"The Cave" - Mumford & Sons

"Excuse me sir.. which song is this?"

After my Grammy rant, I know I promised you a blog on Mumford & Sons, so here it is my dears. This year has definetly been my year for music. I am typically a Classic Rock gal, but this year I found myself getting into every type of genre - from folk to hip hop. I've had alot of influence from some very music savvy friends - but now that I'm a "blogger" I find myself discovering new music everywhere. I find songs in movies, TV shows, other blogs, and even in stores. In a particularly creepy move, I heard a song that I liked so much while in a store the other day, that I asked to speak with the manager to find out the artist, (for those of you who are curious - it was Mazzy Starry - "Fade Into You").

Mumford & Sons

Now it might be my perspective but I feel like folk & indie music is making a HUGE comeback. Or maybe just becoming more mainstream? I can't even recall the last time a non traditional band like, Mumford & Sons or The Avett Brothers were given a chance to perform at the Grammy's. Or the last time a band like Arcade Fire received proper recognition at such a huge, commercialized, mainstream event. Mumford & Sons released their first album, "Sigh No More", in 2009 and have since received huge critical acclaim from various critics in the UK and North America.

I'm someone that is far more impressed with intelligence than looks. Beauty will always fade before intelligence. Through my research I discovered that Mumford & Sons is much more than just a pretty face. Their lyrics are complex, insightful and draw reference from works  by Shakespeare, John Steinbeck, and The Bible.

The dreamboat himself, Plato

Many fans have cited that "The Cave" seems to reference Greek Philosopher, Plato's, "Allegory of the Cave". Plato's work suggests that underneath the underlying surface of things, there are truths that only the "enlightened" can discover. Coincidentally I think Plato's theory applies to the song itself, as the lyrics of "The Cave" allude to deeper meanings and thoughts not apparent at first glance. Here is a short summary of "Allegory of the Cave"

"Plato describes a group of people who have lived chained to the wall of a cave all of their lives, facing a blank wall. The people watch shadows projected on the wall by things passing in front of a fire behind them, and begin to ascribe forms to these shadows. According to Socrates, the shadows are as close as the prisoners get to viewing reality. He then explains how the philosopher is like a prisoner who is freed from the cave and comes to understand that the shadows on the wall do not constitute reality at all, as he can perceive the true form of reality rather than the mere shadows seen by the prisoners. In addition, the Allegory of the Cave is an attempt to explain the philosopher's place in society: to attempt to enlighten the "prisoners."

Sexy Sirens Seducing Odysseus

Mumford & Sons make a very concise reference in this lyric particularly, "So come out of the cave walking on your hands, And see the world hanging upside down, You can understand dependence, When you know the maker's land." He also references the mythological, seductive "Sirens" from Homer's poem "The Odyssey." "So make your siren's call, And sing all you want, I will not hear what you have to say." There are also at least half a dozen biblical/Christian references that I can spot, "Widows & Orphan's", "The Maker's Land", the list goes on.  Overall the band has done a fantastic job of creating an addictive, haunting song that incorporates profound ideas and works. 

It's empty in the valley of your heart

The sun, it rises slowly as you walk
Away from all the fears
And all the faults you've left behind


The harvest left no food for you to eat
You cannibal, you meat-eater, you see
But I have seen the same
I know the shame in your defeat

But I will hold on hope
And I won't let you choke
On the noose around your neck

And I'll find strength in pain
And I will change my ways
I'll know my name as it's called again


Because I have other things to fill my time
You take what is yours and I'll take mine
Now let me at the truth
Which will refresh my broken mind

So tie me to a post and block my ears
I can see widows and orphans through my tears
I know my call despite my faults
And despite my growing fears

But I will hold on hope
And I won't let you choke
On the noose around your neck

And I'll find strength in pain
And I will change my ways
I'll know my name as it's called again

So come out of your cave walking on your hands
And see the world hanging upside down
You can understand dependence
When you know the maker's land

So make your siren's call
And sing all you want
I will not hear what you have to say

Because I need freedom now
And I need to know how
To live my life as it's meant to be

And I will hold on hope
And I won't let you choke
On the noose around your neck


And I'll find strength in pain
And I will change my ways
I'll know my name as it's called again

2011 Grammy Review

Love this guy

Ok, so I don't normally do this type of thing. I consider myself more of a music lover than a music critic. I tuned into the Grammy's last night for the first time in many years. I had decided to watch them for the sole purpose of seeing my hero, Bob Dylan perform. I saw him live in concert a couple of years ago (which by the way I had assumed would be one of the most important moments of my life), and was so let down and unsatisfied that I had been holding a bit of a grudge. When I heard he was going to be at the Grammy's I knew that I had to watch, because the love that I have for this man is an unconditional kind. I have alot to say about last night - and not many people I know are as intense or opinionated about music as I am, so I wanted to share my thoughts with you guys :) I'm only going to talk about the performances I had particularly strong opinions about - and as for rest of the performances I either liked them or didn't care at all.

