


Vinyl LP pressing. 2012 release, the sophomore album from the British Indie/Folk band. As with their 2009 debut, Sigh No More, Babel was produced by producer Markus Dravs. "We are more than excited to release Babel into the world. We had started writing new songs well before we got into the studio to record. At first, we peeled ourselves off the road quite reluctantly. We love playing live, obviously, but it had also become an important part of our creative process, we had been writing and rehearsing in soundchecks, and sort of 'road-testing' new songs on our very gracious audiences. But then we fell in love with recording again. The album started to come together, and with the help of Markus Dravs once more (and engineer Robin Baynton), we started to relish the challenge of making this album. As a band, we've never been closer or more collaborative, all working to our strengths. And so we feel that this record is a natural progression that we're proud of, and we cannot wait to take it out on the road." Review: A Stellar Sophomore Production from Mumford and Sons - After listening to their first album a little too much for any normal human being, a second album from Mumford and Sons is something that I have been anticipating for a long time. With the foot-stomping energy of the first album, it seemed difficult to imagine they could produce another album with such power and emotion. In short: they did it. Babel: 5/5 - From the first notes, it's evident the track for which the album is titled is going to be energetic. The thumping bass drum, the seemingly ever-present banjo, and Marcus Mumford's soaring vocals starts the album off on an excellent note. Whispers In The Dark: 4.5/5 - "Babel" carries straight into this track, the second song of the album. "Whispers In The Dark" keeps the energy from fading and is a good complement to "Babel". I Will Wait: 6/5 - If you've been listening to the radio at all recently, you've most likely heard this played a fair amount. However, there's good reason for that: it's an excellent song. After finding an older, live version of this song on YouTube about a year and a half ago (titled "Nothing is Unwritten"), this is absolutely fantastic to listen to. The addition of the "I will wait/I will wait/I will wait for you" part was genius in my opinion, as the old version seemed to be a little lacking. All in all, a fantastic track. Holland Road: 5/5 - After the fast-paced "I Will Wait", "Holland Road" slows things down a little, but still manages to keep the same energy. The refrain of "ah"s feels like a relaxing massage, which is very pleasant to listen to. Ghosts That We Knew: 5/5 - "Ghosts That We Knew" is the first slow song on the album. The mellow and relaxing nature of the song is accentuated with fantastic harmonies, making this one of my personal favorites of the album. Lover Of The Light: 4.5/5 - The energy is brought back up with this, the sixth track on the album. The song takes a little bit to build, but once it does, you'll be bouncing to the tune. An excellent and energetic song keeps the album flowing. Hopeless Wanderer: 5/5 - "Hopeless Wanderer" brings down the intensity a bit. The harmonies are particularly excellent, in my opinion. The thumping bass drum during the final part of the song is a great touch. Broken Crown: 4/5 - This, the eighth song on the album, is a quick, two minute track of Marcus Mumford and his guitar. A break in the action, it showcases the lead singer's ability to perform. This song didn't seem to click for me, however, so I rate it a little lower. Hopeless Wanderer: 5/5 - "Hopeless Wanderer" begins sounding a little basic, but then the guitar begins speeding up and you're off. The power of this song, from the soaring vocals to the banjo to the the piano, is thrilling to experience. Broken Crown: 4.5/5 - Slowing the pace down, "Broken Crown" is the only song so far where there's noticeable foul language. All in all, a good song. Below My Feet: 5/5 - "Below My Feet" is another song I found live on YouTube a little while back. It was one of my favorites then, and it still is. The tempo seems to be in the middle of the tempos that Mumford and Sons tend to favor. The layering of sound on this one is excellent and provides for a very rich listening experience. Not With Haste: 4.5/5 - The final song of the regular version of the album, "Not With Haste" is slower and isn't quite as layered as other songs. It's a fitting, although maybe a little lacking, closing track to the album. Bonus Tracks: For Those Below: 4.5/5 - This is one of the first songs I've heard that doesn't have Marcus Mumford as the lead singer. This song also has some electric guitar in the background, which is surprising. It seems to work, however. The Boxer: 5/5 - The harmonies in this song are some of the best on the whole album. It also seems to have a little more of a country "twang" to it than other songs, although it is quite minimal. Where Are You Now: 4.5/5 - This song is a tad repetitious, but is still a great song that leaves you satisfied. While some people might say Mumford and Sons' songs sound the same, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. They've found a sound that's adored by many and is a great contrast to some of the other genres of popular music. With this second album, Mumford and Sons should continue to ascend to new heights and grab more listeners than before. Final rating: 5/5 Review: we LOVE this album! - We're relatively new fans of Mumford & Sons, and I almost never buy an album (downloaded or CD format) when it's brand new, but I made an exception in this case. A long road trip needs some new tunes, and this was just the ticket. :) We're of Celtic heritage (both my husband and me), and listen to full-on Celtic music regularly. Our son would say "almost constantly, Mom." ;) Regardless, we have found ourselves LOVING the mandolin, banjo, and other instruments in these songs. The Celtic heritage notwithstanding, the melodies are catchy and