Back in March, I was desperately trying to catch a cab at SxSW to make my way across town to catch an band who’s name I now can’t recall. I ended up sharing a taxi with a couple of Brits and we got to talking about music and the band’s we’d seen. In response to who was the best act they had seen, without hesitation and in unison, they said “Mumford & Sons.” Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to catch the band at one of their other performances.
And after spinning Sigh No More, I am even more bummed by inability to catch them. Lumped in with Laura Marling and Noah & The Whale as part of London’s folk revival, Mumford & Sons delivers one of the years better debuts. The album begins with the title track. As soon as you hear the slow build up with four-part harmonies, you know you’re in for a treat. Once the band kicks in with some fantastic arrangements including copious amounts of jamming banjo, you know you have something to be thankful for this holiday season.
The thing I like about this album is that the band pays attention to details, allowing you to get lost in the subtle intricacies and then blown away with big finishes. “The Cave” sounds like a tune that you would hear in a coffee house as it begins with simple strumming and slowly begins as the rest of the band joins in until they reach a frenetic finish.
The lead single, “Little Lion Man” wears its heart on its sleeve with the sing-along chorus, “It was not your fault but mine/ It was your heart on the line/ I really fucked it up this time.” It is a fantastically catchy tune that will make immediate fans out of many here in the States.
After listening to the album several times over the past week, my only gripe is that it’s a little too polished for my taste. I’d like them to muddy the waters, not quite to the reaches of O’Death, but just a little grime would be a nice change of pace now and then.‚ I would say if you enjoyed the harmonies and banjo-led numbers on The Avett Brothers’ Emotionalism, you’ll enjoy this release.
Mumford & Sons – Little Lion Man
Video: Mumford & Sons – White Blank Page (Live)
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
WOOT WOOT! That’s fantastic Mumford & Sons finally came out w an album. I too have been wanting to catch these guys live. They played at CMJ in October I know.
Anyway, after hearing few of their songs (and I must admit, the f/cks in Little Lion Man reeled me in), I had to seek out more and man were they a hard band to find. Fortuantely I was able to download all their songs @ rawrip.com Thank you rawrip.
Happy T-Day!
yeesh-that sounds like a testimonial advertisement for rawrip.
whats even better is rawrip has no results for mumford & sons!
i’ve loved mumford & sons since i heard “liar” and i’m looking forward to hearing their album (wish i could find it!)
that’s weird. sorry to hear that @bos.
just to make sure you don’t think i’m spam…
Sent: Fri, 26 Jun 2009 23:00:11 -0400
Subject: Your RAWRIP receipt
Hi Vanessa
This is your receipt to confirm your purchase of the following RAWRIP items:
1. [Mumford & Sons] – [Awake My Soul] $0.99
2. [Mumford & Sons] – [Liar] $0.99
3. [Mumford & Sons] – [White Blank Page] $0.99
4. [Mumford & Sons] – [Feel the Tide] $0.99
5. [Mumford & Sons] – [Hold On To What You Believe] $0.99
6. [Mumford & Sons] – [The Banjolin Song] $0.99
7. [Mumford & Sons] – [But My Heart Told My Head] $0.99
8. [Mumford & Sons] – [The Cave] $0.99
Total Purchase: $7.92
Not only did you miss seeing them live, but you’re way behind with this review too
It’s a wonderful album isn’t it? One of my favourites of 2009.
I don’t think there’s a time limit on album reviews or the discovery of a band. I’m new to these guys and loving them, despite several songs that sound like the dave matthews band. Yes, I just said DMB.
These guys are going to get pretty big this year. There’s a great interview with Mumford & Sons here http://bit.ly/59NykF
“Dust Bowl Dance” is my favorite song of theirs. It’s the song Pitchfork hated the most on their very negative review of the album. Shows how much subjective music is.
OMG – I found out about M&S from my British e-pal, Claudia. So, I looked up their name on Grooveshark, and immediately fell in love with ‘Little Lion man’… I actually downloaded it on iTunes! It’s pretty awesome… These guys really could get pretty big! (They certainly have me behind them)
~ Victoria
heh, yeah, my name’s actually Victoria, but sometimes my friends call me Valaesia, for some reason that’s so old I can’t even remember anymore…
I pirated a few songs to give them a chance and they sound a little… dark ages for my taste. nothing special.