Those Below" has a wonderful chromatic progression (and a lot of those "subtleties" other reviewers have hinted at), and "The Boxer" is much more of a classic/traditional folk song than we've heard thus far from either album. both add a nice balance to Babel, and give it enough diversity to silence - or at least reduce to a grumble - those who criticize it for being repetitious.

because this record moves in waves - 3,  by my count -  a lot of people are going to feel safe in judging the effort as a whole after only three or four tracks. this is understandable, with the bar being set pretty damn high as far as expectations go after their masterful debut release. but Babel, as you mentioned, is very agreeable and instantaneously enjoyable; the latter of which i feel is the absolute intention. just kick back and listen to what's there as opposed to what you think may not be, and you'll be pleasantly surprised after all. 8/10.