Breathe Deep
5 Out of 5 Stars
"Sigh No More" is the 2010 equivalent of 2009's album from The Avett Brothers, "I and Love and You." Mumford and Sons create the same kind of modern, heartfelt and forceful folk-rock as the Avetts, and "Sigh No More" is a tightly spun collection that has not a duff song in its dozen numbers. It's easily this year's best folk album and a contender for one of the best of the year overall.
While the four members aren't actually family, they harmonize like they were born for it. Marcus Mumford, the chief songwriter, gives them actual poetry to work with, which is rare enough in popular culture, and even a rarer find throughout a full album. The first time I heard "Little Lion Man," I was floored by its brutal tear down of a man too petty and vindictive to realize he is only poisoning himself.
"Tremble little lion man,
you'll never settle for any of your scores
your grace is wasted in your face,
your boldness stands alone among the wreck.
Learn from your mother
or else spend your days biting your own neck."
That was it for me; thanks to Pandora I was sold on the spot. There are plenty of other diamond moments on "Sigh No More," like the angry "White Blank Page" and the waltz-time "Awake My Soul." There's plenty of temptation to compare Mumford and Sons to a host of other bands besides the Avett Brothers, but that would do both groups a disservice. This album stands alone just splendidly.
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