Released: 16th November 2018
Published by: Gentleman of the Road and Island Records
As the fourth major album release from Mumford and Sons, Delta is a frustratingly simplistic offering that mostly falls by the wayside, unable to convey the strengths of the popular UK band.
Beginning with Sigh No More in 2009, Sons have generated a strong following, making use of lively acoustics that stamped them onto the UK music scene. The band has often blended multiple dynamics from folk instruments together to create irresistible beats that lead to standout climaxes. Looking to expand beyond folk instrumentation, 2015’s Wilder Mind was a successful outreach into a singularly focused electronic flair. Delta is the band’s longest release at fourteen tracks and it attempts to blend the two styles together with limited success. Overall, things feel considerably scaled back from previous efforts; the vocals from Marcus Mumford certainly aren’t lacking in their brevity but they rarely rise to a rousing crescendo. Most of the songs are too slow and considered to generate an impact.
Guiding Light easily is the album’s best track, working to seamlessly blend acoustics with the more refined and atmospheric undertones of the previous album; the same is also true of the title track, which does manage to conclude the album on a higher note. Beloved also has a great composition to it, with a rising feeling that pulls the listener in. It’s a shame the other tracks can’t accomplish the same consistency of expression. They simply have too many sweeping flourishes aiming to convey a sense of wonder or nuance, when the focus should have been on crafting more multi-layered interactions between instruments. “Woman” and “The Wild” are the biggest offenders, overstaying their welcome with either deliberative lyrics or extended sections in-between verses. The only worthwhile new experiment from the band here is “Forever” which succeeds at creating a more sombre and emotive tune via piano implementation.
Delta unfortunately falls well short of Mumford and Sons’ pedigree; while it aims to be a more personal track list, the plodding pacing and overuse of ambience plagues too much of the album, resulting in their weakest output so far.
Rating: D
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