Oct
Mumford & Sons in the July 17, 2010 issue of NME Magazine. Click here to preview the article, and enjoy!
Photo © Richard Johnson/NME.
Oct
This week’s NME is a new bands special, crammed full of the most exciting up and coming acts in the world right now, recommended by writers and artists alike. Here’s a taster.
I’m going to be cheeky here and pick one band and one solo artist. The band is Montreal’s Half Moon Run - potentially one of the most important bands debuting an album this year. It’s progresive without being pretentious. And my favourite new songwriter is Joe Banfi from Sheffield. He’s dark, edgy, serene and beautiful.
Best song: ’Hurricane’ (HMR), ‘Guts And Bones’ (JB)
Listen: Half Moon Run; Joe Banfi.
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From NME.com Blogs
Sep
Mumford & Sons score fastest-selling UK album with 'Babel' to go Number One
From NME.com:
September 30, 2012 17:51
Photo: Andrew Whitton/NME
Mumford and Sons’ new album ‘Babel’ has gone straight in at Number One in the Official UK Album Chart.
The London-based band’s second album has done one better than their debut ‘Sigh No More’ and is the group’s first Number One, racking up an impressive sales tally of 159,000 copies to become 2012’s fastest-selling album, according to the Official Charts Company.
The level of sales sees the band surpass Lana Del Rey’s ‘Born To Die’ which achieved nearly 117,000 sales in its first week of release earlier this year, and also Emeli Sande’s ‘Our Version Of Events’ which sold just over 113,000 in its debut week.
Speaking to NME about bagging the Number One slot, multi-instrumentalist Ted Dwane said: “Number Two was the best we got with ‘Sigh No More’ so it would be amazing. Obviously no-one’s going to wish against a Number One record but I know Green Day have an album out and they’re a pretty big hitter. If you told me in the ’90s that I’d be in a chart battle with Green Day, I probably would have just laughed at you.”
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Click through to read the rest of the article.
Sep
Aug
Mumford & Sons, 'Babel' - First Listen
August 8, 2012, 1:10:12 pm
By Ailbhe Malone
Photo © Rebecca Miller
from NME.com:
The waistcoat-loving quartet are back with second album ‘Babel’, and it’s classic Mumford. Released on 24 September, and produced by ‘Sigh No More’s Marcus Dravs, there’s been no huge stylistic changes. Expect big choruses, big vocals, and a lot of banjo. Read on for our track-by-track, first-listen response - and look out for the full review in an upcoming issue of the mag.
“Babel”
Opening with a blistering banjo intro, the title track is a statement of intent. Marcus Mumford spits, “I know my weakness, know my voice. And I believe in grace and choice’”. As the chorus hits, the biblical allusions that inspired the album title kick in.
Like the city that nurtured my greed and my pride, I stretch my arms into the sky. I cry ‘Babel, Babel, look at me now’, and the walls of my town they come tumbling down.
”Whispers in the Dark”
A gentle beginning, before a bass drum kicks in with some unusual rhythms. ”Whispers in the dark, steal a kiss, you’ll break a heart’ sings Marcus. It’s a wave to the road, a hat-tip - a kind of ‘Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright’ via Shepherd’s Bush. Ends joyfully - “We must live while we are young”.
“I Will Wait”
The new single fits in well in the track-listing. Keyboard player Ben Lovett joking described it as “the worst track on the record - we just thought we’d get it out.” Don’t worry, he’s not being serious. Read our review
“Holland Road”
“With your heart like a stone, you spared no time in lashing out”. Both mournful and hopeful at the same time, the optimism takes over near the end, as the track closes with a repeated cry of “I still believe” over soothing ‘ah’s.
“Ghosts That We Knew”
Opening line “You saw my pain, washed out in the rain” is not Mumford And Sons’ best lyrical moment, but the track sweetly takes on a spiritual/gospel feel, featuring the killer line: “Give me hope in the darkness so I can see the light”.
