Mumford and Sons

Lilia Vargas
Music 1010
Listening presentation
Craig Ferrin
 Introduction
❖ Intro
❖ Mumford and Sons
❖ Keyboard, bass guitar, banjo, mandolin, double
bass, resonator guitar acoustic guitar.

Hello, my name is Lilia Vargas and in this slide I am going to be introducing you to an
English band by the name of Mumford and Sons. I have recently been to their concert
and I find music to be an excellent and amazing experience that everyone should go
to. Their music includes the banjo and I typically would have never thought that I
would like this band but the way they put thoughts in to their lyrics and tell a story
through their lyrics has been wonderful to listen to. Also just because they are
considered an Folk/ Alternative Indie band they have reached in to many other genres
and mix them and show you that it can make beautiful music no matter what
instrument you play or language you speak.
 Biography
➔ Mumford and sons is a band which
consists of four members Marcus
Mumford, Winston Marshall, Ben Lovett
and Ted Dwane
➔ The band formed in 2007

➔ They originate from London, United

Kingdom

Mumford and Sons is an English indie/folk rock band. The four members formed their
band in 2007, many believe they are related due to their name but they are not. They
decided to name the band Mumford after the lead singer Marcus Mumford and Ben
Lovett suggested to add the “and Sons”, although Marcus is not found of the name,
Lovett claimed it gave he band a “antiquated family business name”. The band really
took off when their album, Babel, won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year. Their
music combines new age blue grass with folk and rock.
 Biography cont...
❖ Marcus Mumford
(singer/guitarist/drummer)
❖ Winston Marshall (banjo/dobro player)
❖ Ben Lovett (keyboardist)
❖ Ted Dwane (bassist)

Many times when it comes to bands, the most well known is the lead singer, for
obvious reasons. In order for a band to be successful it takes more than one person
and when we listen to a song we must know that each member is essential and brings
a specific talent to the group. Marcus Mumford is the lead singer but he is also multi
instrumental. He can play the guitar, drums, mandolin and various other instruments.
Winston Marshall can play the banjo and the lead guitarist, guitar and dobro. He also
played in a band prior to Mumford and sons called Captain Kick and the Cowboy
Ramblers which was also a bluegrass band. Ben Lovett plays the guitar, drums,
accordion, percussions and keyboard as well as the piano. He has described their
new album Delta as the “the four D’s: death, divorce, drugs and depression.” And the
last member of the group is Ted Dwane. Dwane plays the
 Biography cont...
Awards
Best Music Film
Album of the Year
Rop Rock Album (Babel)
Top Rock Album (Sigh No More)
Top Alternative Artist
Top Alternative Aluum
Best International Rock/Pop Group
British Group
International Album of the Year
Mastercard British Album of the Year
Best Breakthrough Act

Mumford and Sons is an extremely successful band. Although those are many
awards, they were nominated for several awards as well. They are an extremely
successful band and yet they were completely humble. In an interview post their
award, Marcus Mumford states “This thing is dangerous because it makes it seem like
music is a competition which of course it isn’t, so yeah, it has been honoring and
humbling having lots of nominations for things but doesn’t really mean anything.” The
group did not feel deserving and did not expect anything in return for the music they
were making.
Composition History

Little Lion Man

❖ Single form the album Sigh No
More
❖ Nominated for Grammy Award
for Best Song
❖ US Billboard Top 100
❖ Written by Mumford and Sons

Mumford and Sons released their first album named Sigh No More in October 2009. It
included many songs that got them noticed mainly, Little Lion Man. The title of the
song is a juxtaposition, little next to lin=on, we all know a lion to be brave and fierce
and yet the wod little is placed in front of it. The first verse is a conversation made is
stating the complete opposite of someone who demonstrates any sort of courage.
The rapid beat of the banjo, guitar, piano all bring the song the up and down song
together. The main chorus features a curse word which expresses the feeling the
band felt was needed. Mumford expresses “There was definitely something about
being emotionally vulnerable that was culturally acceptable at that time , and it has
been since.” From the Billboard interview, they described the song as “What was
perhaps most groundbreaking about “Little Lion Man”, though was the boot-stomping,
shout-along folk sound that the song introduced to the mainstream…”
 Composition History
I Will Wait
❖ Song from the second album Babel
❖ Released in 2012
❖ Nominations for two different awards

This song reached the top of the US Billboards and US Albums Charts, its immediate
use of upbeat and catchy chorus helped with the popularity, I Will Wait easily became
a big hit and began selling fast. Marcus Mumford claimed the album Babel was
written as an homage to their life on the road. The song recorded their video from
their performance at the Red Rocks. Once you push the play button your ears are
immediately met with the banjo, guitar and piano. The catchy and upbeat song fuses
bluegrass and folk music and all instruments do the job to help express the message
of home sickness and in certain lyrics the usage of devotion.
 Delta

