We’ve all been to these deep dark places before, places that leave us speechless and unending. We cannot move for the twisting pull within and around us, finding ourselves suctioned to whatever frightening mystery is calling our haunting aches to light. In these moments, the past and the future are equally daunting; we feel ourselves wanting the grace to simply exist as we are. Mumford And Sons create music capable of expressing just such a circumstance.

A wonderfully swirling London folk band, in a similar tradition of Noah And The Whale or Laura Marling, Mumford And Sons have a truly soulful cry, able to stop you in your tracks while also lulling you into a world of green rolling hills of flowers and broken dust, beams of sun and heartache. Their rollicking instrumentation is a classically big, thick folk and when blended with their ferociously pelting lyrics, one knows a worthy sound has arrived. There is something mesmerizing about their melodies, something heavy yet fun about their stringing of beats and rhythms that makes one want to dance and sing amidst the darkness the whole night through.

These folked-up troubadours know a thing or two about life, love, regret, and the God-awful power of choice. Such themes are so prevalent in their tunes one might expect them to be singsong-ing a John Steinbeck novel. Their debut album, Sigh No More, is a sharing of personal stories told universally enough that we can each recognize some part of ourselves in their music.  Tales of how we have all hurt, have all been hurt, and are ever seeking to be healed. While their songs begin as one journey and quickly explode into another, we can take comfort in knowing this is only the beginning of a solid band to come.

Universal Records / Island Records [CD, 2009]

1. Sigh No More
2. The Cave
3. Winter Winds
4. Roll Away Your Stone
5. White Blank Page
6. I Gave You All
7. Little Lion Man
8. Timshel
9. Thistle & Weeds
10. Awake My Soul
11. Dust Bowl Dance
12. After The Storm