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Ashland publisher offers prize for environmental book ... Ashland Calendar, Friday, May 8 ... Our View: Forest work is a bargain ... Ashland publisher offers prize for environmental book ... Ashland Calendar, Friday, May 8 ... The Farr Side: Mumford & Sons' latest is full-on rock By David T. Farr More Content Now DailyTidings.com By David T. Farr More Content Now Posted May. 7, 2015 @ 7:28 am By David T. Farr More Content Now Posted May. 7, 2015 @ 7:28 am » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2324,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> Sometimes, it’s best to leave things as they are. That might be how I feel about one of my current favorite bands, Mumford & Sons. I’ve been a diehard fan ever since the band’s debut banjo-pumping “Little Lion Man.” The song and band blew everyone else out of the water. Mumford & Sons lead the folk revival wave that shook the music industry five years ago. The debut album, “Sigh No More,” was unlike anything else at the time. It’s also one of the best albums so far this century in my book. The four indie-folk Brits followed with “Babel,” which earned the band a Grammy for Album of the Year in 2012. So what do the guys do next? They throw away their banjos, fiddles, and upright bass. That’s right! The folk sound they helped to revive has been left for dead. The band’s latest, “Wilder Mind,” is a full-on rock album. Not what we’ve come to expect from the suspender-wearing guys known for rockin’ the folk sound to new heights. I can’t say I’m as enthusiastic about the new music as I have been for their prior releases. I’m almost disappointed in that I’ll miss the folk sound — and, that’s something I never thought I’d hear myself say. It’s true. These guys opened my eyes and ears to a genre of music I never much cared for in the past. “Wilder Mind” is almost like a rebranding attempt to perhaps give the foursome some street credibility with the big guys. They aren’t U2 or Coldplay, and that might be why they were so well-received by fans and the industry alike. That being said, they can still rock, only now they’re plugged in. Marcus Mumford’s passionate vocals set him apart from other frontmen, no matter the music backing him. His delivery style is spot-on and distinct. The folk-rock sound perhaps is better suited to his strengths, but, nonetheless, the guy can sing. “Believe” is the first single to emerge from the album. It’s the best track, but if I weren’t paying attention I might not have known it’s a Mumford song. Somehow, the band lost some of its umph when it got louder. As I listened further into the album, the harder it seemed for Marcus to emote through the arrangements. The tracks “Just Smoke,” “Tompkins Square Park” and “The Wolf” are typical hard-chomping, fist-pumping pleasers modern rock bands do now, but it lacks the passion he’s known for bringing to the table. Sure, they’re good. But, they’re not great. There’s something about the fire inside them when they were just four simple guys with simple instruments. The music was pure, fun and had more excitement. I have yet to see them play live, but the “Live At Red Rocks” DVD showcased what they can really do when they want to. “Wilder Mind” is a logical approach to thinking outside the box, but sometimes, things are better contained. David T. Farr is a Sturgis, Michigan, Journal correspondent. Email him at [email protected]. By David T. Farr More Content Now DailyTidings.com By David T. 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