CD reviews: Mumford and Sons, Galactic

Mumford and Sons, "Sigh No More" (Glassnote)

Mumford and Sons are part of the latest iteration of trad-rock from Britain. Like Laura Marling and Johnny Flynn, they have rediscovered the modal melodies and unflinching lyrics of traditional songs as foundations for their own. Frontman/songwriter Marcus Mumford merges those folk roots with the often glum but upbeat rock of Dave Matthews, showing a similar grain in his voice.

This quartet of unrelated members reaches back to the way British families once harmonized closely on traditional songs. Their tunes echo sea chanteys, Celtic ballads and jigs and reels, while also reaching across the Atlantic for bluegrass. They play mostly acoustic instruments, yet their dynamics aim for settings much bigger than porches or parlors; the songs are as volatile as grunge.

Mumford sings about soul-searching, pondering troubles that intertwine the romantic, the spiritual and the existential. He's not exactly easygoing; in the songs on this album every doubt is a chasm, every breakup a disaster. Yet, for all the torments and uncertainties Mumford sings about on this album, there's the momentum of a hoedown to carry him through.

JON PARELES, NEW YORK TIMES

Galactic, "Ya-Ka-May" (Anti)

Since rising out of the same jam-happy acid jazz scene in the '90s, Galactic has struggled to settle on an identity of late. After early records worked a vintage soul-jazz vibe, the band has since flirted with electronic loops with producer Dan the Automator, and dove into underground hip-hop with 2007's ambitious but uneven "From the Corner to the Block."

But now Galactic is back where it started. Always steeped in the second-line pulse of its native New Orleans, Galactic's "Ya-Ka-May" calls on a multitude of Crescent City voices for a funky and original late-night travelogue. The band's skills as a jazz-funk party act excel in rollicking guest spots from Jazz Fest favorites the Rebirth Brass Band, Allen Toussaint and Irma Thomas (whose swampily soulful "Heart of Steel" is a highlight). But it's Galactic's foray into "bounce," New Orleans' nascent hip-hop sound, that really turns heads.

Big Freedia gives Galactic its first rowdy club anthem with "Double It." "Katey vs. Nobby" features rapper Katey Red trading free-associative barbs with Sissy Nobby over a martial beat that recalls early Beastie Boys.

Named after a New Orleans street food, "Ya-Ka-May" mixes a whole variety of ingredients that shouldn't hold together but do. While no record could truly capture the sound of New Orleans in 2010, Galactic sure has a great time trying.

Galactic performs April 9 at the Cabooze in Minneapolis.

CHRIS BARTON, LOS ANGELES TIMES