Formed in December of 2007, Mumford and Sons rose out of London’s folk scene. Their debut album “Sigh No More” was released in October of 2009 and is nothing short of spectacular. Their sound is something completely unique; I really have nothing to compare it to (attempt #1: its like CSNY meets Gaelic Storm meets…I don’t know…something awesome). They take extremely delicate songwriting and fuse it with remarkable enthusiasm and energy. It is the bands stated goal to make music that sounds loud, proud, and alive; that is exactly what they do. Their songs are a sort of folk ballad, a warm story told with an underlying drive and haunting harmony that is really unparalleled in anything I have heard to date.
Mumford and Sons emphasizes that they play music for the love of it. This is something that is certainly said a lot, but I think it is just so evident in the music they have produced. They point to live music as one of the driving forces behind their success. As soon as they formed their first rough group of songs they quickly hit the road. During this time they often practiced on sidewalks outside of their concert venues so their sound would be something both born and honed in a live setting. Their engaging performances fostered warm receptions wherever they went, and apparently their reputation for outstanding live shows precedes them. After extensive touring over the course of the last couple of years they have gained a lot of popularity. Unfortunately I took a look at their tour schedule and they aren’t going to be nearby in the near future (Unless you are going to be in Italy/France/Germany/or the UK). But in that absence be sure to go out and pick up their debut album to tide yourself over; you will not be disappointed.
Enjoy (I know you will),
Ben
Wow did Pitchfork ever hate on Sigh No More. 2.1 is a cruel rating. I dig this stuff though, so Pitchfork can go to hell.
ReplyDeleteI think it got released in Britain in 2009 and just came out in the states in February 2010.