“Lover of the Light”
Optimistic, folky. Banjo takes a back seat. Featuring the most rousing chorus on the entire album, it’s destined to be a live highlight, and builds to a bombastic conclusion, accented with horns:
Love the one you hold, and I’ll be your goal, to have and to hold, the lover of the light.
“Lovers’ Eyes”
There’s a mix in instrumentation - horns and brass make an appearance beneath a banjo riff. The tone is sombre but proud, with Marcus Mumford reflecting on the breakdown of a relationship. “I walk slow, take my hand, help me on my way.”
“Reminder”
More of an interlude than a track. Opens with a solo vocal: “Don’t let me darken your door, it’s not what I came here for”, then a spoken, “No, it’s not what I came here for”. The delivery is restrained, like a folk singer in a pub. Segues into the next track after two minutes.
“Hopeless Wanderer”
Over five minutes long, this one’s epic. Opens as piano-led torch song: ”You heard my voice, I came out of the woods by choice” to “I will call you by name, I will share your road” into up-tempo classic Mumford. “You brought me out from the cold, how I long to grow old”.
“Broken Crown”
Darker than the other tracks so far. “I will not speak of your sins”. There’s a kind of Russian folk song beat, with Marcus howling,“Crawl on my belly until the sun goes down, I’ll never wear your broken crown”. It’s the best, most visceral track yet.
“Below My Feet”
Opens with a pretty banjo riff and classic Mumford harmonies: “Keep the earth below my feet, from my sweat my blood runs weak”. It’s an ode to keeping your feet on the ground - more than likely inspired by the whirlwind year the group have just had.
“Not With Haste”
With a chorus of “We’ll be who we are, and they’ll heal our scars/Sadness will be far away”, this is as close to a ‘haters gonna hate’ sentiment as Mumfords are going to write. That said, it’s still hearty, upbeat and rousing to the end. No downers here.
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NME.COM blogs contain the opinions of the individual writer and not necessarily those of NME magazine or NME.COM.
Click through for more information about ‘Babel’ and its upcoming release.
Jul
Click here to vote for this photo in the NME Photography Awards 2012!
Photographer Rob Ball snapped this shot of Mumford & Sons headlining at Rockness Festival in Inverness, Scotland on 8th June 2012.
Jul
Mumford & Sons are featured in the 28th July 2012 issue of NME Magazine as part of the In The Studio Special.
Words: Leonie Cooper/Jenny Stevens
Photo: Andrew Whitton
Click the image to zoom and enjoy!
Jul
Hey do you know if this is from a video interview or anything that you could give me a link too ? Thanks in advance x... “Ted is a man of simple tastes. He likes eating, sleeping, and fucking. On tour it’s just eating and sleeping.”— -Winston Marshall about Ted Dwane
Sure! It’s actually from a 2010 article in NME that you can read right here. Click the photos to zoom a bit, then you can right-click and open them in a new tab to view the full size images. Happy reading!
Jun
Mumford & Sons photographed for the current issue of NME by Andrew Whitton.
Jun
NME Magazine’s current Facebook Cover Photo of Mumford & Sons (copyright Andrew Whitton).
Click here to see the eight-page feature on the band in the 16th June issue of NME.
Jun
Mumford & Sons’ Ben Lovett tells NME that the band are finishing up their next record and that they didn’t feel pressure writing a follow-up to debut album Sigh No More. Mumford & Sons are on the cover of this week’s NME (in stores June 13th).
Click here to view the Mumford & Sons feature in this week’s NME.
Jun
Mumford & Sons cover shoot for the June 16, 2012 issue of NME magazine. Click here to read the entire feature.
Photo © Andrew Whitton.
Jun
I know that NME is a British Magazine but do you know if it is available in the US, at all?
Four people sent this exact same question! At the moment, it seems the only way you’d be able to purchase a physical copy of the magazine is here on eBay for around $15 (shipping included from the UK) from a seller with 100% positive customer feedback. I’ll let you know if I find another way to get a copy.
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Click here to visit the Mumford & Sons Official Website.
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Have a listen...
Buy 'Babel' on iTunes now! Select Below: Regular or Deluxe Version
