I know I am late to the party on the whole Mumford and Sons thing.  Surely you are coming to expect that from me; I’m often a day late and a dollar short when it comes to what is “popular”.  I hear about trends and shelf them a year or two, letting the dust settle and the talk subside before I check them out for myself.

I used to spend a lot of time with music.  I guess it started in the 7th grade.  I’d sit in my room and listen to records for hours.  (When I say “records”, I mean “albums”.  On CD.)  Something about the power of music to connect with the soul and give both words AND emotion to what was inside me captivated me.

I invested a lot of time and money in music, trying my hand at the guitar, but ultimately leaving the music-making to the music-makers.  I was the high school kid who scribbled lyrics all over her book covers, wore concert t-shirts most days, and dreamed of being a rock star despite having no musical talent whatsoever.

I stopped buying music some time during my broke college years.  Then I got married and had some kids and cringed at the thought of spending $15(!) on albums on a regular basis.  Not to mention I no longer had time to “waste” on listening to records very often.

I’ve missed it.

But Pandora is bringing me back to it.  FREE music.  NEW music.  LISTEN BEFORE YOU BUY music.  Yes, I could get used to this.  (What’s that you say? You’ve been listening to Pandora for 5 years now?  See above.)

Back to my point.  Mumford and Sons.

First of all, does the lead singer not look like Tim Tebow?

image via whinesnob.com

Yes.  The answer is yes.  Score 10 points for Mumford and Sons.

Next of all, M & S are brits.  2 points.

Third of all, their lyrics are subtly Christian.  Like U2.  No overt “Jesus” shout outs, but their songs are as grace-filled as can be.  The lyrics typify the human struggle with sin AND the only answer to sin – grace.  5,000 points.

Fourthly, Marcus Mumford’s passion while singing – real, raw, relatable.  There’s nothing like it.  He may not be the best technical singer out there, but his soul (and mine) is laid bare every time he opens his mouth.  100 points.

Fifthly, they incorporate banjos, dobros, and upright basses.  It’s a stringed-instrument lover’s heaven.  20 points.

If you’re keeping track (and why wouldn’t you be, I mean, really), Mumford and Sons is up to 5,132 pts.

That’s enough to persuade me to actually purchase their records, which is saying a lot in this day and age.

Thanks, Mumford and Sons, for reminding me I enjoy music.