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Description
Mumford & Sons built their sound on acoustic energy — banjos, stomping rhythms, layered vocal harmonies, and a folk-rock sound that presents an interesting challenge for solo piano— which makes this twelve-track collection an interesting exercise in what's left when all of that falls away. What remains is the melodic and harmonic backbone of some of their most well-known songs from the Babel era, including I Will Wait, Hopeless Wanderer, Ghosts That We Knew, and Broken Crown.
The arrangements take a light, bright approach throughout, with the playing sitting well on the quieter, more accessible end of the dynamic range rather than attempting to recreate the driving momentum of the originals. Songs like Babel and Whispers in the Dark lose considerable energy in the transition, their urgency replaced by a steady, even-paced melodic line above a simple left-hand accompaniment. Ghosts That We Knew, Lovers' Eyes, and Below My Feet are the most naturally suited tracks here — all three slower and more harmonically open in their original recordings, and all three sitting comfortably in the piano format without much adjustment. Reminder is the shortest entry at just over two minutes, and its sparse structure makes it one of the more understated moments in the set.
For listeners drawn to the melodic side of Mumford & Sons rather than the percussive drive, the collection covers a solid stretch of their Babel catalog in a format that keeps the songs recognizable from start to finish.
Track List:
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I Will Wait - 4:09
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Hopeless Wanderer - 4:00
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Lover of the Light - 3:22
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Babel - 3:40
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Ghosts That We Knew - 4:04
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Whispers in the Dark - 3:32
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Broken Crown - 2:51
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Below My Feet - 3:48
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Holland Road - 3:37
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Not With Haste - 3:28
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Lovers' Eyes - 4:34
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Reminder - 2:10
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- Total Runtime - 43:15
