Songs of the Day, pt 1*

Up and running, I'm reviewing the first 5 tracks off the album:  "Babel," "Whispers in the Dark," " I Will Wait," "Holland Road," and "Ghosts That We Knew."  From the start, their sound reminds me a lot of Glen Hansard, which I find awesome.  The title track, "Babel" comes out with a punch, which I really like.  It grabs your attention out of the gate, which is always good for a first time listener like myself.  They sound like they're having a lot of fun playing this song, and that's really refreshing.  Mumford has a cool tone to his voice that I dig, and the group vocals sound great and blend well together.  "Whispers in the Dark" has a very similar sound, but I like the addition of the piano, and the softness of the verses.  The banjo groove that starts in the second verse is pretty cool, it's got that down home country feel.  The tune's got a nice gradual pick up to the end that I like.  I wish there was a little more to differentiate it from "Babel," but it's still a good song.  "I Will Wait" is the biggest single off this album, and the video that I saw in class to make me want to listen to the album.  I like the feel to it, but I almost wish that this had been preceded by a slower number, just because the first three tracks off this album have such similar feels.  The lower first chorus is a nice touch, picking up as the song moves along.  I think this track has the best group vocals thus far.  Dig the addition of the horns at the end.  I can understand why this is the single off the album.  I like these guys, but even going into "Holland Road" everything is starting to sound verrrrry similar.  It's almost like one big song.  Granted, I like the big song, it would just be nice to hear a little groove switch.  I like that this track starts out soft, but it's got the same kind of build as the songs preceding it.  And coming after "I Will Wait" it almost seems like a cop out to do the same thing.  It's a good song, I'm just yearning for a switch up.  I'm really happy "Ghosts That We Knew" stays low the entire time, because the album needed it - it's different from the first four.  I like that it stays guitar and vocals for a while, and the group vocals that come in add a nice texture to it.  Soft and sweet, this one.

*I'm going to be gone tomorrow through Sunday, so instead of potentially getting behind, there will be 2 "songs of the day" posts today to cover enough ground.  The other will be coming after I'm done class.