Album Review - Mumford & Sons - Wilder Mind. Gentlemen of the Road/Glassnote
Artists are required to grow, to evolve and expand their sound, and break their own boundaries. That is what I like to think. That is something Alabama Shakes largely accomplished with their recent follow-up album ‘Sound & Colour’, an album which experimented with different sounds and in doing so expanded the group’s sound as a whole. With ‘Sound & Colour’, it did not feel like an integral component of the group’s essence was missing. The album largely works.
When Mumford & Sons announced that their 3rd album, ‘Wilder Mind’, would drop their signature banjo and pick up the electric guitar, they promised a new sound, a new direction for the band. Gone with the folk, in with the rock.
When Mumford dropped the lead single, ‘Believe’, fans were worried that it sounded very similar to Coldplay – not Coldplay at their best, but rather a filler track. It’s true. The sound is very much something one would expect from Chris Martin and co.
That’s a problem that arises throughout the record. The sound on ‘Wilder Mind’ is not so much a whole new experimental sound for the band rather than it is Mumford trying to sound like most talented and successful bands around in 2015. Mumford & Sons are singlehandedly responsible for the revival of popular folk music, a time in which other bands copied Mumford’s sound to try and achieve similar success.
Now, rather than experimenting with their own original sound – there is nothing wildly original about ‘Wilder Mind’ – the band seems to mimic what other rock bands are doing in 2015. A band that comes to mind almost immediately is The National and, low and behold, Mumford did rope in The National’s own Aaron Dessner to helm initial records of the album.
Is the album bad? No, certainly not. From the rock elements of the record, the tracks ‘Ditmas’ and ‘Snake Eyes’ stand out, but the real standout moment from the album comes from the delicate track ‘Cold Arms’, spare electric guitar with Marcus Mumford’s voice searing through – which is another strong element of the album. Marcus’s voice is as powerful as ever, conveying every ache and disappointment the lyrics possess, but it also fills out the stadium rock anthems with ease. Mumford’s characteristic songwriting is still ever present on the album, the Mumford blueprint is untouched, but it’s the sound surrounding it that sometimes falters.
The album’s sound misses originality, the Mumford & Sons identity gets lost in the electric guitar and pulsing anthems, which is the record’s biggest flaw. Still, they do rock music pretty damn well.
Rating: 3/5
