Mumford and Sons - Sigh No More

We first caught the jubilant Mumford and Sons live as opening support (and backing band) for divine neo-folkie Laura Marling. Full of blustery, buskery energy, raspy-voiced Marcus Mumford and his remarkable players stomped, and occasionally waltzed, their way into our hearts with a passionate, all-too-short set filled with harmonied, countrified British pub-folk crossed with a sweaty rock n' roll drive. With twanging banjo, slide guitar, sprightly piano runs and an irresistible, infectious joy, Mumford and Sons left us exhausted and exhilarated. So it is with not a small of pleasure that we welcome (finally) their very special, unassumingly epic debut album Sigh No More to these shores February 16 (Glassnote).

The powerful "Dust Bowl Dance" probably epitomizes the Mumford aesthetic best: building slowly from a piano and banjo folk ballad, with Marcus' gin-soaked voice in full lament, into a rampaging storm of boot heels slammed into woodboard, a flurry of acoustic instruments meeting an electric jolt of fuzzed, wall-of-sound mayhem. It is just one brilliant, spine-tingling moment from an album that is blessed with many. "What we write about is real," says Son Country Winston, "and we sing and play our instruments more passionately 'cos we feel like we need to. We love honest music." Clearly. Highly recommended. Catch them on Letterman February 10.

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Mumford and Sons - "Dustbowl Dance" (from the album Sigh No More)

Mumford and Sons - "The Cave" (from the album Sigh No More)