This is an album that knocks you over at first. But when you gather yourself, get back on your feet and listen again, you’ll want to hit the play button a second time. Mumford & Sons have no reason on to apologize on Sigh No More—this is a killer debut.
Sigh No More inspires evangelism through sheer force of will. Between Mumford's gripping wail and the Sons' whirlwind revelries, it's a revival hard to resist.
Thanks to a volatile mix of the uplifting and gloomy — there’s a bitter murder tale (“Dust Bowl Dance”) and lingering visions of death (“Timshel”) — Sigh No More transfixes.
It has enough commercial gloss ... to compensate for the rambling, shambling stuff, but will also sound mighty fine when the snow is on the ground and the logs are blazing in your proverbial hearth.
Mumford's desperation, elevated in TNT dynamics, can be thrilling.
Sigh No More is an impressive debut, but one that impresses more for its promise of the future than it does its wildly inconsistent place in the present.
There's still room for growth, but Sigh suggests that Mumford & Sons may someday develop into something great. For now, we'll settle for good.
Despite any popularity which may come their way, what Mumford & Sons have produced in Sigh No More is nothing more than an empty shell of a half-decent record.
Every hoedown on Sigh No More-- every rush of instruments in rhythmic and melodic lockstep-- conveys the same sense of hollow, self-aggrandizing drama.
#1 | / | Amazon |
#2 | / | American Songwriter |
#3 | / | Paste |
#4 | / | Billboard |
#9 | / | Spinner |
#10 | / | Rhapsody SoundBoard |
#16 | / | NME |
#22 | / | The Line of Best Fit |
#26 | / | Under the Radar |
#98 | / | Consequence of Sound |
#81 | / | Billboard (2010s) |
#8 | / | NPR Listeners (Mid Year) |
#18 | / | Billboard (2010-2014) |
#50 | / | Paste (Indie Folk) |