Sunday, May 16, 2010

Day Two - Mumford And Sons Banjo Soul


They've been described as "hillbilly Coldplay", "Coldplay with banjos" and weakly savaged by Pitchfork, but Mumford and Sons is surprisingly selling out club shows across America (including tonight's TLA show on South St.) without the benefit of the usual trappings of success, like airplay, signifiicant sales and widespread critical acclaim.

But look past the quaint name, the hobo getups and the galloping banjo (two banjo bands in a row!), and listen to the performances. Mumford and Sons have fashioned a nu-folk classic that finds the middle ground between Fairport Convention and David Gray. The new sheen production washes over old school playing, delving into spiritual matters of the heart and soul. Lead singer Marcus Mumford emotes as much as he sings, but the real power is when all four voices blend into a flannel choir.

Let's say an Anglo Fleet Foxes with more angst, less reverb... and way more banjo.

Mumford And Sons - Awake My Soul

Mumford And Sons - Dance, Dance, Dance (Neil Young cover)

Mumford And Sons - Cousins (Vampire Weekend cover)

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Awake my soul, the banjo did not awake my soul.

bridaisy98 said...

HATE THE BANJO!!! WHERE'S THE ELECTRIC GUITAR?! sorry to trash two songs in a row, but this song gets a 4.

Ian said...

AWAKE MY SOUL: I give it a 7, but because I love the way they dress, and that is probably the most rocktastic banjo EVER, 10