SONG OF THE DAY

“Little Lion Man” by Mumford & Sons (Sigh No More, Island/ Glassnote Records, 2009).

INTERESTING FACTS (a la wikipedia)

– Mumford & Sons are an English folk rock band.

– The band consists of Marcus Mumford (vocals, guitar, drums, mandolin), Ben Lovett (vocals, keyboards, accordion, drums), “Country” Winston Marshall (vocals, banjo, dobro), and Ted Dwane (vocals, string bass, drums).

– Although the band members have claims on certain instruments, the members switch instruments during live shows according to convenience, for they each play a variety of instruments.

– The band formed in late 2007, rising out of West London’s folk scene with other artists such as Laura Marling, Johnny Flynn and Noah and the Whale. The band has often supported Laura Marling at concerts, while their association with Noah and the Whale can be traced back to St. Paul’s School, Barnes and King’s College School, Wimbledon.

– The band’s debut album, Sigh No More, was released in the United Kingdom in October 2009, and February 2010 in the United States.

– On December 1, 2010 the band received two Grammy Award nominations, one for Best New Artist and the other for Best Rock Song (“Little Lion Man”).

– In February 2008, the band completed an extensive UK tour with support from Alessi’s Ark, Sons of Noel and Adrian, Peggy Sue, Pete Roe, The Cutaway and more.

– They were longlisted for the BBC’s Sound of 2009.

– In August 2009, Mumford & Sons signed a licensing deal to Island Records in the UK, to Dew Process in Australia and New Zealand, to Glassnote Records in North America and Cooparative Music in the rest of the world, and through their own label Gentlemen of the Road, their debut album was released on 5 October 2009 with “Little Lion Man” being the lead single.

– Dave Berry of XFM made it his record of the week, and in another interview with the band, Berry said “Screw ‘of the week’, “it’s my favourite track of the year”.

– BBC Radio 1 DJ Zane Lowe made “Little Lion Man” his “Reaction Record” on 27 July 2009, before naming it the “Hottest Record in the World” the following evening.

– As of December 2010, Sigh No More has sold over 428,000 copies in the United States.

– The band has achieved considerable success in Australia. Their song “Little Lion Man” was voted number one on the Australian Triple J Hottest 100, 2009 countdown, the largest music poll in the world, by an unprecedentedly large margin. The band, who happened to be in the country at the time of the countdown, were also the first act to perform the #1 song live especially for the station.

– The band played their hit “Little Lion Man” on CBS’ Late Show with David Letterman on 17 February, 2010, followed by a performance of “The Cave” on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson on 26 February, 2010.

– In 2010 they performed on the John Peel Stage during the Glastonbury Festival.

– They also performed on the NME/Radio One Stage during the 2010 Reading & Leeds festivals and performed at The King Tuts Wah Wah Tent at T in the Park in July 2010, when they headlined exactly one year after being the first band to play the same tent in 2009.

– Mumford & Sons headlined a festival for the first time on 15 August 2010 at Summer Sundae in Leicester.

– The band are known for energetic live performances packed with spontaneity, varying setlists, and impressive musical ability. The band have stated many times that live gigs are by far their favourite part of the music experience, and that they strive for a lively, inclusive atmosphere.

– Much of Mumford & Sons’ lyrical content has a strong literary influence, their debut album name deriving from Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing.

– Both “Timshel” and “Dust Bowl Dance” draw heavily from the John Steinbeck novels “East of Eden” and “Grapes of Wrath” respectively. Mumford in an interview even compares touring to a Steinbeck adventure: “[Steinbeck] talked about how a journey is a thing of its own, and you can’t plan it or predict it too much because that suffocates the life out it. That’s kind of what touring is like. Even though there’s a structure — you know what towns you’re going to, and that you’ll be playing a gig — pretty much anything can happen.”

– Mumford also in his spare time runs an online book club on the band’s official web site.

– Sigh No More is the debut studio album by London-based indie folk quartet Mumford & Sons.

– In mid-2010, it was rated the year-to-date’s 8th best record on NPR’s All Songs Considered.

– On 20 July 2010, it was shortlisted for the Mercury Prize, awarded annually for the best album in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The award was given to The xx’s self-titled album.

– On the 6 December 2010 a deluxe edition was released. This included the original album, a live CD of the concert from the O2 Shepherds Bush Empire, and a DVD containing parts 1, 2 and 3 of the Gentlemen of the Road documentaries.

– About the song “Little Lion Man” Marcus Mumford has said: “It’s a very personal story, so I won’t elaborate upon too much. Suffice to say, it was a situation in my life I wasn’t very happy with or proud of… and sometimes when you can’t describe a feeling with your own words, it’s almost easier to express in a song. And then, when you get asked about the songs, it’s quite difficult to explain. It’s a conundrum — you don’t want to seem self-indulgent explaining yourself; it’s always awkward. Which is weird again, because it’s never awkward actually singing them. I suppose the song should stand on its own and people draw their own interpretation from the words. But for me, personally, it’s the lyrics that I listen to again and again in a song. I place specific importance on them. I can’t write lyrics unless I really feel them and mean them, which can sometimes be quite frustrating — because if you’re not feeling much at the time, you’re stuck. “I guess the sound of it grabs you a little bit by the balls — it’s quite an aggressive song, a bit more of a punch in the face. Or at least, for our stuff, anyway — a lot of our stuff isn’t quite as hard-hitting as that. It felt like the right song to be the single because it represented the harder, darker side of what we do, and at the same time, the more folksy and punchy side.”

– In the U.S., “Little Lion Man” entered the Billboard Hot 100 chart dated Aug. 28, 2010, when it debuted at #98. It has since reached #61.

VIDEO OF THE DAY