Babel by Mumford and Sons

Continuing this very fruitful fall in new books and music Mumford and Sons released their followup album to last years breakthrough effort. Babel promised to stay true to the original sound with perhaps just a little more fire and rock in some songs, to make them more friendly to the arenas that Mumford's popularity is bringing them to.

I cannot listen to Mumford and Sons without thinking of The Avett Brothers. I suppose just as forty years ago The Beatles and The Stones had separate fan bases one gets the sense that for this new popular sect of music who you prefer of these groups defines you.

Certainly The Avett's have been releasing albums longer than the Mumford Boys. Building a fan base through constant touring and incredible live shows as opposed to having a singularly, surprisingly, breakthrough album probably gives a band more street cred but what is obviously clear is that the quick success of Mumford and Sons can only help The Avett's and the now slew of bands replicating their sound.

The Babel album and The Carpenter albums being released within two weeks of each other gives us a rare chance to critique the leaders of this music as they mirror each other. The Avett album which I reviewed previously was strong and in truth when I reviewed it I think I might not have praised it enough. It's variety of styles and lyrics even in the last two weeks have aged well on me.

The Babel album is also strong. What is clear is that the best songs on the Mumford album have a commercial element, a bigness about them, that the songs on The Avett album do not.

The album debuts with Babel and then two songs later we get the first single I Will Wait. This song is the best song that Mumford has written thus far and with it's demanding guitar work and hallowing choruses is a song that might well top the charts and bring even more fans to this type of music. Lover of the Light is another strong song but the truth is that I have listened to this album at least seven times in the last three days trying to get a sense of it. Much of the time from one listening to the next I do not even remember the songs and their distinctions.

This album is in no way as diverse as what the Avett's are doing and a good number of the songs should be considered no better than filler. Near the end of the album we do hear another very strong song called Below My Feet which will also earn much deserved praise. For me as much as I love I Will Wait and, as I have been singing it all week my kid will attest that it is captured my attention, the most remember-able song on the album is Broken Crown. The song is strong with the violent guitar strumming that Mumford is well known for, their signature sound as it is, and in it they make good use of the f word. They did this on a song in the first album and certainly they are aware that a good segment of their target audience will enjoy hearing a song with the singer frustrated with f-ing things up. The Avett's to my knowledge have not yet made a habit of this strategy. I do not have an opinion either way, it is a difference between them.

This is a very good album, it will easily and deservedly appear on many Top !0 lists later this year. For me, however, the verdict is clear, in any so called competition between Mumford and The Avett's I fall into the Avett camp. With them you get a much stronger sense of who they are and quite sure that success or not they will be who they are. Perhaps it is unfair but I do not know the life expectancy of Mumford and Sons in comparison with the Avett's. Love them both and this is a great album that you should enjoy but my position is clear.