They are a scrubbed up Levellers.

I also like The Levellers.

I bought Chris De Burgh's latest CD Moonfleet on a whim for £1 at Asda recently. I'm a big fan of his pre-Lady In Red recordings but this really is a crock of sh...sugar. Everytime he sings the phrase "T'was" I want to hit him. I would have got better value for money using a £1 coin to retrieve a trolley and dumping it in the car park. I never learn.

I think with the Mumfords it is down to the fact they grew to be very big, very quickly, on the back of what is, as you say, an 'ok' album with a couple of catchy, killer tunes.

They are not a bad band - I saw them at Glastonbury in 2010 just as they reached the tipping point and they did a good, entertaining set and had obviously been 'adopted' by the "Tesco CD" crowd.

The problem I have with them is that the tunes are, on repeated listening, too samey and one-paced to maintain my interest beyond a few plays. And the over use of the kick drum irritated me very quickly.

Doesn't make them the Lighthouse Family reincarnate - but this has led to an inevitable overreaction/backlash where they become the latest shorthand for what is most awful about music today.

See also Coldplay, Keane, U2....

Ocean Colour Scene: well-played poppy rock with far more memorable tunes than Oasis, Suede or Blur. I never understood the vehemence of the near-universal sniffiness about them.

...we live in. Popularity with the masses does seem to breed unreasonable comtempt. It's the same with Miranda - who, I admit isn't Tony Hancock - but anyone who can make my wife and kids laugh hysterically must be doing something right.

I think the second Keane album is better than all the Pink Floyd albums made after Animals - and Silver Seas, despite being critically acclaimed by some, are only slightly edgier than The Wiggles.

Funnily enough, Noel Gallagher mentioned Mumfords in the NME last week and basically said the exact same thing as you. You're both wrong like, Mumfords are a bunch of blustering Jeremys and no mistake.

Apparently Mark E. Smith threw a bottle at them at a festival because they were doing vocal warm-ups backstage. Of course, in reality this is awful, but as a pop anecdote it's great.

I defy anyone to watch that (taxpayer funded) video where they're scootering round India in white linen suits and not hate them.

Or perhaps I have and I didn't realise it.

I have no opinion on them except to marvel at their dress sense and vowing to get that look. It's clearly getting in the way of the music.

I think Rabbit Heart is an excellent song, and I really enjoy several of the others, especially when she drops the bellow. The cover of 'You've Got The Love' is a bit misleading.

I quite like it. I think they suffer from the "Keane Syndrome". Bit posh, well behaved and sensible about how they approach the business of music. It's not very rock'n'roll and therefore not very cool.

...is that lots of the bands who receive this kind of kicking would, if they weren't ridiculously popular elswehere, be qietly praised by the 'cognoscenti'. The Mumfords are exactly the kind of band - little bit folky, little bit pop - who would otherwise receive the odd praising thread on this site; in fact I think they did until they went stellar.

Much the same could be said of Snow Patrol and Coldplay; I remember seeing the latter supporting Muse in a small venue about 10 years ago - I felt out of place among the trendy muso types. No doubt they have long deserted both bands. I kind of understand the sentiment - once your band has been discovered by everyone, they somehow seem less special, but to immediately stop liking them smacks of something other than appreciation of the music.

As for the phrase 'music for people who don't like music' - it's ridiculous snobbery. I'm quite capable of liking Coldplay, The Kinks and John Martyn thank you very much.

they are shit.

That whiney voice, being like The Levellers is not a good thing, their simple smug slappable fucking faces, the bad swearing, over4grown student band that should never have made it out of the refectory. Cynical grasping bastards that are a record company marketing man's wet dream. Blander than Billy the Bland's bland band's blandest bland band tune.

So, no, not keen.

The folk scene seems to have a snobbery all of its own that if you are even sniffed at by a major label then you are out of the club (the Unthanks got flak for being distributed by one of the majors) so the Mumfords don't even appear on their radar

stuff very recently from a second hand music shop (That's Entertainment). I'll decide for myself what is good and bad.

PS Keane's second album was unlistenable MOR dreck. A horrible, worthless album of zero merit and without even a decent single on it. In my opinion.

Both images in case you can't see them:

http://img717.imageshack.us/img717/4351/popcdspic.png

http://img683.imageshack.us/img683/3572/2ndhandcds1.jpg

I used to play Chris Rea's TRTH CD all the time, much to the derision of the cognescenti (ie the rest of the staff in the record shop). Also ELO's cod-concept 'Eldorado' album, which is in neither the Roy Wood madcap genius or the the latter Jeff Lynne pop confection camps and so is therefore generally sniffily deemed A Load of Old Balls.

What a load of miserable, opinionated, bombastic twats you all are, get a fuckin` life...deep breath... ah, much better.

I spent much of Sixth Form and my undergrad pretending to dislike Pearl Jam due to the prevailing opinion about them in the press. I genuinely convinced myself they were no good - cornball, riff-tastic, hair-rock charlatans.

