Wait, what? An online book club? Ozzy Osbourne bit the head off a dove, Led Zeppelin sold their souls to the devil for success, Nikki Sixx from Motley Crue literally died for 10 seconds and then came back to life after a drug overdose. But Mumford and Sons... run an online book club.

Instead of reviewing their album, I should clearly be plotting their demise. But that’s not why they pay me the big bucks, so I gave them a listen and… I stand corrected. Mumford and Sons is a great band, and has some some really catchy tunes. The songs are lyrically honest and the musical arrangements are unique. Their sound can best be described as folk rock-meets-bluegrass but it still has the catchy pop choruses and driving beats that give their songs tremendous appeal. They are possibly the only folk-rock band I can see playing at stadiums and having an entire audience sing along to their choruses. I wouldn’t advise listening to the entire album in one go, but it definitely contains a few gems that I would highly recommend putting on repeat on your playlists.

The first one being their smash hit Little Lion Man. Multiple radio show hosts have already ranked it as one of the best songs of 2010. With its raw, self-loathing lyrics about a relationship turning sour, its emotional expletive-filled chorus and frenetic guitar strumming, the song is a storm that builds towards an ecstatic, almost religious climax.

Another standout track is The Cave, which is my personal favorite. The song switches between sections where the guitar quietly picks away at the melody to parts where the entire band kicks in with a joyous string assault of banjos, guitars and mandolins.

On White Blank Page, there are similar themes of regret and redemption but this one stands out simply because of its operatic chorus which swells with an army of horns and strings that borders on cheesy, but hey, who doesn’t like an epic chorus that gives you goose bumps every now and then? The band’s immaculately crafted vocal melodies will swirl around in your head long after the song is over.

There are no complicated rhythms, most of the songs start and end with similarly paced structures with songs starting off quietly and serenely before switching gears midway to build up like a symphony. Credit goes to vocalist and chief songwriter Marcus Mumford – whose throaty, emotive singing makes him sound like an English Caleb Followill from Kings of Leon. He might not have a lot of tricks up his sleeves, but his soaring vocal choruses are inspiring and transcendental, lending an earnest depth to his songs. Indeed it is this earnestness that probably sets Mumford and Sons apart from most indie bands and possibly brings them closer to someone like Arcade Fire and Coldplay who wear their stadium-rock-sing-along ambitions on their sleeves.

The cool people might have lost Mumford and Sons to the unworthy masses but I think that is where they always wanted to be, and we’re better for it. The album isn’t very diverse and some songs tend to become indiscernible from others, but that isn’t to say that Sigh no more doesn’t contain some excellent songs with a refreshing new sound in rock. Rock ‘n’ roll might be dead, but it sure isn’t because of these guys. Plus I heard they just shut down their book club... The writer hosts Manic Monday on CityFM89, every Monday 7-9pm