singable, the lyrics are deep, and many songs are "ear-worm-able," which means I wake up with one running through my noggin on any given morning (today, it's "Hopeless Wanderer"). I especially appreciate the raw honesty in the lyrics of M&S - they convey what I experience, believe, and don't have the musical eloquence to convey on my own. We did remove "Broken Crown" from the playlist b/c of its explicit nature, and b/c I don't want to have that particular conversation with our 10 y/o son. He knows the meaning of the word and that it's vulgar, but for his (still concrete-thinking) brain to wrap itself around the use of that word in lyrics by a group professing faith is more than he can handle and more explanation than I want to engage in at the moment. It will go back in the playlist as he grows, but for now, it's out. M&S is on high-rotation in our home right now - for good reason. If you like real, gritty, and indie-sounding music, you'll love "Babel" as much as we do. :)





















| ASIN | B008O037RG |
| Best Sellers Rank | #2,203 in CDs & Vinyl ( See Top 100 in CDs & Vinyl ) #50 in Folk Rock (CDs & Vinyl) #265 in Alternative Rock (CDs & Vinyl) |
| Customer Reviews | 4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars (5,147) |
| Date First Available | July 23, 2012 |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Item model number | 28941113 |
| Label | Glassnote (Chord) |
| Manufacturer | Glassnote (Chord) |
| Number of discs | 1 |
| Original Release Date | 2012 |
| Product Dimensions | 12.36 x 12.36 x 0.31 inches; 8.32 ounces |
S**N
A Stellar Sophomore Production from Mumford and Sons
After listening to their first album a little too much for any normal human being, a second album from Mumford and Sons is something that I have been anticipating for a long time. With the foot-stomping energy of the first album, it seemed difficult to imagine they could produce another album with such power and emotion. In short: they did it. Babel: 5/5 - From the first notes, it's evident the track for which the album is titled is going to be energetic. The thumping bass drum, the seemingly ever-present banjo, and Marcus Mumford's soaring vocals starts the album off on an excellent note. Whispers In The Dark: 4.5/5 - "Babel" carries straight into this track, the second song of the album. "Whispers In The Dark" keeps the energy from fading and is a good complement to "Babel". I Will Wait: 6/5 - If you've been listening to the radio at all recently, you've most likely heard this played a fair amount. However, there's good reason for that: it's an excellent song. After finding an older, live version of this song on YouTube about a year and a half ago (titled "Nothing is Unwritten"), this is absolutely fantastic to listen to. The addition of the "I will wait/I will wait/I will wait for you" part was genius in my opinion, as the old version seemed to be a little lacking. All in all, a fantastic track. Holland Road: 5/5 - After the fast-paced "I Will Wait", "Holland Road" slows things down a little, but still manages to keep the same energy. The refrain of "ah"s feels like a relaxing massage, which is very pleasant to listen to. Ghosts That We Knew: 5/5 - "Ghosts That We Knew" is the first slow song on the album. The mellow and relaxing nature of the song is accentuated with fantastic harmonies, making this one of my personal favorites of the album. Lover Of The Light: 4.5/5 - The energy is brought back up with this, the sixth track on the album. The song takes a little bit to build, but once it does, you'll be bouncing to the tune. An excellent and energetic song keeps the album flowing. Hopeless Wanderer: 5/5 - "Hopeless Wanderer" brings down the intensity a bit. The harmonies are particularly excellent, in my opinion. The thumping bass drum during the final part of the song is a great touch. Broken Crown: 4/5 - This, the eighth song on the album, is a quick, two minute track of Marcus Mumford and his guitar. A break in the action, it showcases the lead singer's ability to perform. This song didn't seem to click for me, however, so I rate it a little lower. Hopeless Wanderer: 5/5 - "Hopeless Wanderer" begins sounding a little basic, but then the guitar begins speeding up and you're off. The power of this song, from the soaring vocals to the banjo to the the piano, is thrilling to experience. Broken Crown: 4.5/5 - Slowing the pace down, "Broken Crown" is the only song so far where there's noticeable foul language. All in all, a good song. Below My Feet: 5/5 - "Below My Feet" is another song I found live on YouTube a little while back. It was one of my favorites then, and it still is. The tempo seems to be in the middle of the tempos that Mumford and Sons tend to favor. The layering of sound on this one is excellent and provides for a very rich listening experience. Not With Haste: 4.5/5 - The final song of the regular version of the album, "Not With Haste" is slower and isn't quite as layered as other songs. It's a fitting, although maybe a little lacking, closing track to the album. Bonus Tracks: For Those Below: 4.5/5 - This is one of the first songs I've heard that doesn't have Marcus Mumford as the lead singer. This song also has some electric guitar in the background, which is surprising. It seems to work, however. The Boxer: 5/5 - The harmonies in this song are some of the best on the whole album. It also seems to have a little more of a country "twang" to it than other songs, although it is quite minimal. Where Are You Now: 4.5/5 - This song is a tad repetitious, but is still a great song that leaves you satisfied. While some people might say Mumford and Sons' songs sound the same, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. They've found a sound that's adored by many and is a great contrast to some of the other genres of popular music. With this second album, Mumford and Sons should continue to ascend to new heights and grab more listeners than before. Final rating: 5/5
M**T
we LOVE this album!
