I will wait, I will wait for you

Until the recent release of today's subject song, I was popping around a few ideas in my head. First it was going to be "Roses" by OutKast because my sister posted it on Tumblr the other day and I remember it as being, as they say, my jam. I still might do it at a later time. The other was going to be the Jerry Douglas cover of Simon and Garfunkel's "The Boxer" featuring Mumford and Sons. It's shown up on Spotify a few times while I've been working late and it just makes my soul feel good. Mumford and Sons makes my soul feel good in general so it made sense. And then, as if on purpose, the band released the first single from their new, highly anticipated sophomore album. So we're going to talk about Mumford and Sons.

In case you aren't familiar with Mumford and Sons, a quick background: 4 piece folk-ish/sort of/rock band from England. Fronted by Marcus Mumford, none of the members are his sons. The band had something of a cult following with EPs released in 2008 and 2009 and released their breakout album Sigh No More, which won some Billboard Awards, BRIT awards, and an ARIA as well as being nominated for 6 Grammy's 2 years after it's release. They toured really aggressively since that release (including some interesting stops involving railroads.) They are now quite a big deal.

I've been trying to put my finger on exactly what it is I love so much about Mumford and Sons. I can't begin to explain their popularity among the masses. I've never been able to figure that out articulately for any musician, so I'll stick with me.

1. This band's sound reminds me so much of the music of the mountains from back home. There's nothing that just sweeps me home like fiddles, banjos and harmony. It's rumored that a large inspiration for the folksy sound of Mumford and Sons came from Marcus watching the 2000 film Oh Brother, Where Art Thou. In case you aren't up to date in your Southwest Virginia trivia, the band that played the majority of that film's music is from Rocky Mount, Virginia, a hop, skip, and a jump from where I grew up. The sound and nostalgia it brings is one reason for my love.
2. I appreciate interesting instrumentation. It has probably been some time since a band nominated for Grammy's in the rock category regularly played banjo, fiddles, a Dobro and a stand up bass. If that's ever happened before... Still, it's interesting, it's unique and as I've expressed before in this forum, originality in music these days gets my attention every time.
3. The lyrics are full of longing, are forlorn and still possess hope and optimism. It's strange and comforting the way it all comes together.
4. Marcus Mumford is a fox.
5. I'm a voice person. There's something in Marcus Mumford's lead vocals that send chills up my spine. Being able to convey anger and soft vulnerability with a little gravel in a big voice all at once is an impressive accomplishment to me. Being able to produce the same sound live is an even bigger accomplishment. I stay impressed.

Now that we know a little of my Mumford and Sons obsession, let's look at "I Will Wait." This is the first single from the band's second album, Babel, which is set to drop on September 24th of this year. It's definitely a Mumford and Sons song, there's no mistaking that in the first 10 seconds or so. The strings hit you in the face, right from the beginning. I wouldn't say the instrumentation or general sound is all that different or altered from Sigh No More, but it is just a single. The entire album could go any which-a way.  I noticed and as many friends of mine have mentioned to me, this single seems a little more upbeat/peppy than what we remember from Sigh No More. And I'll agree with that to a degree. The first few listens really give that more sunshiney feel but the lyrics are still forlorn and a little sad. But there's hope there. It's as Rolling Stone described it, "road-weary," talking about falling heavy into your arms and days of dust. The chorus really brings the hope, repeating over and over I will wait/I will wait for you. I'd sing a long to it. With a group of 20 friends in a pub somewhere. All of us thinking about being tired and beaten down and willing to wait for that one person, the one who will make the weary travel worth it. That person or thing or idea that will take the burden off and be there for any other difficult journeys ahead.

