Babel
| Mumford and Sons
Babel
Babel is the second studio album by British rock band Mumford & Sons. As with Sigh No More, the album was produced by Markus Dravs. The vinyl LP version of the record was pressed by United Record Pressing in Nashville, Tennessee. It was released on 21 September 2012 in Ireland, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Norway, Australia and New Zealand. It was released on 24 September 2012 in the United Kingdom, Scandinavia, Spain, Italy, Eastern Europe, South America, and on 25 September 2012 in the United States and Canada.- Wikipedia
Critic Reviews
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Billboard
A larger, smoother Mumford, offering fresh nuances and textures while emboldened by the promise of the initial mission
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NME
Mumford & Sons are kind of a big deal these days and ‘Babel’, their long-awaited second album, means serious business.
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Consequence of Sound
The studio version is an upgrade from the concert, with raw glimpses of emotion and humility.
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BBC
In an ideal world, it would be nice if the group were afforded the credit they deserve before they, too, fade into the past.
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The Gaurdian
With every crescendo of catgut and steel, their lack of nuance becomes wearing.
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Washington Post
Tedious and repetitive in the extreme, resolving time and again to the same acoustic guitar, banjo and drums-driven buildup that feels ineffectual
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Music AV Club
He’s succeeded; there’s hardly a second on Babel that doesn’t feel sonically impeccable.
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Slant Magazine
Too sludgy in their form and trading too much in melodrama and grand but empty gestures
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Pretty Much Amazing
Sophomore release is self-absorbed and profoundly annoying.
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Our Vinyl
Their lyrics are what win you over.
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Pop Matters
Babel isn't a great album, but it is a good one.
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American Songwriter
It’s not perfect, but it’s perfectly Mumford & Sons.
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The Current
They've filled the white blank page with songs of hope and glory, heartache and redemption, played with the verve and passion (and yes, banjos)
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Diffuser FM
Marcus Mumford's voice is a gorgeous, sincere instrument that can raise goosebumps out of the steeliest listener
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Paste Magazine
The songs are still powerful and moving, and hearing them incites the listener to stomp and yell along in passionate fits.
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Digital Spy
When the chants are as gutsy and inspiring as these, evolution is pointless; those Big Leagues would be mad not to agree.
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Clash Music
It’s very much a ‘if it ain’t broke’ album and, for now, that’s okay.
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Uproxx
Manifests their beliefs that music can be fresh and relevant, while embracing a sense of traditionalism.
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Think Christian
They simply wrote a batch of consistent new songs, woodshedded them on the road for over a year and then recorded them.
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NZ Herald
Folk-stars' second album shines when they loosen up, but occasionally feels a little bland.
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All Music
A band fused to the starting block, paralyzed by the thought of having to truly race for their lives.
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RSJ Online
Occasionally, the right things are accentuated and there is some interesting imagery displaying Mumford’s songwriting prowess.
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Common Sense Media
Beautiful harmonies backed by rapid-fire banjo -- is back in these tracks.
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Earmilk
There is a track within it that speaks to almost every human emotion felt.
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Digital Journal
There isn't much ground-breaking or experimentation, but it definitely delivers and satisfies.
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Sputnik Music
Hollow attempts to reconstruct the shallowest tenets of something which is in fact quite elegant, is really not the way to communicate with people at all.
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The Musical Hype
A solid, but not necessarily innovative album
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Prefix Magazine
They hit the sweet spot. Now on Babel, they’re hitting it again
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York Vision
A colossus, a tour-de-force that eclipses anything else that has come before it.
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Brent Music Reviews
Overall a very good album.
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Pizza FM
Indeed talented musicians. There isn’t a single sour note on the album, the majority of the hooks are pretty catchy.
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The Young Folks
They’ve solidified what they do well and the direction they should continue to take. This album is worth a listen.
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Daily Mail
There is no life there. Nothing towers in Babel.
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Highlander News
Their music has the ability to make audiences stop and not only listen and pay attention to every single word, but also savor and relate to it.
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WSS Newspaper
No one can deny the genius behind the band’s tracks. Mumford has claimed a spot as one of the most talented acts.
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Descrier
The success that surely awaits Babel will be, in my opinion, well-deserved.
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QRO Magazine
This album will be cemented as one of the best albums
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Red Online
Frankly, we're hooked already.
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Entertainment.ie
Represents a definite progression.
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Chicago Tribune
Offers a uniformly solid track list and few surprises. “Babel” hits all the right notes
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The Waster
All in all, Mumford and Sons knew exactly what they were doing when they made this album.
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Wolfpack
They have a sound perfect for young and old with beautiful lyrics and a pulse for the kids to dance to.
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Contact music
when you've discovered a winning formula, is there really any need to re-invent the wheel?
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The Cambridge Student
This is not to say the album is a disappointment: there are still a good deal of harmonies to be enjoyed and wisdom to be imparted.
