June 21, 2010

Réveille mon âme

The excoriating Mumford and Sons shot straight to the top of my “best shows ever” list on Friday night in a 300-person Telluride opera house, and I feel like I’m still radiating from the energy of it all. Like standing too close to a supernova, or an atomic bomb.

Their Blogotheque session (posted today) is characteristically gorgeous, allowing the purity of their music to shine through. I’ll have much more to say about Telluride soon, but for now, watch them sing “Awake My Soul” half in French, along with their rare “Banjolin Song.”

The way this group of young guys tilt their heads back and sing their ancient-feeling (but powerfully rocking) music with such urgency and grace is precisely what I love about them. Incredible.

The Banjolin Song (Blogotheque version) – Mumford & Sons

Awake My Soul / Réveille mon âme (Blogotheque version) – Mumford & Sons

6 Comments

  • Now what’s funny is that this one session [that is indeed excellent] seems to have been shot in the exact garden from where Menomena was kicked out while playing on June 5th [there]. Mumford having been shot in April, we can assume that a neighborhood watch was set up right after this British invasion]. I guess.

    dpc — June 21, 2010 @ 4:23 pm

  • Hello Heather,

    I Recently attended a Mumford & Sons show at the Beachland Ballroom in Cleveland with my daughter. We can not agree with your comments more, and we said pretty much the exact same thing after the show. It was truly incredible, amazing and magical. It was a such powerful show-in so many ways. At one point, I saw tears in my daughters eyes and she saw first hand what could never be explained. These Guys truly get the power of music,without a doubt one of the most passionate performances I’ve ever witnessed in over 30 years of attending shows. Like I told Megan, we were blessed and one of the lucky ones to see these Guys play their hearts out that night in Cleveland. There was magic in the air… and you could feel it all the way to your soul.

    My first post, keep up the good work, we are long time readers (listeners) and we both love your site. Your one of the few that truly get it.
    “Where you invest your love, you invest your life”
    Best wishes & regards, Bob

    Robert — June 21, 2010 @ 6:42 pm

  • I remember discovering Mumford after a link to a BBC radio session that you posted here about a year and a half ago. Since then they’ve fast become one of my favourite bands and I’ve had the privilege of seeing them several times live too. The feeling as the music sweeps over, the need to stamp your feet along with the band and whoop in exultation is immense. They are not only one of the best live experiences I’ve had, but also one of those bands that leaves you feeling purified, that lifts your spirit and touches your soul.

    I can’t wait to see them in a few weeks in a folk-filled day at Hop Farm. Hopefully they’ll stay away from the French though…! I’m glad you got the chance to see them live. And thank you for the introduction to them many moons ago.

    Brendan — June 22, 2010 @ 11:24 am

  • wow, thank you Heather! …this is amazing

    avi — June 23, 2010 @ 1:44 am

  • heather, the video is so dreamy! the power of music, laughing for the pure joy of it, the universal language–i’m laughing out loud listening. my heart is in the sheridan opera house with them.

    heather b — June 23, 2010 @ 2:45 pm

  • This song honestly may have changed my life… I have always been in love with all types of music but after hearing this version of this song it has almost become a benchmark for which I judge all music as far a the passion put into it.

    Thanks for posting this.

    Mike — December 19, 2010 @ 8:06 pm

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Bio Pic Name: Heather Browne
Location: Colorado, originally by way of California
Giving context to the torrent since 2005.

"I love the relationship that anyone has with music: because there's something in us that is beyond the reach of words, something that eludes and defies our best attempts to spit it out. It's the best part of us, probably, the richest and strangest part..."
—Nick Hornby, Songbook
"Music has always been a matter of energy to me, a question of Fuel. Sentimental people call it Inspiration, but what they really mean is Fuel."
—Hunter S. Thompson

Mp3s are for sampling purposes, kinda like when they give you the cheese cube at Costco, knowing that you'll often go home with having bought the whole 7 lb. spiced Brie log. They are left up for a limited time. If you LIKE the music, go and support these artists, buy their schwag, go to their concerts, purchase their CDs/records and tell all your friends. Rock on.

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