ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: MUMFORD & SONS

I don't know how or why it happens, but every time I come back to the rain soaked hills of the Pacific Northwest and enter back into the perpetual grayness that is a northwestern winter I become consumed by an insatiable desire to listen to folk music. Over the past couple weeks I have reconnected with a lot of my old folk loves, and have become fascinated by a number of newer discoveries such as Johnny Flynn, Angus and Julia, and Boy & Bear. I could fill my blog with the work of these artists, and I am sure you would find some joy in it, but I am somewhat selfish when it comes to music and like to feel like I have fully connected to an artist before I pass them on to someone else, so I will refrain from doing that for a while. Today though I would like to share an artist with you that I have appreciated for a while, but that has really grown on me over the last couple of weeks. The band has earned a considerable amount of press over the last few months, so it wouldn't surprise me if you have all heard of them and experienced their music already, but I can't hold in my love for them any more.

For those of you who haven't heard of the group yet, Mumford and Sons is a four piece folk-rock band from England that formed back in 2007. In 2009 M&S released their first full length album entitled "Sigh No More", and since the release the group has achieved widespread acclaim that culminated in two Grammy award nominations (Best New Group and Best Rock Song) earlier this month. The band has been weary of claiming any kind of musical identity; in interview after interview they claim that they are just four guys who get together and play music and that any attempt to define their sound just limits what they are doing. Their album and their EP's paint Mumford ans Sons as a fiery folk rock band with a gift for songwriting and a flattering ability to pour their heart into every song and line they record.

Musically speaking the group is talented, they are loud and aggressive and know how to stack layers of music on top of each other to take a song someplace and build towards an emotional climax. At the same time the music itself is simple and at times almost predictable. In fact, a lot of their music sounds similar, and sometimes the songs almost seem to blur together into one long emotional roller coaster. This quality of seeming repetition isn't always endearing, a lot of bands who share this trait eventually find themselves boxed into a certain sound and find it difficult to expand. However, the lyrical talent of this group, coupled with the force of their music sets them apart from a lot of other groups for me. The music itself is more of a vessel than a center piece, and by imbuing that vessel with unbridled and unabashed passion they are able to breathe life into their lyrics. They create a unique kind of poetry that quickly grabs a hold of you and takes you to some uniquely emotional place. So although the sound may not vary a lot from EP to Album, or from song to song, the emotional pull of the music and the places that the music take you are fulfilling.

That's the way I have come to view the group, an exciting embodiment of poetry in folkish motion, and it is that quality that has led me to play their album on repeat day after day over the past couple weeks. But I have talked entirely too much now, and I think the rest of what I have to say is better said by the group itself so here are some of my favorite songs, lyrics and videos from the band, I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. . .

This is one of my favorite songs by the group. I love the lyrics and the meaning behind them and the connections to East of Eden by John Steinbeck (my favorite book of all time). I'd love to hear peoples' thoughts about the lyrics because they are pretty deep, and I have my own take on them inspired by Steinbeck's masterpiece, but here is a unique performance and the lyrics to the song. . .

TIMSHEL LYRICS

Cold is the water
It freezes your already cold mind
Already cold, cold mind
And death is at your doorstep
And it will steal your innocence
But it will not steal your substance

But you are not alone in this
And you are not alone in this
As brothers we will stand and we'll hold your hand
Hold your hand

And you are the mother
The mother of your baby child
The one to whom you gave life
And you have your choices
And these are what make man great
His ladder to the stars

But you are not alone in this
And you are not alone in this
As brothers we will stand and we'll hold your hand
Hold your hand

And I will tell the night
Whisper, "Lose your sight"
But I can't move the mountains for you

Here are some of my other favorite clips. . .