Mumford & Sons, the four piece band are part of the now seemingly expanding genre dubbed as 'Nu-Folk'. But before you conjure too strong an image into your mind, it's not really what you would expect.
You're sure to have heard of them if you're a festival-goer or even a lover of country, bluegrass or folk music. They along with Laura Marling, Marcus Foster etc make up the genre of 'nu-folk'.
Their first huge performance was Glastonbury in 2008 and the release of their album in October 2009, the band has been gaining popularity ever since, most recently seen in the rise of the album in the No. 1 download position in the iTunes store and even their single 'Little Lion Man' in the top 10.
The band have the perfect mix of sounds, achieved by their strong lead singer, Marcus Mumford's raw voice blended with the tight harmonies of his fellow band mates and the addition of a banjo and various other folk sounds which pleasantly makes for something great for your ears.
[Yes, while banjos may not be the obvious choice for all bands out there, the instrument itself has gained much popularity since 2008 for music-making.]
But it doesn't stop there. Mumford & Sons are set apart by their use of such a variety of influences...apart from their contemporaries as well as country and western folk music, the band have influences from the eastern hemisphere such as Indian folk music which is prominent on the clips of their song 'To Darkness' found on their Myspace page:
http://www.myspace.com/mumfordandsons
The band seek to keep exploring the boundaries of their genre, making for an exiting and refreshing change to the mainstream music found today. Definitely a favourite.
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