Sigh No More by Mumford & Sons

Sigh No More, Mumford & Sons' debut, came out on Island on 2 October 2009 in Britain and the following February in America, and it sounds like a back-room hootenanny somebody wired into a stadium PA. Markus Dravs produced it, and he lets the four of them charge: Marcus Mumford hollering and hammering his acoustic, Winston Marshall's banjo flying, Ben Lovett pumping keys and accordion, Ted Dwane's bass thumping underneath, the songs swelling from a hush to a gang-vocal stomp. "The Cave" and "Winter Winds" carried it onto the radio.

It was a slow burner. The Mercury Prize shortlisted it, and a Brit for Best British Album in 2011 pushed it to number two at home in its 72nd week on the chart. A Grammy-night turn with Bob Dylan and the Avett Brothers set off a surge in America, where it reached number two as well.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.