I like "I Will Wait." I don't think I love it. It's singable and has definitely given me that hit of Mumford and Sons that I've been waiting for. But I think Babel has more for us. Mumford fans like myself have been waiting for this new album for a long time and it can't come soon enough. I want to see what other surprises they have up the sleeve on their ratty Henley shirt.

the smoke is rising and we know why

For some reason I feel like finding new music isn't as easy as it used to be. I know that doesn't seem quite right, what with the internetz and all, but I think there is SO MUCH information out there that real gems get lost in the shuffle. They get lost in that recently dropped Pitbull/Flo-Rida/Gym Class Heroes whatever. There is,however, one way to find new music that is my personal favorite: the random Twitter follow. In recent months, I'll check my Twitter connections to find a random band or artist, usually located NOWHERE near small town South Carolina, has started following me. I think "Cool! They must understand my vast musical knowledge and be in awe of my pop culture prowess! The appreciator is appreciated! Time to get that resume to Rolling Stone because I have arrived!" Except I only really ever tweet about being hungry or tired...Anyway, this happens to me every few weeks and I find some low quality music, some spam accounts, and then, a gem.

Carson Henley (or one of his dedicated people or roadies or  his mom or something) started following me on Twitter and in gratitude I gave his stuff the old college try. I think I listened to "Never Coming Home," off of Green Eyed Soul about 1000 times (the catchiness will overcome you, I promise.) I was hooked. If you haven't heard of him (yet), Carson Henley is an independent musician out of Seattle, Washington and I'm pretty late in the game in "discovering" him. I'm not just in love with his rugged good looks or in awe that a man exists with the exact.same.hair.I.have. Really, it's because he's got the chops. He comes from a musical family and it seems like he was born to be that rare musician that writes songs and play instruments and sings. Really sings. Sans auto-tune. I know, my heart stopped too.

His latest release is quite possibly one of the coolest projects I've ever heard of. It definitely made him "stand out in a massive crowd of musicians," to use Henley's words. It's called the 100 Hours Project and here's the concept. Henley wanted to write/record/produce the entirety of his new album in 100 waking hours only. Get locked up in a room, write the songs, record all parts of the songs, get them mixed and the record is born. Those unfamiliar with the recording process (and let's not get crazy, I am no Brian Eno so don't take this for gospel) it takes a long time, with songs that were written over months or years with 100s of hours logged in the studio perfecting the sound. Or editing the ever loving hell out of the sound. Or sweetening the vocals. This record did all that (minus the last two bits,) in 100 hours. It's called 100 Hours. See what he did there? There's a trailer for the project on his YouTube channel if you're further interested in the concept.

This blog is about songs, right? So the first single is called "Fire." I'm not certain that it's my favorite on this record, but that's not because I don't like it. It's because all 7 songs compete for that top spot. Not a bad problem to have, right? It's a classic tale of a damn teasin' woman. She's got the singer all worked up, giving off all this heat in the early part of a relationship only to peace out. He doesn't sound forlorn or whiney at all considering the subject matter. It's more of a  "Listen woman, you get back here and finish this thing." Or in his more eloquent wording The smoke is rising/and we know why/so why how you running/when you're the one that started this fire.  The song starts sexy. It stays sexy throughout. It ends sexy. It's got that bluesy, Memphis thing going for it that was lost in the youth of our parents.Elvis would dig it. The music is good. The music video is cute. The instrumentation is good. You wouldn't know it only took 100 hours to achieve this sound unless I just told you.

However, I think the real star here is Henley's voice. The quality in his voice is excellent and a true rarity in pop music today. Even loves of my life like Katy Perry are at best, mediocre singers with a ton of help from auto-tune and vocal sweetening. And somehow, that's acceptable to us. As a professional appreciator, I want more. I need more than the exact same singer doing the hook on every single hip-hop release. But this guy, has got a fucking voice. I'd compare it to Ray LaMontagne without the sadness and with a little less gravel than a young Joe Cocker. It's smoother than that. What I'd really compare it to is a cup of unaltered coffee. No sugar, no candy flavored creamer, and certainly no Splenda. His voice is robust and full. Flavorful without being watered down or changed to fit weak taste buds. It's hot and satisfying. It really shines on this track and this record. While the 100 Hours project is cool, that voice is what really sets him apart from the massive crowd of musicians out there.

Give 100 Hours a listen. Buy it on iTunes and have it playing in the background when you invite a girl up to your apartment. Blare it in your car. Crank it up when you're cleaning the house. Enjoy that cup of Seattle's best. I'd put my money on Carson Henley being a household name sooner rather than later.