❖ The last song in the album

Delta was released in 2018
❖ Delta reached #1 US
Billboards 200
❖ Third Mumford and Son album
to reach US #1 album

With the release of their fourth album, the band maintained their folk essense and
included many hints of many other genres. This album includes West African rhythm
and juno synthesizers, and of course the famous use of the banjo. A delta is the result
of a river emptying into another body of water, for example an ocean or lakes. This is
an allusion to the band and their life on the road versus their home lives. The
turbulence and separation from their families isolated them from what was happening
as they were constantly traveling and missing out on their day to day lives. In an
interview with Esquire, Mumford states “The road is quite a bubble.- We’re quite
sheltered from things that friends and loved ones are experiencing. We’re not
necessarily right on the doorstep experiencing with them. Being at home, we were
face-to-face a bit more with some if the wilder things.”
 There Will be Time

❖ From the album Johannesburg, in

collaboration with artists Baaba
Maal, The Very Best and
Beatenberg.
❖ Baaba Maal is a singer/guitarist
from Podor, Senegal and speaks
Pulaar.

In this only 5 song EP there is a wide range of cultural and musical genres fused
together to create amazing music. Mumford and sons is an English band and in this
particular song, There Will Be Time, they add Baaba Maal, a Senegalese singer and
guitarist who sings in Pulaar. Immediately the song begins with his voice and already
gives a different feel to the typical Mumford music. In an article written by Exclaim,
they explain that the 5 songs were compiled from the band's visit to South Africa, “The
resulting album is a collection of songs that marry “Afrobeat rhythms, Esau
(Mwamwaya of the Very Best) and Baabas’s voices and languages, over Western
songwriting.” This is an ever growing trend when artist collaborate with artist from
different genres and even different languages and create a song that merges the two
different kinds of music.
 Listening Guide: Little Lion Man

❖ Genre: Indie Folk,

Bluegrass
❖ Length: 4:06
❖ D minor
❖ Tempo is played 139 BPM
❖ Acoustic guitar, piano,
banjo, drum, double bass

The song is played in D minor, their is a fast playing guitar with many textures to the
song with accelerating textures. The instruments used in this song is acoustic guitar,
piano, banjo and the drums and double bass. Many dips in the song where rapid
music is played then lighter music. The song begins with a an intro followed by a
verse, pre-chorus, then the actual chorus, musical break, verse and chorus. There is
a break when the build up occurs and the chorus is played again. Much of the songs
is aggressive in its use of string instruments and the banjo is a predominant
instrument played. The break in the chorus help to build up the acceleration and
tempo of the song. The moments of silence then to slowly ascend, they begin slow
and soft and gradually get louder. Each instrument is not necessarily following the
same rhythm more like they are each playing their own and then all play at once.
00:00 Intro; light guitar strumming plays

00:15 Banjo is added

00:28 Verse 1 has started

00:56 Chorus begins; instruments are strung and

played slower and breaks in between

1:11 Instruments begin to accelerate and play

simultaneously; break in lyrics

1:25 Verse 2: Instruments played softer, piano is

played, end of verse

1:52 Chorus continued; instruments begin to play

faster

2:19 Chorus ends; instruments play softly, each

playing own tune.

2:50 Haa-a-a-a is reeapeated numerous time,

instruments play in crescendo
 Little Lion Man continued...

3:29 Lyrics sang alone, break in instruments and

music.

3:42 Chorus sang alone, silence in music and

instruments

4:06 Song concluded

 Listening Guide: I Will Wait

❖ Genre: Alternative/ Indie

❖ Played in D major
❖ Tempo is played at 133
BPM
❖ Length: 4:37
❖ Instruments are banjo,
acoustic guitar, double
bass, piano, drums

This song is slightly identical to Little Lion Man. The intro is music and the moments of
silence where only the lead singer sings and no music or instruments are played.
They use once again the banjo, acoustic guitar, double bass and piano. There are
many breaks and build ups and accompanying music all played at once or none at all.
Each instrument is played in their own beat and the rhythm is consistent. All
instruments played at once yet still playing their own tune.
 I Will Wait

00:00 Intro: All instruments are played in unison

00:18 Verse 1: Singing and light guitar strumming

00:50 Bridge: slight crescendo and acceleration

1:08 Hook: guitar strumming only, played as hook

is sang

1:23 Instruments played solo and break in vocals

1:30 Verse 2: guitar strumming only, played as

hook is sang. Vocals end and crescendo of
instruments begins

2:00 Hook begins; all instruments play in unison

2:30 Verse 3: dynamics shifts and begins

diminuendo, guitar strumming only and
vocals
 I Will Wait continued...

