‘Ghosts’ is one song being road-tested for Sigh No More follow-up. By James Montgomery, with reporting by Matt Elias Mumford and Sons Photo: MTV News Mumford & Sons recently told MTV News that they’re “still recording” the follow-up to their breakthrough Sigh No More album, which, while certainly understandable (given their schedule), is also rather unbelievable — especially since they’ve been working on the new spate of songs almost as long as they’ve been on tour. “Most of them, we’re letting people hear as we’ve played live shows. We’ve kind of always just done that,” frontman Marcus Mumford explained. “We’ve kind of written a song and felt like we get it up to a point where it’s ready to play live, and then we go … and road test it, see how it goes. For us, we find that’s a really helpful way of writing, and performing the song ideas that we have live is a crucial part, for us, of the songwriting process.” And that’s especially true of “Ghosts,” a new song the band officially unveiled last month during a Philadelphia radio station appearance. Though they’ve been working it into their live sets, the tune only took on its current — and, apparently, finished — form after performing it to audiences and tinkering with it afterward. “It’s probably the newest one we’ve been playing live, actually; that one came together really on our Canadian tour about a month ago, the first time started playing it,” multi-instrumentalist Winston Marshall said. “We tried recording it before, but it then took on a new life when we played it on that tour. … [The songs] always change when we play them live; the dynamics change a lot. When you play it to a new room, you’re playing it to new ears, and you’re listening to the song through their ears. So it’s really great to feel the song out.” And though it’s a new addition to their set, Mumford already count “Ghosts” among their favorites — if only for the fact that it actually gives them a chance to catch their collective breath. “It’s fun to play … it’s a kind of respite for us to just stand back and play a slower song,” Mumford said with a laugh. “It’s nice: gives us a moment to take stock.” Have you heard Mumford & Sons’ new songs live? Share your thoughts below! Related Artists Mumford & Sons
As MTV reveals our picks for 2011’s best artists, we ask breakout stars Mumford & Sons to weigh in on their favorites. By James Montgomery, with reporting by Matt Elias Mumford & Sons’ Marcus Mumford Photo: MTV News Mumford & Sons may have stumbled onto Stateside success in 2010 with their debut disc, Sigh No More, but in 2011, they not only grew comfortable with their newfound fame , they ran with it. Sigh was the year’s best-selling rock album (by a mile), and they nabbed four Grammy nominations — including Record and Song of the Year — for their song “The Cave.” So, as 2011 draws to a close, and as MTV reveals our picks for the Artists of the Year , we’re reaching out to a host of acts who not only dominated the past 12 months, but came to define them, for their takes on the year in music. And who better to ask than Mumford, a band that began 2010 as relative unknowns but wrap up 2011 as one of the biggest rock acts in the U.S. … with a hotly anticipated new album due in 2012. We spoke to Marcus Mumford and Ben Lovett about their favorite artists of the year, and in keeping with their breakout status, they chose a thoroughly under-the-radar act … and a rapper who busted through to the big time in 2011. Of course, they could only pronounce one of their picks’ names correctly. “Dawes are a really important band for us,” Mumford said. “You would say ‘Dawes,’ because you can differentiate between ‘Dawes’ and ‘Doors’ — more like ‘Pawn’ and ‘Porn’ — where we can’t, it’s just ‘Porn’ and ‘Porn’ to us, so you never know which one we’re talking about.” “I’ve watched the video for Tyler, the Creator’s ‘Yonkers’ 50 times this year,” Lovett added. “It’s f—ing amazing. Brilliant video.” They didn’t just stop there. They’ve already picked their favorite act of 2012 too, an up-and-coming Harlem rapper who they expect big things from next year. “I just heard an incredible song by Azealia Banks called ‘212,’ ” Lovett said. “[It’s] mind-blowing.” All this week, watch “AMTV” on MTV every day at 8 a.m. ET for our Best of 2011 lists. Then, come to MTVNews.com at 5 p.m. as we reveal our top picks of the year! Related Videos Foster The People, Florence Welch, More Pick Their 2011 Favorites Best Artists Of 2011 Debate Related Photos Best Artists Of 2011 Related Artists Mumford & Sons
