If I Say (Single) - Mumford & Sons

I wasn't specifically planning on reviewing the new music from Mumford & Sons. After I had heard "Guiding Light", I found myself a bit underwhelmed - lyrically I really enjoyed it, and felt there was a lot to be appreciated - but the instrumental feeling somewhat lackluster. It was very much in line with the progression of sound I could expect from M&S, and didn't feel quite like it took any chances or risks; a little too safe to be memorable.

However, when I listened to the latest single, "If I Say", in a very intentional manner, I found myself i immediately much more drawn in. The song starts off slow and low, with just synths and keyboards providing the background for Marcus Mumford's vocals that match the softness of the instrumental. Despite that quiet nature, it is clear that the song has urgency, that it is working towards somewhere further on; adding elements with each verse, each repeating chorus. Strings and electronic drum elements mix in, as well as a full drum rhythm and the rest of the band members until the song reaches it's peak, building an intensity that's evident in multiple dimensions of the song. The lyrics of the chorus are really what bring the song together; 

"And if I say I love you, well, then I love you".

It's so simple, yet carries so much meaning and power to it. Marcus Mumford continually repeating his love, the words that mean something, that aren't just sounds that make up a phrase but words that barely manage to encapsulate an immensity of feelings that he truly, deeply means. It's something I've grown to appreciate more as I've grown older, and this song captures that life lesson and realization so well. 

The subtleties of this song, the lyrics building upon themselves and the instrumental slowly fleshing itself from a soft, delicate piece into a sweeping, breathtaking avalanche of sounds, are what impressed me and made me be a bit more intrigued about the rest of the upcoming album. The previously more unexplored use of electronic elements, the orchestral sense to the song, working a bit outside the norm of the band's previously tested waters; all of that is growth that I am appreciative of. Mumford & Sons had a sound they captured and perfected by their second album, but it is clear after their last album, Wilder Mind and their forthcoming album, Delta, that the band has more territory to explore.

I wrote most of this review on Saturday, the 27th. Earlier on the evening of the 28th, I found out that one of my closest friends lost his father. I found myself listening to this song after I got off work, turning it up in my car as I was driving along and thinking about my friend, thinking about his loss and how even though I hardly knew his father, I felt such sorrow, such a strong sense of mourning. The song built and I starting singing along with the chorus each time, growing and singing louder, until I was yelling it in my car despite feeling my heart in my throat and my eyes wanting to release these tears. Thinking about what this line might mean to my friend, imagining his father relaying that message to him, imagining our Heavenly Father reminding us of that love He has for us.

I already was really enjoying this song. But these kinds of moments, these kinds of instances of music and reality crashing together to create such beautiful and sorrowful moments; this is why I love music so, so very much. This song will most definitely hold a special place in my heart in the years to come.

I was going to put a rating, as I usually do, but that felt too calculated. Too cold. This is a beautiful song, and I think that you are sincerely missing out if you don't listen to it.