Mumford & Son’s Sigh No More cast a long shadow over the music business. Despite its patent insincerity and constant smugness, it dominated album charts in a manner that took just about everybody by surprise. As a result, A&R focus turned to finding the New Mumford & Sons, and we’ve been inundated with (more) earnest folkies ever since. Some of them deserve that attention (Laura Marling especially), while the majority play dress-ups in folk clothes as shortcut to authenticity.

Sub Pop’s new signing The Head and the Heart fall somewhere in between those two poles. The arrangements on their self-titled debut (a re-issue of their 2010 self-released record) tend more towards Sigh No More’s slicked-up folk, and there’s more than a touch of Marcus Mumford’s rasp in Josiah Johnson’s voice, especially on album opener "Cats and Dogs". Sharing vocal duties with co-songwriter Jonathan Russell helps to break up the album’s energy, but most songs feel like imitations of their musical forebears: menacing piano vamp "Ghosts" sounds like a decent Avett Brother’s cut, right down to the vocal breakout that mimics Seth Avett’s wilder moments, while "Lost In My Mind" is delivered in the aching tones of Gomez’s Ian Ball, giving the track a How We Operate feel.

Musical imitation is a forgivable sin when it's done well, and the Head and the Heart certainly know how to compose. The instrument timbres are rich and warm, complemented by lustrous harmonies (Charity Rose Thielen’s scene-stealing vocal on Rivers and Roads is a highlight). For a band so young, The Head and the Heart are remarkably accomplished, even if they are still a little beholden to their influences.

No, the biggest issue with The Head and the Heart is its tendency towards nice, too-polite folk. This is music that is familiar and safe, to the point of anonymity. Like Noah & the Whale, there’s nothing to separate The Head and the Heart from the legions of sound-alike benign folkies that are already crowding record store shelves and iTunes genre listings.

The Head and the Heart still have plenty of potential, though, so it would be hasty to dismiss them out of hand. As musicians and singers, they are more than capable of writing deft folk-pop, and there’s every chance that they’ll grow into something more compelling as they develop. The Head and the Heart isn’t an essential record, but it is a strong indicator of emerging talent.

Review score: 6.5/10