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NPR
Mumford & Sons aren't changing the world that much, but they're living loud in their little corner. In that, they're just like most of us.
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Crasstalk
Overall, I think Babel is a good album, and worth purchasing.
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Mic
Mostly boring album with flickers of genius that never go anywhere
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EW
And the band has mastered the emotional gut-punch of quiet/loud dynamics
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NBHAP
An album you can listen to and sing along over and over again, and it’ll always keep this rich musical and lyrical soul.
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Seeds
May not satisfy all the criteria required by die-hard fans, it comes fairly close.
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Bol
Wonderful songs, Good singing, Immersive music
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Now Toronto
Essentially repeats the foot-stomping, banjo-picking formula, but scrubs away the subtlety.
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Pegasus Pages
In short, it’s wonderful, it’s poetic, and I can say little to fault it, apart from one thing: I’ve heard it all before.
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She Knows
Strange, spinning simplicity. The added cheekiness is also a nice touch. Well played, boys.
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The Argus
Talent is clear on Babel regarding both the content and the overall sound.
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Popstache
It is the same old charmingly aged pickup, but with some flashy new hardware and artistic liberties to make it feel new.
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Sabotage Times
Will no doubt grab hearts and headlines the world over, but it's not as relentlessly universal as it aspires to be....
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The Fire Note
Highly anticipated sophomore record from UK’s Mumford & Sons has its moments.
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Mind Equals Blown
While the album is not entirely perfect, the memorable moments are breathtaking and absolute.
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The Saint
Every track is guaranteed to keep fans and new listeners alike satisfied with its energy and astonishing precision.
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Spectrum Culture
As the band constantly escalates the emotional stakes, it devalues the power of their dynamics
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Indie Current
There are subtle nuances throughout each track which set this apart from the writing on the debut.
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Musik Express
Meet expectations - and because they were so high, that's quite a remarkable achievement.
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The Harvard Crimson
This isn’t a step forward or even an homage: it’s a step backwards
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Under the Gun Review
Mumford and Sons take all the right steps in the right direction and created an album that will be on heavy rotation this Fall season. SCORE:
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Mezzic
For new listeners, it’s exciting. The songs enrapture the ears and quickens the heart.
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For Folks Sake
It’s sculpted with the sole intent of being enjoyable. Which is a shame, because Babel is not everything it should have been.
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The Atlantic
They've become a better band for their second album
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Christianity Today
Traditional folk instrumentation, militaristic drum patterns, grandiose brass, and aggressive vocal tracks give their tunes an arresting and joyful sound.
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BC Gavel
Every Mumford and Sons song sounds the same. It’s a formula. But it’s a beautiful one.
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The National
Posh-but-scruffy Londoners playing acoustic folk-pop
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Time Out Doha
Yes, Babel matches the deftness of their first offering
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Poly Spotlight
Reproduces another enjoyable album that will do no more than satisfy their loyal fan base.
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The Two Cities
An album that gets better with each listen, but it admittedly feels more generic than their previous effort.
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Mimo
This is the smartest record the band could have made.
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Lyrique Discorde
This album is a strong sophomore effort, and delivers what one would want and expect from the band.
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Earbuddy
All in all I enjoy Babel and will more than likely continue to.
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Seattle PI
When these songs dial up on my shuffle, I stop what I'm doing and smile.
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Seren
However, aside from a typically catchy tune or two, they’re suffering from second album syndrome. Perhaps take two is never as good as the original.
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40 for Lent
Babel is a fantastic second album. It already musically is better.
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Project Rhythm Seed
This is a band that is clearly devoted to making good music, bringing people together through a shared love of tunes that have something to say.
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Popblerd
They excel with flying colors. Like a folk-rock Nirvana, the Mumfords get a lot of mileage out of their soft/loud dynamic.
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Blue Corner Store
not at all being a complete failure by any means, but never quite being able to live up to it’s older, more successful brother, ‘Sigh No More’.
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Express
Still humble and authentic with some gorgeously haunting melodies and slightly gravelly harmonies this is old-school in a good way. Nice one, boys.
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TCU 360
This careful balance of theme plus tempo places the band on a level beyond most musical groups of today.
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MBird
The band’s music is heartfelt and refreshing, beautifully expressing the human desire for love and grace.
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Why ED
What Mumford and Sons did was create a unique and different album to what is so called “popular”
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The Musical Hype
Gives them a solid, but not necessarily innovative album.
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All Music
Still sound like a band fused to the starting block, paralyzed by the thought of having to truly race for their lives.
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Timeout
Marcus’s affecting, grizzly strain turns beautifully menacing – this is a carbon-copy of ‘Sigh…’, and no amount of speedy string-diddling is going to change that.
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B Sides
Joyful and euphoric, this album is genuine to its core. B-Sides hopes to follow these British boys for many, many folk-filled years to come.
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