Then I realised that I loved that kind of thing and that I couldn't give a flying fuck what Everett True said, thought or did.

Just to be clear, is this a thread about being annoyed at yourself for believing the anti-hype or whether Mumford & Sons are good / shit?

...Snow Patrol's album 'Final Straw'. It may be impossible to believe now but this - their third album - came along without any fanfare and, having owned their first two (unsuccessful & patchy) albums, I bought it as a last-chance album by a failing indie band. I was excited to see them support Grandaddy soon after it was released so got a great double-header gig.

Then someone discovered that Run was pretty damn good and reissued the album and almost overnight they became 'shite' apparently.

Yet Final Straw is still a bloody good record.

I started with "Oh Lori"' as perfect a pop single as ever was, and got progressively addicted. Great singers and tunesmiths, and (probably) pretty cool guys too. Yes, I know - the hair, the shirts (or lack of), the *ulp* disco beats - I'm past caring (and help. Probably.)

(Plus, they made a very nice contribution to The Complete Beatles On Ukelele site. Whaddya mean you never heard of it?)

Someone up there said that we just find a stick to bash any band with (so posh, so oiky, so hipper than thou, so preachy and holier than thou etc), once we decide they're a bit crap, by which we actually mean 'it's OK I suppose but not good enough for me to overlook the fact that I find the lead singer to be a bit annoying', but a bit of bile is more fun than being so prosaic, only thing is we now hear all the dissenting voices ranting and raving on and on ad nauseum in the virtual world, which is overwhleming, whereas it was once just an occasional conversation in a bar or in the office and not much more.

I believe there's a lot of stuff out there that is OK, or not too bad really, but life's too short - I only listen to classics personally. There's enough of those to keep me busy. A variety of critical opinion and selective radio stations I know play good stuff helps narrow it all down a bit, otherwise I'd waste such a lot of time. And some stuff that others really rate or just think quite good I just take a dislike to I cannot overcome - even if I see the apparent quality - Laura Marling would be one such. Just irritates me. You can get it wrong and change your mind - best to leave that as an option, a little bit of doubt to hold on to is a good thing I believe.

I don't believe in relativism I should say - not sure what alternative I would propose, it's hard to define, impossible perhaps, but we all know what the classics are don't we, I mean they are argued over but they are there, they exist undoubtedly and what are they but representative of the opinion of those who study and know their subject? Not all opinions are the same - some are educated and thoughtful and some are more or less worthless. For example, my opinion on opera is pretty worthless - I have one but I know so little about the subject it's of no great value, I find it mostly boring as it goes, mainly because I haven't made any effort to learn about it - my ignorance. You could say it's just pop after all, but that's to denigrate pop, which is an art form as valid as any other - just listen to the Bowie podcast for evidence of that. It's not just a matter of taste in the end. It may not be absolute or permanent but some records are just better than others - and we all know it really, deep down.

Sting's 'Dream Of The Blue Turtles' and 'Ten Summoners Tales' (the only two proper Sting albums I own (apart from a Best Of)) - enjoyed both.

As a follow up to the "buy their CDs in Tesco" comment, if you view 'Fields Of Gold: The Best Of Sting' on Amazon, you are offered the multi-buy option of 'The Very Best of Sting & The Police' and Adele's '21' (very much the CD aimed at "people who buy CDs in Tesco" (as stated in the Adele piece in the last issue)

snobbery? The first crew start with 'Oh Mumford are rubbish - posh dicks with their waistcoat rock'. Then the second crew come around with 'Oh the anti-Mumford crew are rubbish with their anti-waistcoat rock whinging..I'm actually above that and can see the joy in their tunes.' Then there'll be the anti-anti-Mumford crew etc etc. I see myself as the latter - the last thing we need right now is folk rockers telling us to pay off our credit cards ffs.

we can fastly establish are that those who, generally, buy their CDs at Tesco (to name but one outlet), do not obssess or concern themselves with the nuances, meanings or decreasing cultural clout of popular music and that they have always constituted the greatest proportion of music consumer (it's just Tesco didn't carry music in those days, it was a good honest grocer for god's sake!).
I used to use the term "Music for people who don't like music".
I'm not so hasty to use the phrase so much now, but you know what i mean.
On an aesthetic note of personal nature, i despised The "ands Sons" before i even knew the smug, singealongee 21st century festival pleasing shite on the radio was the issue of their collective endeavours.
I'm not sure about this out dated marxist analysis, but i'd not be shy in giving them a good kicking.

I love music, always have, always will.

As the only indepedent record shop in Workington closed a while ago, I do pick up a CD from Tesco now & then.

Sorry if that is "non masssive" behaviour.

for my musical taste I am acutely aware of Bobs point. I will mention the good Lady Gaga as my example (not Kasabian or Tears For Fears or the 80's this time). She is ridiculously talented yet widely derided because she dresses funny and is just the wrong side of ludicrous but to deny yourself the opportunity of actually listening to what she does because of your perception is to deny yourself something quite unique and wonderful.

