Delta by Mumford and Sons

Mumford & Sons have released their most experimental album to date, Delta, which was released on Friday.

Following up their 2015 release Wilder Mind, Mumford & Sons are back with their newest album entitled Delta.  Already receiving mixed reviews from their fans on the band’s Facebook page, the group has posted that they are very excited about this release and feel it is their best work to date, “we’re proud of it and we’re so excited for you to hear it.”

This is, in part, explained when looking at the band’s discography, there is definitely a different feel and vibe between their first two albums Sigh No More (2009) and Babel (2012) in comparison to their last two releases.  Delta brings an emotional and softer edge to these new songs which they recorded in London at The Church Studios.

The first single “Guiding Light” is a song that has an uplifting feel that builds itself as the music progresses.  It has a sound that combines the early Mumford sound with the music from their last record, but yet defines the new album as a direction that the band is excited about with the mixture of instruments used on this recording. 

From the opening song “42” to the last and title track “Delta” and the twelve songs in between, Marcus Mumford, Ben Lovett, Winston Marshall, and Ted Dwane incorporated a host of studio musicians to help blend their expanding sound and journey of music into a recording the band is very satisfied with. It’s always a challenge and a risk when musicians change their sound up from record to record, but also one that proves very satisfying and must give them a sense of accomplishment as musicians when they can have their heart-fed inspiration turn into reality in the form of music.

The album starts vibrantly and heads a course where some of the songs melt into each other from last to first note, continuing the electronically produced flow of rhythms and sounds such as “Picture You” into “Darkness Visible.” Other mentionable songs include “Woman” and “Slip Away.”

The listenable aspect of this record is that it feels like a multitude of stories that you could sit down with the fellas and have a heady conversation about.  The overall mood of the album is mellow and chill, and deserves several attentive listens to fully ingest the intent from the artists.  Different from the earlier driving and gritty songs, the new music takes on a more polished and engineered sound.  Producer Paul Epworth seemingly takes the band to a place where they feel comfortable enough to experiment, dream and dare themselves to express their vulnerableness in arrangements such as “If I Say.”

Although Mumford & Sons have more than likely lost some fans of their earlier music because the style has changed, but also with that they are picking up new fans.  In the end, one can assume that the band is enjoying their growth which is opening a new creative junket that took them from playing in small venues to filling arenas around the globe.

The band are started their world tour on November 16 and will continue through May 2019. 

MUMFORD & SONS
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About Dave Roberts 2 Articles
David Roberts has been covering live music in the DelMarVa-PaDe area since the early 2000’s when he used to cover the scene for Music Monthly. From rock to blues, jam bands to metal, music has been an enjoyment for him since a very young age. It was an obvious blend of hobby and profession when he started taking his camera to shows. Although his interest is more on the photography side, writing is a unique challenge that enables him to share his experience of live music with others.

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