Mumford & Sons is a London folk/bluegrass quartet that released their well-received first album Sigh No More in the U.S. in 2010 and sold more than one million copies in the UK and the United States.

Their most recent album Babel was released on Sept. 24 with a familiar-yet-new sound, and is projected to sell over 600,000 copies within the first few weeks. In fact, Mumford & Sons has done it again with a beautiful album full of emotion and artistry.

Babel still contains the raw, cutting voice of Marcus Mumford and the perfectly haunting harmonies of
the band. The bass drum still drives the melody line and the banjo still rings through in every song. Unlike the first album, however, this album is focused more on love and (while some faster, driven beats
can still be found) it is slightly more mellow and reflective.

This album is not one that will soon be forgotten. Each song tells a different story and the listener is
instantly swept up into the emotion and plotline of the song from the first string the banjo strums.
“I Will Wait” was released shortly before the album actually dropped and has proven to be a
large success (the band performed it on Saturday Night Live Sept. 22).  It has such a simple yet driving sound that pulled me along and left me wanting more when the last note was hit. The magic of Mumford & Sons isn’t complicated melody lines or music lines, but rather extraordinary story telling and dramatic beats and melodies.

While some people claim that Mumford & Sons has reached the point of their furthest success, I beg to differ. The folk/bluegrass sound does sound very similar from artists to artist and song to song, but this genre does not define this band and the new album if proof of this fact. Sigh No More and Babel have some similar features, but Babel is an entirely different story filled with unique harmonies, bass drum beats, and banjo notes. “Little Lion Man” fans should rush to the store or open iTunes as soon as possible to pick up this newest hit. It is something truly unique and breathtaking.

This album can be found by accessing the iTunes store or on amazon.com