I have to precede this week's song by saying that I love my Sirius satellite radio. Granted, I have it for free right now since we got a new car a few months back, but that doesn't take any of the love. When compared with the radio stations we have in Detroit... scratch that, there's no comparison to be made there. It's not just that Sirius offers minute after minute, hour after hour commercial-free tunes; it's that they somehow have a handle on some of the best new music I'd otherwise never hear.
One of the bands I heard first heard while tooling around in the new ride was Mumford and Sons. "Little Lion Man" both blew me away and confused me. Was I really rocking out to what sounded like heart-thumping rock + country? Was that a banjo I heard? Yes, and yes.
Though their name instantly reminds me of the beloved garbage-picking sitcom Sanford & Son, I absolutely love and appreciate what this little English folk rock (according to Wikipedia) group has done with music. I find their lyrics haunting, their style original, and their banjo, well, fascinating and cool.
The band's latest single, "The Cave", is just good music. The chorus picks up to reveal a neatly hidden quick tempo that would be great for a fartlek run (quick, random bursts of speed) or any kind of speed work, really. On top of that, you've got lyrics like this:
"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"
Man, that's good stuff. Here's the video so you can maybe enjoy the rest!