walking upstream…
Mumford & Sons
photo: drew de f fawkes · cc by 2.0 ↗Mumford & Sons
Mumford & Sons formed in London in 2007 amid a British folk revival, pairing banjo, upright bass, and four-part harmonies with the dynamics of stadium rock. Their 2009 debut 'Sigh No More' and its 2012 follow-up 'Babel' turned the band into global stars and helped define a wave of foot-stomping, crescendo-driven folk-pop built on literary, confessional lyrics and quiet-to-roar arrangements. Frontman Marcus Mumford has cited Bob Dylan as foundational to the band's very existence.
the sound in question
2012
I Will WaitMumford & Sons
walk the tributaries ↓
Bob Dylan1960s · Folk / Folk rock / Rock
Marcus Mumford has called Bob Dylan foundational, saying the band 'wouldn't be playing music at all if it wasn't for Dylan,' and Mumford & Sons' literary, confessional lyric-writing and acoustic folk roots trace directly back to him.
listen: upstream & here
1964
The Times They Are a-Changin'Bob Dylan
2010
The CaveMumford & Sons
listen forPlay Dylan's 'The Times They Are a-Changin'' before Mumford's 'The Cave' — hear the same plainspoken, folk-strummed cadence and poetic, almost sermon-like phrasing, carried by a voice pushing earnestly at the edge of its range.
Bruce Springsteen1970s-80s · Rock / Heartland rock / Folk rock
The band has pointed to Bruce Springsteen as an early favorite and has covered his 'Atlantic City' live; his heartland-rock storytelling and big, communal choruses feed directly into Mumford's arena-folk uplift.
listen: upstream & here
1982
Atlantic CityBruce Springsteen
2009
Little Lion ManMumford & Sons
listen forCue Springsteen's 'Atlantic City' into Mumford's 'Little Lion Man' — both ride an insistent acoustic strum and a weathered, confessional vocal that opens up into a gang-shouted refrain built for a crowd to carry.
Radiohead1990s · Art rock / Alternative rock
Marcus Mumford has pointed to Radiohead alongside Dylan as central to his development as a songwriter, and the band's turn toward brooding, dynamically restrained balladry echoes Radiohead's quiet-to-swell craft.
listen: upstream & here
1995
Fake Plastic TreesRadiohead
2012
Ghosts That We KnewMumford & Sons
listen forSet Radiohead's 'Fake Plastic Trees' against Mumford's 'Ghosts That We Knew' — both start nearly whispered over a single acoustic guitar and slowly accumulate weight until the arrangement breaks open into aching, full-throated release.