Sigh No More

A friend burned me an alternative Christmas album a few days ago (thankfully no Slade!) and on it was the track "Winter Winds" by the Mumfords. It is a roaring joy of a track, a brassy, processional pop song full of banjos and horns. It's wintry in a "Fairytale of New York" way and lead singer Marcus Mumford delivers better than Parcel force. As such I quickly rushed out to buy their wonderful debut and checked out the excellent and rave reviews on Amazon. It comes with a health warning, "Sigh no More" is so addictive that you become a total bore amongst your friends because of frequent rants about its wonders. Yet equally it is the easiest piece of missionary work you will ever perform since the response back is universally positive.

Who are the Mumfords? The NME tells us with pinpoint accuracy that the band was "Formed in late 2007 through a shared love of country, bluegrass and folk, the Mumford's belong to a clique that's already scaled grand artistic peaks; performers such as Laura Marling and Noah And The Whale taking the shambling, confessional style of the New York anti-folk scene and fleshing it out for broader commercial appeal".

Check out the many clips on you tube and you will see a band of fresh faced folkies, decked out in waistcoats and beards having the time of their life. To the acts above you could also add a Pogues influence, a bit of the Macabees and in Marcus's voice is the passion heard in Sam Duckworths "Get Cape Wear Cape Fly debut album "Chronicles of a Bohemian Teenager" (which we hope he recaptures) or even sometimes a young Peter Gabriel.

The songs are all very strong but to single out a few for your attention the lovely ballad "After the storm" is achingly beautiful and what a mature work for such a young band. Similarly the single "Little Lion Man" is a banjo driven foot tapper but with superb lyrics and story. Other standouts include the initially soothing "I gave you all" which is a slow burner that builds to an excellent and powerful crescendo. Mention in dispatches should also go to Waterboys "Fisherman blues" era stomp "Roll away your stone" and the excellent high tempo folk of "Thistle and Weeds" and the sheer passion of "White Blank Page". I have in candour not yet found a real duffer on this album which is hugely impressive and with the "The Cave" they have recorded one of the songs of 2009. I have recently heard Mumfords songs not on this album including "Sister" available free from their website, the lovely "Liar" and a corking covers of Calvin Harris's "Im not alone" and the Beatles "Golden Slumbers/Carry that Weight". There is clearly strength in depth with this band and talent to spare.

It's great to see that Jo Whiley, Zane Lowe and Greg James from Radio 1 have enthused and championed this album all year. I have seen some reviews of "Sigh no More" suggesting that it is too angst ridden or alternatively (and in contradiction) it's a bunch of posh kids discovering that folk can be fun. Its not perfect(it comes close) but for a debut oozes huge potential and places a hefty weight of lofty expectation on a precociously and massively talented new band.

So brilliant that even an old fogie like me (in my fifties) can enjoy this album. It's the strangest mix of all music, great lyrics, great emotions, great talent. My friend who is a bluegrass fan even gave this a listen. BUY IT! And yes, even you young people will like it too...

I have been buying rock music for over fifty years and this is definitely amongst my top five albums of all time. Could even be the best.Very hard to believe it is a first album! The music seems to be a fusion of rock,folk,and bluegrass and has echoes of the early Strawbs album,[[ASIN:B00000B96Q From The Witchwood] I loved the light and shade of tone, the changes of rhythm and pace,and the passionate, spiritual lyrics with their encouragement to identify with what it is like to be fully human in a flawed, but God made world. I can give no greater compliment to Marcus Mumford other than to say that if John Donne and the other metaphysical poets were alive today, they would be writing lyrics like these.Marcus is clearly very mature and talented and has gathered a tight and gifted band around him whose performance is enhanced by a superb production.They deserve to have success "rain down" on them, yet when I saw them interviewed on YouTube,] they seemed to be refreshingly modest and content to let the music speak eloquently for them. And it really does! I can't wait to see a gig of theirs. Go out and buy this. You won't regret it. You might even "Sigh no More".