Not really my scene

The show opened with an Aretha Franklin tribute - feat. Florence Welch, Martina Mcbride, Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Hudson and Yolanda Adams. Now I can't remember where I read it, (because i'd link to them if I did) but someone wrote that it was a poor choice to open the Grammy's with a tribute to the past - when it should have been with a representation of the future of music. I completely agree - and I know I might lose a few fans by saying this - but I am actually not an Aretha Franklin fan. Don't get me wrong, the lady has a set of pipes on her and a pile of mega hits - but I'm not that type of girl. I'm not into women's lib. So if I have to hear anything more about being R-E-S-P-E-C-T ed or feeling like a "natural woman", I think I might barf. Needless to say this set didn't do it for me.

Hot rack Gaga, literally

Moving on to Lady Gaga. I'm a huge fan of Lady Gaga personally as well as her music. I like her "I don't give a shit what you think and I�m going to keep doing what I do because it makes me happy" attitude. Her performance of "Born This Way", was great, but I didn't expect anything less from her. I thought the "wow" factor was low- sure she had some weird sort of shoulder implants, but I suppose it's hard to top shooting fireworks out of your bra.

Justin Bieber & Usher -  I"m not a fan of either so I'm quite biased. I was impressed though that the little "Bieb" started off his set with an acoustic solo. Honestly I think as a society we spend so much time and energy obsessing over this pre-pubescent boy and his immature hits that we are oblivious to the all of the AMAZING talent out there.  Hence why I started my blog.

Sidenote -who the eff is Esperanza and how did she win best new artist? Is she so new that she just came out with her album yesterday? Is this why we haven't heard of her? How did she beat out Mumford & Sons, Drake, Florence & The Machine & Bieber?

Bob Dylan, Mumford & Sons, The Avett Brothers

Speaking of amazing. Mumford & Sons, The Avett Brothers & Bob Dylan actually blew my mind. Mind is blown. I had kind of thought of the folk/bluegrass movement as a dead or underground scene, but I see it slowly making it's way back with the help of bands like this. Watching The Avett Brothers and Mumford & Sons sing was incredible. The expressions on their face indicated that they might actually be in pain from singing so hard. Their performances came straight from their guts.  I'll blog about both bands later so I won't get too much into them. A final note on Dylan, I was happy to see him in the same way someone in an abuse relationship is always happy to see their lover.  He did do a mean harmonica solo, but I wasn't impressed by the song choice.  "Maggie's Farm" is not a Dylan song I would typically even consider worth mentioning.  Being an avid/obsessive fan I know that there are dozens of songs that would have been a better choice.  I'm thinking I should be on the Grammy committee next year. 

Lady Antebellum did a good job - and performed well, but I didn't particularly think they deserved some of the awards they won. They were up against some heavy hitters with real talent, like Eminem and Jay-Z.

Oh Cee Lo

Surprisingly I found myself really liking Cee Lo Green's performance of "Forget You". Dressed as a giant bird/butterfly?? - in an Elton John-esque manner with a set of muppets as his back-up band. This is what I expecte to see at the Grammy's - unnecessary bling, glitz and "wow" factor. 

I'm a Katy Perry fan for the most part - but was disappointed with her performance. I thought for sure she'd do something insane or wacky but instead she spent most of the time in a non-cleavage revealing dress on a giant swing while her wedding video played in the background. Unwanted and uncalled for PDA. We know you love your husband, but no one cares Katy.

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I love the way he lies

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My second favorite performance of the night was by Eminem/Rihanna/Skylar Grey and Dr Dre. I must say that Rihanna has grown on me over time. I like seeing her mix it up with rappers like Eminem, Ludacris etc. Everyone seems to like Eminem better as an angry rapper as opposed to the goofy "Slim Shady" persona. The crowd went wild for him. I like that Eminem never hesitates to throw a bone to Dr.Dre who would otherwise fade into the atmosphere. "Forgot about Dre" is one of my favorite hip hop songs but I often do "Forget" about Dre. It's nice to see him and Eminem out together again. This performance received a much deserved standing O from the audience.

I was stoked to see Mick Jagger on stage performing "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love" as a tribute to the late Solomon Burke. Hot damn that old guy has still got it, even at 67 years of age. My only disappointment was that his partner in crime, the ashes-snorting-loveable-trainwreck, Keith Richards didn't join him.

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Arcade Fire for the win!

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Finally - how surprised/thrilled were you guys to see Arcade Fire there? Not only did they perform (twice) but they took home the award for "Album of the Year"! They stuck out like a sore thumb in between the "Biebs","Drakes" and "Gaga's". The band is so humble and authentic and they completely deserved that win. One of my favorite quotes is from their song "Ready to Start" which they performed live, "I would rather be alone,Than pretend I feel alright."

Well there's my ranting - feel free to criticize/agree with me and post your comments! Any feedback is good feedback right? I'll post later in the week - likely about Mumford & Son or The Avett Brothers.