Re. Mumfords - I don't think it's snobbery, it's huge disappointment.

Before you actually hear and see them, they sound quite intriguing. But then you listen to their dreadful finger-in-the-ear-pretending-to-be-a-ploughman-in-the-17th-centuree bland folkie cobblers and you think why? Why are these lot getting so much attention?

And what about Adele? Great voice, good sort, but what a load of sub-Alison Moyet foghorn plodders.

Also, I get slightly tired of all this 'everything's great, there's no such thing as guilty pleasures, you can't criticise anyone else for their music taste'.

Can't we distinguish between Coldplay, with their fantastic vocals and tunes, and the dreary, forgettable Athlete and Snow Patrol?

And while Baccara's Yes Sir I Can Boogie is ridiculous and cheesy, it has an irrestible chorus and tune. Rupert Holmes's Pina Colada song is also ridiculous and cheesy but has a revolting lyric and tune.

*Mumford apologist alert*

I think they're great. There. I've said it.
However, I reckon its a time and place thing. I first saw M&S when waiting to see the admittedly superior and criminally underrated Johnny Flynn in a tent at Hard Rock Calling 2009 in Hyde Park.

At that time that was a big deal for them. And by God were they shit hot. Really! I had never heard of them but I was really impressed with their energy and innovation (remember this was the summer of the Ting Tings)

So we went to see them in King Tuts when they came to Glasgow in September. They were bubbling under the critical radar by this time and the place was buzzing. It was an even more energetic performance.

So we drove up to see them in Aberdeen the following friday. It was in a small pub and all very low key. Again they blew the roof off the place. It wasn't even nearly sold out, probably 60-70 were there. But it was one of the best gigs I've ever been to.

We had a chat with the band that night and ended up sharing a few drinks. Posh, yep. No doubt about it. But they were decent fellows who certainly knew their stuff. The class thing is a complete red herring and just a stick used to beat them with. I say this as a working class west of Scotland guy.

A year later, they put myself and my wife onto the guest list for a much bigger show in Glasgow and on that night, they had lost none of the energy and charisma (yes really) of their previous shows.

I concur completely that I'm fed up hearing them trail Countryfile on the BBC and that yes, some of the lyrics are facile but I still believe they are a red hot live act. See them if you can, you may change your mind!

Always a bit mystified as to why Coldplay attract so much vitriol on here. Chris Martin has a knack of writing songs with big hooks that connect with an awful lot of people. What's wrong with that? Even if some of those people do pick up their Cds in Tesco.

I'm just running my eyes down my CDs, mentally chucking out those whose cred is tarnished by being the creation of 'poshos'.
Clearly, Mumford has to go; as it happens, I lost interest quite quickly, so I won't miss it. Kevin Ayers? A bit patchy - there's plenty of alternatives, so I'll get by. I guess the whole output of Realworld has to go. Don't you just hate that middle class cultural tourism thing? How about any of the new generation of singer-songwriters inspired by Nick Drake. That'll clear a bit of space out! Oh dear, the prog has taken a bit of a battering - mellotrons don't come cheap, you know. My musical world is beginning to unravel. Kate. Sandy. This is begining to really hurt. Cred doesn't allow the sexism that makes exemptions for posh girls (see above posting). I can't even find refuge in the rest of the Fairports; did you see the size of that garden on the cover of Unhalfbricking? Then I get to the Classical section and it's all over.
I pity anyone who has to check how well-heeled its members are before buying into a band. Frankly it shows you're a bit soft in the head. Ironically, it's the equivalent of the middle class concern about 'What will the neighbours think?' The Burchill era NME has a lot to answer for in encouraging this bollocks. Simon Price was at it again more recently. If you don't want to listen to Mumfords / Coldplay, because you've got something better to do, then it's a bit like the TV - you can turn it off. But don't make out that you can rationalise it on the basis of class.

.....(Grammar Schools, 1950s, a more inquisitive generation) don't the HJH's and The Stones qualify as posh?
If I thought they were working class, I wouldn't listen to them!

Can't stand the Mumfords, but nothing to do with common consensus, as I don't give a shit about that sort of thing, I also couldn't care if they're a bit posh. Pink Floyd and Radiohead are a bit posh too and I love what they do. It's just that I find their music utterly,...well, unsexy. I think that's what I mean, yes sexless, neutered maybe? .....does anyone get what I mean. Fleet Foxes have the same effect on me and make me want to break out the T Rex instantly! Oh and the waist coats don't help either.

Taking the piss out of a band you don't like for being posh is not the same as disliking a band because they're posh. I don't think anyone restricts their listening to working class bands. At least I hope they don't, 'cause they'd be missing out big time.

What about all the working class bands who have sent their kids to private schools and are now effectively 'posh'?

I really dislike the 'posh' stick.

but this is just fantastic. End. Of.