For some music artist’s success is the beginning of that quest for more success and growth is the drive towards a more popular sound. History has given us so many examples and it’s hard to even pick the most relevant story. The end result though is a popular record that you hear playing while a hygienist has weird metal instruments in your mouth at the dentist’s office.

Like Phil Collins era Genesis, or for a more modern example Coldplay, Mumford & Sons has become a band that plays it safe. They drive at the speed limit, obey all the road signs and are the perfect band to play when your mom is in the car with you.

Of course, that doesn’t make this a bad album, songs such as “Believe” and “Cold Arms” are reminiscent of Don Henley’s “The End Of The Innocence” and The Eagles “I Can’t Tell You Why,” while “The Wolf” and “Broad-Shouldered Beasts” lean towards Joshua Tree style U2. However such familiarity with something that is released today makes me wonder about artistry and originality. Wilder Mind is original in that it was created by a group of people writing songs that did not previously exist. From there they spent time in a studio putting together the best possible mix for the songs to take on a life of their own. These guys worked their tails off to put out music the masses would enjoy and for that I greatly admire their dedication towards the craft.

Wilder Mind could become a monster of an album. It has all the ingredients of a blockbuster record. However, like the Hollywood re-boot phenomenon of recent years, it seems like I’ve seen this all before, it’s just a different cast.

You can pick up Wilder Mind everywhere they sell music…