We're relatively new fans of Mumford & Sons, and I almost never buy an album (downloaded or CD format) when it's brand new, but I made an exception in this case. A long road trip needs some new tunes, and this was just the ticket. :) We're of Celtic heritage (both my husband and me), and listen to full-on Celtic music regularly. Our son would say "almost constantly, Mom." ;) Regardless, we have found ourselves LOVING the mandolin, banjo, and other instruments in these songs. The Celtic heritage notwithstanding, the melodies are catchy and singable, the lyrics are deep, and many songs are "ear-worm-able," which means I wake up with one running through my noggin on any given morning (today, it's "Hopeless Wanderer"). I especially appreciate the raw honesty in the lyrics of M&S - they convey what I experience, believe, and don't have the musical eloquence to convey on my own. We did remove "Broken Crown" from the playlist b/c of its explicit nature, and b/c I don't want to have that particular conversation with our 10 y/o son. He knows the meaning of the word and that it's vulgar, but for his (still concrete-thinking) brain to wrap itself around the use of that word in lyrics by a group professing faith is more than he can handle and more explanation than I want to engage in at the moment. It will go back in the playlist as he grows, but for now, it's out. M&S is on high-rotation in our home right now - for good reason. If you like real, gritty, and indie-sounding music, you'll love "Babel" as much as we do. :)
D**G
Not a duplicate of Sigh but Remarkable in a new way, Bonus tracks great
Like the other glowing reviews, I believe this is a worthy and remarkable second effort by the Brit folk band that blew my mind with their first album, Sigh No More. I purchased the deluxe version and am glad I did, the bonus tracks Where are you now and For those below are great, even The boxer cover was a pleasure. There are rousing anthems with the wall of acoustic guitar sound with Marcus Mumford's relentless strumming, as on SNM, (Babel and I will wait, Not with haste, Whispers in the Dark) and the swelling of the harmonies of the band's voices together still come across in many songs, incl. Hopeless Wanderer and Where are you now. There isn't a bad let-down or filler song among these. The difference I notice is that there are more contemplative tracks, with even simpler instrumentation. They are less anthemic and more personal with very evocative lyrics (Below my feet, For those below, Ghosts that we knew, Holland Road). I will say the tempo of these songs feel leisurely, but never slow or dull. I'm glad the band is evolving. Artists need to stretch. I appreciate the change in mood and the greater intimacy of these songs. I can appreciate Mumford's voice and their harmonies all the more. The songs still offer fresh lyrics, few cliches and some breathtaking word pictures/stories.
T**S
Take it from a 47 year old who listens to classic rock and heavy metal (pre-ordered the new Uncle Acid and will preorder the new Saxon) this album is wonderful. I ordered it together with the Lumineers and all I can say is turn the lights down, open a bottle of wine and enjoy the music with your wife/husband. The perfect music what a nice evening. The only album with the Lumineers that I think deserve the credits they received this year. Best songs Holland Road, Hopeless Wanderer, and Lover of the Light The vinyl quality is great. 180gr virgin vinyl, includes free download and Amazon's packaging is great. I will cut and paste the same review for the Lumineers. Don't be put off by the haters. Every person has his own preferences. Expand your horizon listen to the lyrics sit back and relax.
E**S
Llegó en buen estado, bien empaquetado. Y pues sobra decir que es mi grupo favorito del momento....largo momento. Cumple con plazo de entrega.
M**O
Talvez o melhor trabalho do M&S. Capa gatefold, porém chegou com pequenos amassados nos cantos. Prensagem razoável, achei o LP estalando demais.
M**N
Brilliant, glad I managed to find Mudford and sons cd again
G**.
Colis reçu intact et dans le délai prédéterminé.
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