New Mumford And Sons: ‘Beneath My Feet’ / ‘Lover’s Eyes’

April 17th, 2011 • Comment
Tags: Beneath My Feet, Coachella, Glassnote, Island Records, Lover's Eyes, Marcus Mumford, Mumford And Sons, Sigh No More

The new Mumford And Sons LP (due out at the tail end of 2011) seems to be shaping up nicely, with a good number of tracks not present on their debut now included in the band’s live set, and circulating in various formats online.

The latest of these, ‘Beneath My Feet’ and ‘Lover’s Eyes’ (see also: ‘Lover Of The Light’, ‘Whispers In The Dark’) sound emboldened, beefed up and geared towards the biggest of stages – presumably where they’ll be performing the new efforts from once studio versions are released into the world. They also represent a sizable step forward from the relatively simplistic arrangements of Sigh No More, and a highly impressive quality control button – it seems this is a band who simply don’t do duff tracks, a trait which will stand them in good stead once the inevitable backlash occurs.

In lieu of proper recorded versions to listen to, check out these live bootlegs, which should still send shivers down your spine:

Introducing: Givers

May 18th, 2010 • 1 comment Introducing
Tags: Givers, Glassnote, Lafayette, Louisiana, SXSW 2010, Up Up Up

It’s taken us a while to post this, but as the saying rightly goes, better late than never. At SXSW this year, amongst the plethora of exciting talent vying for our eardrums in Austin’s many watering holes, were a band from Lafayette in Louisiana who go by the name of Givers.

Laissez Faire Club managed to catch two shows of theirs (Emo’s Annex & Beauty Bar) after hearing mutterings about them as soon as we rolled into Austin, and we can safely say they were up there with the best gigs of the entire festival. They were performances with a palpable sense of anticipation and excitement in the air, as if every member of the audience knew they were onto something big.

Their feelgood, afro-beat inspired racket evokes images of outdoor festivals, walking around in flip flops and drinking cider in the park. What we commonly refer to as the good times. Take the energy and hooks of Vampire Weekend, the quirkiness of Dirty Projectors and the tropical explosions of El Guincho, and you’re in the ballpark Givers are playing in.

Of course, they’ve got their own southern-fried take on this increasingly borrowed template, and are already a formidable proposition live (helped in no small part by the on-stage chemistry between the band’s two singers, Teddy Lamson and Taylor Guarisco), which is why they’re very much on the up as we speak.

They’re currently on a huge US tour, playing songs off their 2009 self-titled EP as well as cuts off their forthcoming long player – out later this year we assume. Definitely ones to keep a hawk eye on, and if there’s any justice, the soundtrack to many a summer ahead.

MP3: Givers – Up Up Up