by Paul Shumaker

Created on: November 17, 2010   Last Updated: February 11, 2013

What can an acoustic guitar, a keyboard, a string bass, a commanding English accent and a banjo do? Nothing, unless you're in the folk rock band Mumford and Sons; then these things can make you ridiculously unique, uncommonly famous and an iTunes dominator. Let me admit that before I listened to Sigh No More, Mumford and Sons' debut album, I considered a banjo more of a torture device than an instrument. I also stereotyped folk music as outdated and boring. But the unrelenting success of Mumford and Sons has proved me wrong.

From the streets of London, Mumford and Sons has steadily risen to success. Forming in 2007 and releasing Sigh No More in 2009, the band is relatively young with members ranging from 21 to 25 years old. Yet the songs emulate maturity unfamiliar in the present-day music industry. With unusually graceful lyrics and powerfully played instruments on their album, Mumford and Sons sends the listener into a mood of “I’m going to conquer the world and read a book.” While none of the songs uses a single electric guitar or bass, they excite and inspire more than any modern song utilizing electric instruments. Most of the tracks do not use a full drum kit, just a bass drum played (using a foot pedal) by the lead singer. Some of the songs have a more thoughtful tone that induce a pensive mood on the listener. Mumford and Sons has appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman, playing "Little Lion Man." They have also performed “The Cave” on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. As of when this article was written, “Sigh No More” is number 23 on the iTunes top selling albums and “Little Lion Man” is number 76 on iTunes top-selling songs list. These ratings are impressive, considering the album has been out since February and it’s still in the top 100 selling albums.  

Brilliantly blended sounds are fused together to produce a high quality, original album. With lyrics that quote Shakespeare and other classic literature, Mumford and Sons unveils songs about love, loss and everything else in life worth singing about. If anyone is hesitant about picking up this album, don’t be. “Sigh No More” is worth buying and listening to over and over again. Listeners will particularly enjoy “The Cave,” “Little Lion Man,” “White Blank Page” and “Awake my Soul,” which are the album's most popular songs. 

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