Mumford & Sons made a huge impact with their first album, but their second album (released September 25th) has already hit number one in the Official UK Album chart. So far 159,000 copies have been sold making this 2012’s fastest-selling album.

The album starts off with an acoustic guitar quickly accompanied by a powerful banjo on the title track Babel and you can feel the raw emotion in lead-singer Marcus’ piercing voice. Fans will be relieved to know the album stays to its folky roots, but should also be satisfied with the maturation of the quartet’s sound.

Not With Haste, Ghosts That We Knew and Lover’s Eyes all show the softer side of Mumford & Sons, with melancholy lyrics that will bring forth tears and memories hidden away from long-ago times. Just try NOT to get emotionally-attached to this album.

Of course, tracks like I Will Wait, and Holland Road are picturesque examples of classic Mumford & Sons. With an indie-folk group like this the storytelling within the lyrics is simply picturesque and leaves nothing to be desired (except for possibly drinking hot cocoa by a warm fire’s side holding onto someone you love).

In all honesty, this is a great album and definitely worth checking out.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5