Mumford and Sons’ Delta delights

Mumford & Sons was the banjo band, and can be cited as one of the leading forces behind bringing the indie-folk movement to the mainstream. They continue to be one of the twenty-first century’s strangest success stories. However, their 2015 album Wilder Mind traded in their acoustic sound and opted for electric. Fans were upset and practically rioted against the band, because apparently a band changing their sound is unheard of. Mumford’s newest album Delta, released November 16, 2018, proves to be a beautifully haunting record that doesn’t keep the band confined to their indie-folk roots.

Delta plays with genres between each song yet seamlessly mixes and borrows aspects from every corner of music. For instance, “Rose of Sharon” clearly displays the lasting influence of Baaba Mal and their journey to South Africa in 2016, featuring West African percussion and harmonies incorporated into the band’s own classic lyricalism. However, “Wild Heart” will delight fans as it includes banjo and a stand-up bass, acting as an homage to the band’s roots. “Darkness Visible” features a broody reading of John Milton’s “Paradise Lost.” Weird? Maybe. But a part of me loved it. It’s insertion within a poppy-psychedelic track isn’t something many artists would consider, and something even fewer would put into practice.

As has been the case with Mumford and Sons’ previous releases, however, the formulaic nature of the album grows tiresome. Each track seems to mimic the others in their structure: soft, a little louder, we’re getting to something, LOUD, quick finish. It’s as if each song could fit into some Sundance indie film’s climax. Perhaps the anthemic overtone of the album was the course correction that producers hoped for after Wilder Mind’s commercial flop. Maybe the guys were just super amped up and felt they needed their truths backed by a cinematic soundscape. At times, I worried that the poppy approach was an easy way out for Mumford, but perhaps it was just what made sense for them.

Critics and fans alike keep hoping for Sigh No More 2.0, but guess what? They aren’t looking back. Mumford continues to push forward and bend the boundaries of genre. Is it perfect? No, but is any record? At least they’re trying something. I’m thrilled because they aren’t caught up in being what people wanted. That’s something beautiful in itself. Delta is something to enlighten and uplift. It showcases the vastness of the human experience and doesn’t conform to what people expected or wanted. You may not like change, but Mumford does and they’re going to keep trekking forward, pioneering the future of music.