Reviews, Interviews, News, Commentaries, Glimpses of God, Best-Of ListsMumford & the Son
Mumford & the Son
Last month, some 15,000 fans gathered in a small Illinois town, surrounded by miles of cornfields, for what was ostensibly a day-long music festival. But most of us who had come to Dixon, Illinois, for the third stop in the American Gentlemen of the Road tour weren't there for the seven bands who whiled away the day. We were there for the headliners: the prodigious folk quartet known as Mumford & Sons.
After nearly six hours of musical performances, the time had come. The sun was set, the stage was black. Streams of tiny light bulbs were strung over the lawn, from the sound booth to the stage. But like the audience, they had yet to be electrified by the impending performance. At once, people could be seen on stage, and with the sound of a syncopated acoustic guitar, the crowd erupted in cheer as they recognized the opening chords to "Little Lion Man." The roar of the crowd colliding with the music put me more at the scene of a victory celebration after battle than a folk festival.
Marcus Mumford (left) and his bandmates
Marcus Mumford (left) and his bandmates
Three years ago, Mumford & Sons were just another ragtag London folk band. But their course was forever changed by their 2009 debut LP, Sigh No More. The album soon became a hit, and ever since, the group has toured endlessly. In an age when record sales are on the decline, Sigh No More has gone four times platinum in the UK, thrice platinum in Australia, and twice platinum in the U.S.
Mumford & Sons have a fresh and distinctive sound. The rousing combination of traditional folk instrumentation, militaristic drum patterns, grandiose brass, and aggressive vocal tracks give their tunes an arresting and joyful sound. But their sonic creativity alone is not what has captured the admiration and loyalty of millions.
A spiritual experience
Guardian reporter Laura Barton has described Mumford & Sons' live performances as "fevered and euphoric, about both the way they play and the audience's response, that puts you more in mind of an evangelical church than a rock 'n' roll show." The description is spot-on. Their shows are enthusiastic and joyful; fans sing and shout along, and there is an overwhelming sense of camaraderie. The band and the crowd have a sort of symbiotic relationship, feeding off each other's passion and energy.
Their lyrics—primarily written by frontman Marcus Mumford—are heart gripping, capturing experiences to which most listeners can relate—brokenness, regret, and longing for restoration. While some of the lyrics are raw and emotionally uncensored, they also provide glimpses of hope. Themes of love, grace, and forgiveness—and a dusting of other biblical references—also appear on Sigh No More, leading many listeners to believe that the band is drawing subtly from Christian faith. Literary references to Shakespeare and John Steinbeck can also be clearly detected.
The band's new album, Babel, is no different (our review). Mumford admitted to borrowing a line from Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall in one of their new songs, and says that the lyrics include so many literary references that they were "too many to count." As for biblical references, the title track alludes to the Genesis story of Babel. Double bassist Ted Dwane told Rolling Stone that the song speaks to human discontent, though he did not want to be too descriptive about the band's songs and their meanings.
Other songs are more explicit. "Below My Feet" mentions Jesus—not subtly, but by name. "Whispers in the Dark" mentions a cup that "tastes holy" (possibly a reference to the Eucharist), a "brush with the Devil," and an intention to "serve the Lord."
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Nathanael Bigney
-Jesus and the Apostles used strong language and even name calling when talking about the Pharisees and other ungodly people. -All of their language, to my knowledge, had significant/legitimate metaphorical meaning. (IE. White washed tombs, serpents, Paul's expression of telling the Judaizers to cut it all off, etc.) -So to me there is more legitimacy to using terms like "bastard" or "hore" and even "shit" if it's used in a very controlled way. But the meaning of the word needs to be helpful to the description. I don't know that the "F" word ever truly meets this criteria though perhaps it's possible. -As John mentioned in previous sermons, using the word "damn" is not proper for us to use as only God can damn someone. The majority of the time we use all of these words out of lazy, discontented, uncontrolled, and angry speech which falls under James' condemnation I'd say. -So therefore I conclude as a whole that it's more the use of the words that are the problem and if we have a eagerness to use them then maybe our motives are not right. We should hope, whether it be in poetry or in real life that the use of them should be rare and fitting.
Virginia Mangrum
This article was interesting until that bit about the f-bomb. It made me think of churches I've been to where if you said what you were thinking in honesty you were ostracized, even punished for it. It's very "religious" and shallow to say such things. Though Marcus Mumford has flaws, his use of the f-bomb is not - in my opinion - one of them. He has never professed to be Christian, in fact he's publicly stated that he would not call himself at all religious, so you can't expect his standards to be the same as yours. I think God appreciates his honesty in telling what he's feeling more than he appreciates his literary excellence. No animosity - this is just an opinion.
C M
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this article. It is not surprising that this band has Christian roots. Having said that, I find the subjectivity in: "...drops the f-bomb five times...uses the word three times. That's not just disappointing; that's literary overkill. Writers and literary critics agree that when used sparingly, shocking words can work well. Provocative words can create shock and convey severity, but for Mumford & Sons, the too-frequent use of the word makes the songs feel gimmicky. I hope their third album loses the f-bomb template." a bit nauseating. I guess it just feels cliche and untruthful. Almost like it was an attempt to cover bases in front of a conservative audience instead of taking a position that embraces the vulnerability and authenticity that is shown in their music because of these words. Mumford and Sons taps into a very real kind of spirituality that cannot be ignored. I think their use of language just supports that argument. Thanks for the great read.
C M
"...drops the f-bomb five times...uses the word three times. That's not just disappointing; that's literary overkill. Writers and literary critics agree that when used sparingly, shocking words can work well. Provocative words can create shock and convey severity, but for Mumford & Sons, the too-frequent use of the word makes the songs feel gimmicky. I hope their third album loses the f-bomb template." Frankly, this paragraph feels, empty, cliche, and frankly untruthful. The subjectivity in this paragraph is nauseating. It feels like a failed attempt by the author to cover his bases in front of a conservative audience instead of embracing something a bit more truthful. Of course, that's just my opinion. Mumford and Sons taps into a very real kind of spirituality that cannot be ignored. And their use of language just makes it that much more genuine.
Mike Atkinson
Golly, Brent, maybe music tastes are subjective. Hmmm. And Kevin, nice overview. Though I'm uncomfortable with the forced grasping for straws to prove a musician's spirituality. I don't think you veered that way too often. And regarding f-bombs, as you certainly experienced at their concert, as I did last year in LA (and recently on their iTunes concert), the f-bomb is a regular part of their spoken vocabulary. So its use in lyrics is simply an extension of that. I just know that I am uplifted by their music, which is majestic, ebullient, and affirming. But that's just my opinion...