THE band that put "faux" into "folk" now plug in and go electric.
But despite Marcus Mumford's recent participation in the Bob Dylan/Lost On The River project, I don't expect fans to be shouting "Judas!" any time soon. Wilder Mind is a change in direction, yes, but one with no great risk involved. It's a missed opportunity as a mainstream safety net is never far beneath Mumford's feet.
So while the guitars rev up on Tompkins Square Park and The Wolf, the drums remain bone-crushingly dull, caged into a basic snare beat that's barely a notch above a skiffle band. Mumford And Sons, relaunched as a classic US rock outfit, have a rhythm section that limits their own aspirations and the result just doesn't hit you in the gut.
At least one early review compared this album to Lost In The Dream by The War On Drugs, but that's wishful thinking when the track list is considered as a whole. Songs such as Believe and Just Smoke have too much radio-friendly, post-reality-show pop about them; they're closer to Robbie and Olly than, say, Kings Of Leon.
But, you know, perhaps that's as it should be. Mumford's tunes and the burr in his voice really do come alive when the amps are turned up. It's just a shame that the same care and consideration wasn't paid to the guitar solos and drum parts as the vocal melodies.
Alan Morrison
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