Imagine Christmas, 21st birthday, free Jimmy Johns on the Quad, Monday classes canceled and Hanukkah all rolled into one (and I’m not even Jewish), and that is how I felt at 8 a.m. when I drove to Target in the pouring rain and picked up Mumford & Sons’ second album, “Babel.”

I’ve been waiting for this day for years — three to be exact. Since the release of their first album, “Sigh No More,” in 2009, M & S have been meticulously crafting their second, with such attention to detail that it has bordered on the excruciating for us fans.

But man was it worth the wait.

Let me be clear: “Babel” does not disappoint. Rather, it succeeds on a scale that has yet to be matched by any other band this year. (Yeah, it’s that good.)

Though M & S released many of the songs on the album earlier (“I Will Wait,” “Lover of the Light,” “Lovers’ Eyes,” plus a few more), they all have been altered or enhanced in a way that still makes them sound new to our ears. And the completely new stuff? It’s still so fresh to process, and as the Brits would say, they’re bloody brilliant.

Every song feels so complete on its own. It’s all in the buildup. M & S have a knack for starting soft and then slowly bringing up the tempo and the banjo until it rises to this incredible level that completely sinks you in the song and arrests your mind — your head’s nodding like crazy and your feet can’t quit tapping. It’s the best feeling, and “Below My Feet,” “Whispers in the Dark,” “Hopeless Wanderer” and “Holland Road” capture it perfectly.

Yet I love that “Babel” doesn’t forget about balance. With each song that sweeps you up, another hits you with its quiet beauty. Sometimes the strongest songs are the ones stripped down. “Not With Haste,” “Reminder” and “Ghosts That We Knew” all achieve this.

When I saw the band this summer at their Gentleman of the Road Stopover show in Dixon, Ill., I knew I was witnessing something special — something I’d hold onto for a long time. My friends and I waited out in the sun all day, but once the night hung over us and Marcus, Ted, Ben and Winston stepped on stage, my legs forgot about being tired. I was completely transfixed. This album only mirrors that feeling.

Typically, the more you hype something up in your mind, the harder it is for your expectations to be met, much less exceeded. In that regard, “Babel” is the most atypical album I’ve heard yet this year.

Normally, I’d say something about checking out specific tracks — the ones you have to listen to right this second — but every song deserves that kind of promotion (and I’ve already nearly listed all of them), so my advice: Listen to all of them right this second.

Whether you pick up the CD in stores or go on iTunes, be sure to spend the extra few bucks for the Deluxe version. Three bonus songs — “For Those Below,” “The Boxer” and “Where Are You Now” — are the scoop of vanilla custard on the greatest slice of your grandma’s award-winning apple pie.

Emily is a senior in LAS. She can be reached at [email protected].