“You Are Not Alone In This.”

How did I miss this? How long has this been going on without my knowing?
Well, no longer. I need Sigh No More.

For those of you — like myself until just recently — yet uninitiated, Mumford & Sons are a quartet (guitar, upright bass, piano/accordian, banjo/mandolin) of 20-something’s from West London. They formed in December of 2007, after “the four friends… were united to perform impromptu renditions of Marcus’ earliest attempts at song-writing in front of crowds of friends in sweaty underground folk nights” (from the biography on the official website).

These humble barroom beginnings soon sprouted into this uproariously glorious group. They combine elements of bluegrass and folk-rock; and with deft musicianship, devastatingly poignant songwriting and perfectly harmonic vocals, they create unique and powerful music that can tug at your heart-strings while simultaneously demanding that you be stomping your feet. There is really nothing quite like Mumford out there, which must in part explain their meteoric rise in popularity.

Their debut album, Sigh No More, was released in October of 2009 to immediate critical and still-growing popular success. They have been touring the world nearly non-stop since the beginning, and will next be performing in April at the Coachella Festival, in Indio, CA, and then later that month in New Orleans at JazzFest.

Here is a sampling of videos, to give you an idea of what all the fuss is about.

Gentlemen of the Road (an introduction): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgC8yh4NF9A

Little Lion Man (Bookshop Sessions) (note the tear in Marcus’s eye at the end. True Art.):

The Cave:

White Blank Page (Bookshop Sessions):

Winter Winds:

Timshel (so beautiful): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNQmIzM7Bh0&feature=related

Goodbye India: Awake My Soul:

Thank goodness there is more where that comes from.
Mumford & Sons are: Marcus Mumford, Country Winston, Ben Lovett, and Ted Dwane.