Tag: Mumford and Sons

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Mumford & Sons: Creating String Power

by Blondie and the Beat2 Comments on Mumford & Sons: Creating String Power

wilder mind When I heard the news about Mumford & Sons’ new album, I thought it was a lie! I had heard so many rumors that the band had broken up and they wouldn’t have music out for a while. This is the best thing to happen to my spring break! Not only are they back but their new album is coming out May 4 (another way to celebrate the summer sunshine). The new album is called Wilder Mind and is already blowing my mind.

The first single off the album was recently released and I couldn’t be more obsessed. The song, appropriately titled “Believe” highlights a broken relationship, lack of communication, and a hope for a better union between two people who love each other. Major Coldplay vibes here people… and I LOVE IT. I’m a big alt/electronic-y fan, so this song is right up my alley.

Mumford’s transition into this new world is already beautiful. The musicality and strong lyrical content surrounding this band is what helps them make this change more impeccable. Everything about “Believe” feels natural and more like a new & improved Mumford and Sons, which is something fans are going to appreciate. It’s not as if they have no classic foot stomping twinkle light choruses anymore, they have just added more layers to their songs leaving the lyrics with a more substantial musical ground to stand on.

My prediction? Every song will stand out on their own as a powerful story from start to finish. Just as “Believe” already stands on its own with soaring electric guitar and drum kit. Also, the lyrics are just as exquisite as ever; “Present all your pretty feelings, may they comfort you tonight, and I’m climbing over something, and I’m running through these walls.” The truth is, if you locked yourself in a room and listened to this song on full blast through a decent speaker system, you would say, “YES, that is the Mumford & Sons I know and love”. mumford Change is a good thing and Wilder Mind is going to be proof of that.

May needs to be here…like now….

-Abbey

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“In a way, I’m a thief…”

by Blondie and the BeatLeave a Comment on “In a way, I’m a thief…”

Are the first words out of Marcus Haney’s mouth in the documentary “No Cameras Allowed,” where viewers get a glimpse into a college guy’s dream of becoming a filmmaker/photographer all with the help of lies, fake wristbands, cameras, and lots of ambition.

Image from: bing.com
Image from: bing.com

Rewind to Coachella Music Festival in 2010, where it all began. Haney (and one of his good friends) being the poor college students they are and not having hundreds of dollars to spend on a ticket, dressed in all black, jumped the fence, slept under a bus, and walked through to the general admission section the next morning with a surprising “Good morning!” from security as they walked through the gates. They did it, they were finally at Coachella.

Haney began sneaking into the photo pit for certain performances, carrying several cameras and recording devices. He even made it to the side stage of Muse’s performance. Haney realized he could compile all of these crazy pictures and videos and show his friends what Coachella is really like.

A passion quickly grew in Haney, he realized how much he loved doing this; travelling, meeting musicians and capturing the rare moments that make them normal humans just like the rest of us.

Add a couple crazy car rides, an invitation to tour with Mumford and Sons, music festivals like: Ultra, Bonnaroo, Coachella, Glastonbury, and Austin City Limits, taking pictures at the running of the bulls, an RV road trip with friends, and no college degree, and you have a compelling documentary start to finish.

I don’t want to give away Marcus’ full story, because honestly he tells it better himself. His journey to follow his dreams is so heartwarming and uplifting, that it makes you want to quit everything and become a musical vagabond yourself.

Haney truly understood how lucky he was to capture the moments he did as he mentions when touring with Mumford and Sons, saying “I got to see them as real human beings.” Not only do you get fantastic live videos of the band, but some drunken nights that you can’t help but laugh at.

One of Haney's famous shots of the lead singer of Mumford and Sons. image from: bing.com
One of Haney’s famous shots of the lead singer of Mumford and Sons. image from: bing.com

Through the haze of all the insane and brilliant things Marcus was doing, he alienated his friends, family, and his love interest, which all come crashing down in one moment when he says ” For me there are two things that are massively important, the people that I love and the conquest of the unknown.”

“No Cameras Allowed” lets you peak through Marcus’ struggle between his dreams and his reality and how he made the two become one. Marcus is an artist, and being an artist leaves him with no choice but thinking and being creative constantly. That’s his life; creating art. He appreciates the little things people do and blows them up to make you think, admire, and inspire.

The thing I loved most about this documentary was the fact that Marcus knew what to capture, he knew what fans were itching to see, he understood that musicians are so insanely beautiful to watch, that he filmed all of it. He didn’t just focus on the crop tops, alcohol, and stupid dancing at music festivals, he caught the musicians in their element and how music can truly move massive amounts of people in the most beautiful way. And I admire him for that.

The entire documentary is available to watch on MTV.com: http://www.mtv.com/shows/no_cameras_allowed/

His website is: http://www.jamesmarcushaney.com/

I’ll leave you with a quote from a character that you will meet when you watch the documentary: “Life is what you make it, we only get one go, don’t waste it working, don’t get a mortgage, get an RV, get a life, get on the road.”

 

–Abbey