Mumford and Sons / Coldplay

[FloorFiller]

slightly ot (but not really) but i found this quite amusing

http://www.reddit.com/r/Music/comments/1dmnxx/every_song_from_mumford_and_sons_babel_and_sigh/

every Mumford & Sons song contains the word 'heart' (17/23) or 'hand' (12/23) and possibly 'eye' (9/23)

to be fair you could probably come to a similar end result if you did this with a lot of artists music, but it's incredibly noticeable in Mumfords music from first listen. they have one note. and it's heart in hand

[the wonderwhy]

Everyone likes Chicken McNuggets.

There's nothing better than a double sausage & egg mcmuffin with extra cheese, hash brown & OJ in the morning.

Point invalid.

[Guest]

Yeah, absolutely spot on. Musical skill is the least important factor. Technical virtuosity isn't something that moves me. The Mary Chain playing their guitars appallingly, Dylans nasal whine, these things have the ability to move me to tears, not a note perfect, yet souless rendition.

[keeno]

The main thing that annoys me about the X-Factor generation is that people think the ability to sing is a talent worthy of note. It's not. Thousands of people can sing, but they're not Nina Simone, thousands of people can play guitar, they are most certainly not Chuck Berry. Ability is just the basic rudimentary foundations, if you've got nothing to contribute or nothing to say then you're another useless wetbag, like Marcus Mumford.

[James Bolivar]

Yeah, absolutely spot on. Musical skill is the least important factor. Technical virtuosity isn't something that moves me. The Mary Chain playing their guitars appallingly, Dylans nasal whine, these things have the ability to move me to tears, not a note perfect, yet souless rendition.

[FloorFiller]

Well they obviously have contributed enough to be where they are now? Yes, millions of people can sing and play the guitar, but very few people have the drive to use their talents. To perform on the John Peel stage, the other stage and then the pyramid stage is the sign of a band who have gone after what they want. I think people are worthy of being noticed if they're prepared to work hard enough and take advantage of any chances that come their way. Mumford get ripped apart for doing what they do, yet they're doing it anyway and succeeding at the same time. That's a lot more than could be said for the millions of people who can sing/play the guitar and do nothing with it.

[wilko8]

I know we disagree on Elbow - the first album was excellent: innovative, clever and beautiful; their early shows too.

[Mardy]

I'd rather have Mumfords than

a) any tribute band

b)B**** F****** (not getting into that one again)

c)any ironic comedy shite (Shakin Stevens etc). OK, Spinal Tap get a pass but everything else in that vein..

I mean, don't get me wrong, Mumfords music is appalling, but you know, there's worse on the bill.

[keeno]

there's loads of bands I dont like, but very few I'd label phoney.

Mumfords though, it's all phoney. Do you really think the music they play as any meaning or relevance to them? Do you really think the clothes they wear are just things they put on by chance?

Do you really think the other whoppers in the band are that fat turds sons?

It's all phoney.

They are a meticulously planned product designed to appeal to a specific market.

[Mardy]

Interesting point and I could not possibly disagree more. Without skill you have no way of expressing yourself - much of art is about finding a technique that gives you a voice. Weather Report, The Mahavishnu Orchestra, Return to Forever all made beautiful music which depended on technical prowess. Whereas I listen to the Ramones and all I hear is energy being dissipated and wasted because they couldn't play in time.

[Mardy]

OK, at the risk of being labelled a c**t by EVERYONE on the thread, I only like the last couple of elbow albums, I think that IS their voice and they never realised it, or their potential until Seldom Seen Kid

I'm here to unite you all, brother and sisters. If only in disagreeing with me

[russycarps]

OK, at the risk of being labelled a c**t by EVERYONE on the thread, I only like the last couple of elbow albums, I think that IS their voice and they never realised it, or their potential until Seldom Seen Kid

I'm here to unite you all, brother and sisters. If only in disagreeing with me

[Mardy]

*stops clock and pays out on all bets on Russy being the first *

[russycarps]

*stops clock and pays out on all bets on Russy being the first *

[keeno]

or the millions of people who can sing and play guitar significantly better than anybody in Mumford & Sons but choose to make music that means something and isn't pandering to the masses and so don't immediately get thrown up the festival lineup's / charts..

Edited May 29, 2013 by keeno

[James Bolivar]

Think you misunderstand me, I was making that point by putting it into ridiculous analogue. Call it snobbish or whatever you like, there's such a stigma against calling things not real music, but it's not real fucking music.

[LondonTom]

As a Muse fan, I feel your pain.

[Wooderson]

I read this thread's title as "Mumford & Sons Cosplay".

[thesecretingredientiscrime]

I don't think releasing an indie folk/bluegrass album was the smartest move if they wanted to pander to the masses. True, it worked out for them. But at the time would they or their music executives have thought their folky music would take off in the way it did, not a chance. To me Calvin Harris, Example, David Guetta etc. is pandering to the masses.

Edited May 29, 2013 by thesecretingredientiscrime

[russycarps]

I don't think releasing an indie folk/bluegrass album

[fatyeti24]

I read this thread's title as "Mumford & Sons Cosplay".

[Mardy]

It was incredibly smart. They came at just the right time. Everybody knew about the "nu folk" revival because of NATW/Marling/Flynn/Pistolet. Anybody could have released a record of that genre and smashed it.

[MEGABOWL]

I don't think releasing an indie folk/bluegrass album was the smartest move if they wanted to pander to the masses. True, it worked out for them. But at the time would they or their music executives have thought their folky music would take off in the way it did, not a chance. To me Calvin Harris, Example, David Guetta etc. is pandering to the masses.

Any way after all this. I start my journey from Australia on Friday and i'm way too excited to be debating this shit. I won't be watching Mumford and I wouldn't be watching coldplay if they were on. But I started this thread because I was surprised the identical way in which they've progressed through Glastonbury.

[James Bolivar]

Exactly, This is a middle class folk revival, note for note the same as the 60s one, and radically different from the one in the 80s. Smart thing to do was put together a folk band 4 years ago and sit back and wait for the money to roll in.

[Superscally]

Oh, well if that's what Pitchfork are saying! Could you do me a favour and ask them to tell me what the best album of last year is! I can't be arsed to listen to music and/or form my own opinions.