3:00 Bridge: vocals continues, strumming

continues

3:16 Break in bridge, instruments played in

unison

3:38 Bridge is continued and crescendo in

instruments

4:00 Hook: all instruments played and vocals

continue

4:28 Instruments begin to fade out and music

ends.
 Listening Guide: Delta

❖ Genre: Alternative/ Indie

❖ Played in A Minor
❖ Tempo is played in 134
BPM
❖ Length: 6:16
❖ Instruments played are the
electric and acoustic
guitar, piano, banjo, double
bass and drums

With the opening to this song being unlike Little Lion Man and I Will wait, you are
introduced to the song with light tunes and a calming voice. The vocals are light and
few. This song has an immense build up and amazing crescendo. There is faint
voices of children in the background of the song as an underlying effect to the song.
Almost too difficult to make out but adding character to the song. The song is played
in A Minor and lengthier songs at 6:16 minutes long. The use of the electric guitar
gives it a slighter more electric pop feel and the banjo is played much less than in
other songs. The drums also help to bring out the intensity of the song.
Delta
00:00 Guitar and electric guitar lightly strumming

00:23 Verse 1: guitar and electric guitars continue to

strum, vocals begin

1:00 Verse 2: guitars strum every other beat, slowly

begin to strum faster

1:40 Verse 3: guitar strum stronger and follow the

beat of the vocals

2:13 Drums and piano begin to crescendo, guitar is

added as well as banjo. Slowly begin forte

2:44 Children voices are lightly played

3:04 Chorus: vocals begin soft and transition to

forte. Instruments are also played lighter and
dynamics in instrument slows
 Delta Continued...

3:05 Chorus: dynamics is back to light guitar strumming

and vocals

3:18 Chorus begins in crescendo in vocals but

instruments remain playing same tune

3:35 All instruments played in unison, vocals continue

3:50 Guitars plays in FG Am G C G F G

4:08 Guitar stops and strumming continues

4:17 Verse 4: vocals continue and strumming

4:52 Pre-chorus ad vocals begins to crescendo and

instruments

5:21 Chorus: the dynamics is now changed by adding

all instruments back and vocals

5:50 Song dynamic returns to light strumming, children

voices are played nad guitar is played in FG Am G
CGFG
 Listening Guide: There Will Be Time

❖ Genre: Alternative/Indie/ West

African
❖ D Minor
❖ The tempo is played at 75 BPM
❖ Length: 4:27
❖ Instruments played were guitar,
drums, djembe, guitars, piano,
banjo, electric guitars

In this collaboration with Senegal singer, Baaba Maal, it is a completely different

dynamic to the song. His vocals are a cry and he speaks in his native tongue of the
Fulani dialect and singin gin Pulaar, He brings a blend of West AFrican ties in to the
alternative Indie song. The djembe drum is played along with a not so common banjo
and guitars making this song truly unique and diverse. Maal sings his entire vocals in
the Pulaar language while Mumford sings in english and slowly overlap one another
but surely do not outshine one another. The song is still enough Mumford and Sons
we are use to with a good blend of African beats.
 There Will Be Time

00:00 Verse 1: Baaba Maal begins to sing and

piano begin

00;44 Chorus: Alternated to Mumfords vocals,

same beat then drums are djembe drums
play

1:12 Verse 2: Alternated vocals to Maal, guitar

and banjo are added

1:48 Verse 3: Alternated to Mumford vocals,

djembe drum beat

2:10 Chorus: Alternated to Mumford vocals,

2:23 Break in vocals, the dynamics have

accelerated and instruments are playing in
crescendo, rapid beating of drums

2:50 Chorus: Alternated to Mumford vocals,

drum beats rapidly
 There Will Be Time continued...

3:15 Bridge: Alternated to Maal, rapid beating of

djembe drums, drums, guitar and banjo

3:49 Chorus: Alternated to Mumford, drum beats

slow down and played every other note

4:07 Vocals end and music trails off

 References

❖ https://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtd.asp?ppn=MN0082
081#ProductDetails
❖ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babel_(Mumford_%26_Sons_albu
m)
❖ https://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtd.asp?ppn=MN0082
081#ProductDetails
❖ https://www.songfacts.com/facts/mumford-sons/little-lion-man
❖ https://genius.com/Mumford-and-sons-i-will-wait-lyrics
❖ https://genius.com/Mumford-and-sons-babel-lyrics
❖ https://genius.com/Mumford-and-sons-there-will-be-time-lyrics
❖ https://genius.com/Mumford-and-sons-delta-lyrics
❖