It is rare for me to wait in excitement for announcements that a band is in the studio recording new material and a new record release is imminent. I find myself so grateful to artists who pique my soul’s interest to the point where I can’t wait for more. Mumford & Sons’s sophomore release “Babel” was one of those sweet waiting games.
I was not the only one who waited with anticipation for Mumford & Sons to release a new record. Their new album sold an astonishing 600,000 copies in the first week alone, far surpassing Justin Bieber’s ‘Believe’ (which previously stood as the most successful chart debut of 2012 with 374,000 copies sold).
The bad news about anticipation is that it can lead to disappointment. The good news is that sometimes the arc of a band’s creative career evolves with each recording, pushing personal and sonic boundaries, taking music to where it has not gone before.
So the good news about “Babel” is that it is more of the same from Mumford & Sons. The bad news is that it is more of the same. If you were hoping for new developments, do not purchase it. If you love what they offer, then you will love the record. Historically, folk music enthusiasts have shown they do not like change. Bob Dylan was chastised for going electric. With that said, the band do trade the banjo and stand up double bass for two electric guitars in the song “Below My Feet”.
The new record is more polished and, if you can believe it, even tighter than the debut “Sigh No More”. The songs still have biblical-feeling lyrics alluding to the density of human matter, which is easily transmuted by the light of Christ consciousness. For instance, on the second track “Whispers in the Dark,” Mumford sings, “Spare my sins for the ark… I set out to serve the Lord.”
One of the biggest reasons I love this band is that they play with such sincerity and what feels like humble gratitude. The new record takes the gratitude to new levels. They do not sound tired or stale. They sound fresh, grateful and happy to be just who they are. And you know what? They have a lot to be grateful for. Mumford & Sons has become the first band since the Beatles to have six singles in America’s Billboard Hot 100 chart at the same time. They have gone from street buskers to selling out arenas within a few years and they hold the number 1 position on Billboard’s top 200, rock charts, folk charts, alternative albums, independent albums, digital albums and tastemakers’ album charts.
Perhaps most importantly, they love to play and they play well. I think this is what attracts so many fans to them and makes it possible for them to be so successful. The attitude of gratitude has a lot to do with what we manifest in life, and Mumford & Sons take gratitude for writing and playing songs to heart.
Rishi Deva (Rishi Gerald) is the CEO of Kupid’s Play Records. He describes Kupid’s Play like this: “Kupid’s Play is the Sound of the I Am Revolution. As an international record label devoted to raising global consciousness we bring awakened artists to the commercial mainstream. Our vision extends beyond a traditional record label. We know impossibilities are not real and build non-traditional revenue models by embracing new technologies in the current economic landscape. We know music is everywhere. Kupid’s Play actively seeks out creative opportunities to get its artists’ music to their fans in new ways ensuring that the Sound of the I Am Revolution is heard.” With two decades of experience in the music industry, Rishi has been nominated for numerous marketing awards and earned a Gold Record in the music industry for management.