Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Mums the Word: How Folk Rock Conquered the Charts

Name: Mumford & Sons
Genre: Folk Rock
Sounds Like:  Calexico, Fleet Foxes, Avett Brothers
Listen to: "The Cave," "Winter Winds," "I Will Wait," "Lover of the Light"

Chances are you've heard of Mumford & Sons at some point in the past few years. The English folk rock band scored a string of monster hits with the growling apology song "Little Lion Man," the self-reflecting "The Cave," and the most recent smash "I Will Wait." The band has been nominated for multiple Grammies, their CD Babel is the fastest selling album of 2012, and lead singer Marcus Mumford recently wed An Education star Carey Mulligan...call it an understatement to say the band is in full view of the public eye!

So for anyone who has yet to listen to a Mumford song, allow me to convince you: Banjo solos. Big, booming sound. Catchy hooks. Relatable (if somewhat average) lyrics. Mumford & Sons write crowd-pleasing folk music that makes you want to stomp your feet on the dance floor. Last year I saw the band headline the fantastic Railroad Revival Tour. For their entire set they kept the energy high, with the crowd dancing and hollerin' along to every song!
Now for the "bad" news. While Mumford & Sons have found a successful formula for writing songs, the fact remains that it is a formula: start with a whisper and end with a bang! Most of the critics of Babel decry the fact that it sounds too similar to their first work. I would agree with them, but argue that their sound is so fun that having two quality CDs of folk music is never a bad thing!

I want to take a quick moment to mention my favorite critique of the band, from London-based newspaper The Fly.  In their recent review, they called the CD "emo music for blacksmiths."  Brilliant.

I invite everyone to check out this popular folk band.  Both albums are available for checkout at your local library.  And if you like what you hear (or want to skip the long reserve line), head over to Freegal and download both albums as well as deluxe bonus tracks for more Mumford love!

-James

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