here they are:
"Believe" by Mumford and Sons: "Believe It Or Not" is more like it!! I have never seen a more split reaction to a Mumford and Sons song than I have for this one! People who like the band tend to think that removing banjos and adding electric guitars and atmospheric synths is a bad move for them, and people who don't like them seem to think that they're doing even worse than they did before! Then there are those fans of the band, such as myself, who still like what they're doing. However, I have to side a bit with the more disappointed section of the fandom here, as I do think this song pretty much smacks of trying too hard to sound like something you're not. Mumford and Sons are not Coldplay, and nor are they Kings of Leon. The first half of "Believe" sounds a lot like a Coldplay song, while the second half does sound a bit like KOL. "I don't even know if I believe anymore", Marcus Mumford states during the chorus of the song. Marcus, at this point, sadly, neither do I. An A for effort, though, and as changes in sound go, this wasn't the worst choice, I just think it could have been a little better.
"Shots" by Imagine Dragons: Though Imagine Dragons are a thousand times more pop oriented than Mumford and Sons, at LEAST Imagine Dragons' sophomore album contains songs that stick to a sound that is suitable for them! One noticeable difference between the first and second Imagine Dragons albums is how their second album has a bit more of an audible guitar sound. The influence by folk music is a bit less obvious on "Shots" than it is on most Imagine Dragons songs, but the mix between dance-pop and rock music is still palpable, and makes it sound a bit like a Killers song to me. The lyrics to "Shots" are a bit remorseful, especially the opening line ("I'm sorry for everything, for everything I've done"), but the fact that they are willing to wed such painful lyrics to such a catchy tune is a winning combination to me!