“We’re not very good at deciding song names,” Marcus Mumford laughs about tune, which will be called “Ghosts That We Knew” or “Ghosts.” By James Montgomery Marcus Mumford of Mumford & Sons Photo: Gus Stewart/ Getty Images They’ve been working on the follow-up to their breakout (on both sides of the pond) Sigh No More album since early 2011 and have been road-testing new material during a recent run of U.S. summer shows . But now, finally, Mumford & Sons have given fans a proper taste of what they can expect on their upcoming album. The problem is, they can’t seem to settle on a name for the new track. Called either “Ghosts That We Knew” or, simply, “Ghosts” (“We’re not very good at deciding song names,” frontman Marcus Mumford laughed, “we’ll hash it out, we’ll have a physical fight later”), Mumford & Sons unveiled the brand-new song during a performance at Philadelphia station Radio 104.5 . Regardless of the title they settle on, there’s a pretty good chance their fanbase is going to be rather happy. Because, frankly, the song is a stunner, rolling along on a rail of acoustic guitar, banjo and accordion, while Mumford keens about a love destroyed (“You saw no fault/ No cracks in my heart/ And you kneel beside/ My hope torn apart/ But the ghosts that we knew, will flicker from view/ Will live a long life”) and the misguided hope that all can be repaired (“So give me hope in the darkness/ That I will see the light/ Because oh, it gave me such a fright/ But I will hope as long as you like/ Just promise me we’ll be all right”). There’s a hushed majesty to it all, a muted sense of despair and grace, and it finds them building on their Bluegrass roots. Shoot, Mumford even replicates the staggered “I-I-I-I” that helped propel “The Cave” to smash status both here in the States and back home in England. There’s still no official release date for the follow-up to Sigh (it is reportedly set for February), but based on “Ghosts,” that disc can’t come soon enough for Mumford’s fans. Hopefully, they’ll figure out all the song titles by then. What are you expecting from the next Mumford album? Let us know in the comments! Related Artists Mumford & Sons
Mumford & Sons frontman and ‘An Education’ actress have been dating for five months. By Terri Schwartz Marcus Mumford Photo: Gus Stewart/ Getty Images Carey Mulligan is about to get “an education” in marriage. According to Us, Mulligan is engaged (for real this time) to boyfriend Marcus Mumford. The Mumford & Sons frontman, 24, reportedly popped the question to Mulligan, 26. The pair first got together five months ago, when the “Drive” actress went to a secret Mumford & Sons show with her buddy Jake Gyllenhaal. (Mumford and Mulligan are also said to have been childhood pen pals through their church in London.) Their supposed engagement was first reported on July 26, but Us claimed on Wednesday (August 3) that they got the latest scoop from an insider close to the couple. “They’re a great couple,” the source told the magazine, “very sweet.” Both stars had recently split with their significant others when they reconnected in February. Mulligan split with her longtime boyfriend and “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps” costar Shia LaBeouf in October, while Mumford broke up with singer Laura Marling around the same time. When MTV News caught up with the Oscar-nominated Brit at San Diego Comic-Con , she was keen to talk about the other love story in her life: Baz Luhrmann’s adaptation of “The Great Gatsby.” It turns out, despite her fianc
Industry experts explain why this latest batch of artists from across the pond is making it in the U.S. By Sterling Wong Adele Photo: Andreas Rentz/ Getty Images It’s not quite Beatlemania or the ’90s Britpop invasion by the likes of Oasis, Blur and the Spice Girls, but astute music followers will have noticed that British music, has been quietly staging yet another attack on American charts. This time around, this assault is spearheaded by powerhouse diva, Adele, whose sophomore album, 21, is currently the bestselling one of the year and is pushing Britney Spears’ Femme Fatale off the #1 spot on next week’s Billboard 200 chart. Then there’s folk-rock band Mumford and Sons, whose album peaked at #2 a whole year after it was released and has impressively gone platinum. In fact, Adele, Mumford and Sons and Marsha Ambrosius , yet another British act, combined for the top three spots on the Billboard sales charts for one week in March, the first time in over 20 years that British artists have done so. Are we experiencing a third wave of British music invasion? Or is it mere coincidence that acts like Adele and Mumford and Sons are achieving chart success at the same time? “I think the U.S. market is just generally receptive to a lot more things than it’s been for a while, with all the changes in sales,” Village Voice music editor Maura Johnston observed. “You also have other aspects of the industry that have changed, like the Arcade Fire, who are on an independent label, winning the Album of the Year Grammy.” For Spin editor-in-chief Doug Brod, the success of these artists has got more to do with the quality of their music than their nation of origin. “With Mumford and Sons, their success has been long in the making,” Brod said. “The record’s been out for a year, and they’ve sold over a million copies and are now headlining festivals, but it took them a long time. “In Adele’s case, her previous record primed her for success,” Brod added. “It received Grammy nominations and won awards. And this record just took off because of the great songs.” Johnston also thinks some British acts are doing well by marketing to underserved audiences. “It was the same with Adele, and with Sade and Susan Boyle,” she said. “There are certain audiences that don’t get marketed to a lot by popular music, and so when they do, even if it’s just an appearance on a TV show like ‘Letterman’ or ‘Oprah,’ people will respond