“Wilder Mind”
Mumford & Sons
B-
When a friend asked me why I would buy an album I was determined to hate, my answer was simple: I had to.
If there was anything I learned from Jack Black in “School of Rock,” it’s that you just worship the band. I’ve been a Mumford & Sons fan since the very beginning, when “Little Lion Man” was barely getting airplay on American radio and that banjo-y sound had not yet taken over mainstream folk rock. “Wilder Mind” is the band’s first album since they released “Babel” in 2012. I was thrilled, but displeased by the idea of an electric album.
That, coupled with the fact that I worship Mumford & Sons in the way that many Directioners worship Harry Styles’ hair, made for an interesting mix of emotions as release day approached.
I was determined to hate the album. But I raced out to buy the deluxe edition, which is the same album with four “live” recordings at the end.
I’ve listened to this album for the last week trying to figure out just how to articulate my feelings, and here’s what I’ve got: Meh.
The album starts with “Tompkins Square Park,” an underwhelming quasi-love song with superficial lyrics matched with catchy-while-simultaneously-boring backing music. “But no flame burns forever, oh no / You and I both know this all too well / And most don’t even last the night / No they don’t, they say they don’t.”
What happened to the songs that made you feel?
The song melts into “Believe,” the album’s first single and arguably one of my least favorite Mumford songs. The song begins almost hauntingly with Mumford’s signature vocals before turning into a big ‘ole bundle of noise. And noise with screeching electric guitars, not “Dust Bowl Dance” noise. “The Wolf” is similar, although arguably much more fun to listen to.
I had a moment of clarity the other day driving downtown when, for whatever reason, I completely clicked with “Snake Eyes.”
“It’s in the eyes / I can tell you will always be danger.”
Somewhere under all that electric nonsense was that band I worshiped.
There are, of course, songs that I enjoy listening to superficially. Tracks like “Just Smoke,” “Monster” and “Ditmas” make for pretty easy listening, but, while I’m singing the lyrics, I’m not engaged by them. They’re not making me think. They’re not making me feel.
On the whole, the album is a massive change in direction from their old sound. Technically speaking, the sound mixing could be better — there are times when the backing music is so loud that you can’t hear the other members’ voices. There’s a lot of electricity, zero banjo, and the lyrics are certainly lacking.
The album isn’t great, but I don’t hate it in the way I expected to. It’s pretty OK. Go ahead and buy it — but don’t spring for the deluxe version.