to a really powerful, good song.” The increasing popularity of digital music sources has also made it easier for Americans to seek out music from across the pond. “The digital marketplace levels the playing field,” Hits Daily Double senior editor Roy Trakin said. “It doesn’t matter where something is from at this point, because it is a globalized universe. British acts go in and they go out. Sometimes they can’t buy a break, and then sometimes you see them all over the place. But when things break, they can break instantaneously. That’s probably a factor.” At the moment there are two types of British acts that have achieved success in the U.S. recently: big-voiced divas like Adele, Leona Lewis and Susan Boyle; and rock bands like Coldplay and Mumford and Sons. Pop stars like Robbie Williams and girl group Sugababes have tried and failed. Is it possible for a British pop act to join the British invasion? All eyes are on Jessie J, whose Who You Are made its U.S. debut this week. Brod had a positive prognosis for Jessie. “She has a lot of momentum,” he said. “She’s been aligned with big American stars like B.o.B, Bruno Mars, Miley, so she has visibility. Her ‘Saturday Night Live’ performance also really put her on people’s minds, so it’s a matter of radio getting behind her at this point. I think if radio responds well to her, she could ride that to a big career here.” But Johnston opined that Jessie J’s success is not a litmus test of whether British pop acts can break America, because Jessie’s music already sounds very American. “Jessie J is so in the American mold of pop stars,” Johnston argued. “I would love to see what would happen right now if a [British pop group] Girls Aloud song got properly promoted and got a proper push. That to me is more of a litmus test, than something that sounds a lot like American music.” A potential game changer for Britpop artists could be the upcoming fall launch of Simon Cowell’s U.S. “X Factor.” If the show proves to be a hit, British acts will have a great high-profile platform on which to introduce themselves to the U.S. “You can’t discount Simon Cowell’s influence. He brought Leona to Clive Davis, who was onboard immediately. So whatever you may think of him as a judge or as a celebrity, he does wield big influence on what makes a pop star in the U.S. As long as he’s part of the conversation and the culture, he will have an effect on which British artists might make it here.” One thing is certain: The music industry is all about trends, so if Jessie J makes it here, that could open the door for other similar British acts. “It’s the Amy Winehouse-Duffy-Adele scenario,” Brod explained. “Amy Winehouse opened the door, and Duffy and Adele stepped in. Adele stuck, and Duffy sort of fell off, so there might be casualties involved. But a lot of it just depends on the quality of the music.” Related Artists Adele
Breakout British band crafts new tunes in Nashville, Tennessee. By James Montgomery, with reporting by Sway Calloway Mumford & Sons Photo: Getty Images They have, at the moment, the only rock album that’s actually a top-10 staple on the Billboard albums chart (their debut, Sigh No More , which sits at #2), and a pair of singles (“Little Lion Man” and “The Cave”) that continue to gain traction on both rock and pop radio, but the guys in Mumford & Sons aren’t letting all that success go to their heads. “We’re trying really hard to enjoy ourselves, and we’re doing alright,” frontman Marcus Mumford told MTV News. “We’ve met some really nice people, met some heroes … We feel like very small fish in a very large ocean, but it’s great. “We’re a very young band,” he continued. “We only have one album: We’ve got a lot more work to do, a lot more shows to play, but we don’t want to attach our identity too much to this whole parade, because we know quite clearly what we want to do and why we do it, but we’re just going to try to enjoy it.” And while they’re riding high — thanks to their Grammy-show performance with like-minded pluckers the Avett Brothers and Bob Dylan (and the subsequent sales bump that performance ensured) — Mumford and his mates are trying to stay focused, not just on their upcoming run of U.S. festival appearances, but also on recording the follow-up to Sigh No More . It’s really the only way they know how to cope with all the attention. “It’s pretty surreal. We’re just trying to keep our heads down and figure it all out, as much as we can,” bandmate Ben Lovett said. “We’ve been writing. … Up in Nashville, [Tennessee,] we wrote a bunch of new tunes, and we’ll continue to do that. We’re going to tour them in, and when we feel ready, we’ll put the second record together.” Perhaps the best thing to come out of Mumford & Sons’ whirlwind run here in the States: the chance to fully absorb the American strains of folk, honky tonk and bluegrass that the Brits’ debut disc dabbled in. “The thing about Nashville that’s amazing is: Everyone plays … so you don’t meet up for a drink, you meet up for a pick,” banjo player (and recent trucker-cap enthusiast ) Winston Marshall said. “It’s an incredibly creative town, just bubbling with energy.” Are you looking forward to Mumford & Sons’ next album? Tell us below! Related Artists Mumford & Sons
