I Will Wait - Mumford and Sons

Who hasn't heard of the latest Mumford and Sons single "I Will Wait?" You can't escape it! Its on the radio, playing in the grocery store, and being hummed by your friends as you're walking to and from class. Just in case you've managed to miss the wave, here's the official video: 

This song is a good example of modern day folk music, complete with upbeat banjo, guitar, piano, and a steady beat. The band performing this song also resembles the embodiment of folk as well. They formed in 2007 in London, soonafter releasing their first single "Little Lion Man" and debut album, Sigh No More in 2009. Alongside their most recently released album Babel, they have released many singles and a short album recorded with their fellow artists Laura Marling and Dharohar. In 2011, Sigh No More won a BRIT award for Album of the Year. Following suit, in 2013 they won BRIT's Best British Group and their 2012 album Babel won a Grammy for Album of the Year. Members of the band include frontman Marcus Mumford, keyboardist Ben Lovett, banjoist Winston Marshall and bassist Ted Dwane. 

When talking about the similarities and differences of this song to their previous works, I'd like to look at the first single they released from their previous album as a reference point. 

When comparing the two songs you can see that the styles, instruments, and presentation are strikingly similar, but still producing their own uniqueness. We see complex rhythms and harmonies in both songs, as well as the same simple stage setup that allows the viewer to notice the emotion and love the artists are putting into their music. Suffice it to say that Mumford and Sons are following a pattern, and they like it. This observation is solidified in a quote found on the band's official website: http://www.mumfordandsons.com/biography/

“We wanted to do something unashamed,” says Ben Lovett. “We’re confident and happy to be where we are as a band — everything that’s happened with us has exceeded expectations, and it’s all been a surprise, it’s all much bigger than what we were prepared for. So when we came to recording this record we had a choice: to shy away from that, or to realise that people dig what we’re doing, and make something robust, with that energy.”

Keyboardist Ben Lovett makes it clear that what they're doing with their music is working for them, and they are happy with what they're doing. Now, this song differs from the typical folk genre greatly. Commonly what we see with folk music is a smaller audience base and a rather quiet and almost timid feel about putting the music out there. Most folk artists are happy just having their music heard. Mumford and Sons has achieved something great here with this piece. They have taken that humble nature and simplicity and made something, as Lovett put it, "robust and energetic," which really works for them and opens the mainstream listeners to something new and rather exciting. Billy Dukes comments on this in his review for Taste of Country saying "[Mumford and Sons'] artistry is rooted deep in folk and bluegrass, making their mainstream success that much more surprising and refreshing." http://tasteofcountry.com/mumford-sons-i-will-wait/

The great thing about "I Will Wait" and Mumford and Sons in general is that they are very different from what is popular right now. What we have been hearing a lot of in music over the past year or so is a lot of techno and dubstep style things, like this:

 Unlike the everpopular Skrillex, "I Will Wait" doesn't have any "wub" or much electric sound at all, yet it is still very popular with the "it" generation. Their official video I posted earlier on has nearly 20 million hits! What is also very different about this song is that it appeals to such a vast audience. My 14 year old brother and 43 year old mother both love the song as much as I do. I believe it appeals to so many people because of it's lack of stereotyping and "dating" the song contains. It follows the timeless trend of love and doing everything within your power to maintain it. 

In my search for critique and my own personal evaluation of the song I quite literally have found nothing bad to say about this song. Reviews from http://www.billboard.com/, http://tasteofcountry.com/, and http://www.rollingstone.com/ have all said great things. Rolling Stone states that this song "proves that music can be soul-wrenchingly heavy without plugging in a single amp or hitting a power chord." In terms of whether this song is better or worse than their previous work, what Billboard had to say about this piece summed up my sentiments perfectly: 

"It's hard not to bow to the craftsmanship behind this single. There's something scientific behind that strum pattern and its hearty tone, and how subsequently pumped up you'll find yourself. The chorus features a rich harmony transcending anything on "Sigh No More," and the song is arguably grander than anything that appeared there, as well."

Billboard also mentioned one of the factors of this song that make it so memorable: you just feel good after listening to it. Its upbeat, catchy, and makes you want to just go hug someone and tell them how awesome they are. I find this song stuck in my head almost every day, even if I haven't listened to it. 

When I heard this song I fell in love with it almost immediately. I wound up buying it on itunes! (Which is not something I usually do.) I had already known of this artist beforehand, because of some of my friends being obsessed with Little Lion Man. I became obsessed with it too, honestly. I had been procrastinating on listening to the rest of Babel before writing this blog, but after reading the critiques and digging deeper into the song itself, I feel another Mum&Sons binge coming on real soon!

Banned From The Superbowl Broadcast

How could ANY commercial get banned from the Superbowl Broadcast? I don't know, but Carl's Junior managed to pull it off!

This minute-long ad begins with popular model/actress Kate Upton in a fancy car at a drive-in movie. She hooks the sound box to her car door then pulls a Carl's Junior sandwich from a bag next to her. She starts off in a fairly modest 50's style getup, but immediately begins to strip down to a modern remix of Marilyn Monroe's Some Like It Hot, originally recorded in 1959. Upton soon ends up climbing on various parts of the car in a revealing dress, removing her stockings as she munches away on her Southwest Patty Melt. As she strips, a young man with (what we can assume to be) his date begins staring. After some sweaty breast, and finger-biting shots of Ms Upton, we see said date turn the young man's head back to the drive-in movie. Its pretty easy to see how the sex-appeal in this ad could get it banned from television broadcast. If you don't believe me, see for yourself...

The persuasive techniques used in this commercial are fairly blatant. We see Famous Person Testimonial with Kate Upton starring as the all-American, car-climbing hottie. She is known to young men everywhere for her spreads and cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012_swimsuit/more/cover.html Another technique we see a bit in this ad is Snob Appeal. Throughout the ad we see a couple of expensive cars, some high-class clothes and one very expensive model done up to a t. Coming back to the actual product being sold, we find the Association Principal. Hot food equals hot chick, right? We tend to see that with a lot of food ads these days. I would say that this ad uses the Association Principal well. Appealing to the senses in multiple ways, connecting heat from spicy food, and a societal norm has done this commercial well, despite it's ban from television.

In interpretation of this ad, we can see that the directors intentionally recycled 50's culture, but put a new spin on it. They effectively took modern-day sex appeal and paired it with the fashion and activities of the 50s. In that sex appeal, and the fact that the ad was intended to run during the super bowl, we find that the audience intended for this ad is young, hungry men. We also find that out when we see the making-of video posted below. The video here also makes the stereotypes in the commercial fairly obvious. Upton states that she is honored to be seen as the classic, all-American girl. The all-American girl being the usual blonde, big-boobed, promiscuously innocent young woman whom every young man dreams of bedding at some point in their lifetime. Clearly, that part can come to be offensive to some women. 

Although this ad has its flaws, such as the offensiveness, they end up selling their product well. It is clearly displayed throughout the commercial, and achieves its end goal: making young guys desire some hot food and a cold shower. It is a memorable ad, in that it brings back a vintage style by incorporating a new take on a classic song, and it would definitely anger some of the older generations out there. I feel like it connects to it's target audience very well, as Carl's Junior usually does. 

Being a banned commercial, there haven't been many comments on what people have to say about this ad. Huffington Post seems to have a distaste for the sexual nature of this ad, as posted in their brief article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/27/kate-upton-carls-jr_n_1304986.html

Personally, I wouldn't jump out of my chair and rush down to the nearest Carl's Junior to grab a Southwest Patty Melt, partially because I don't have the hots for Kate Upton, but also because I'm not really a fan of spicy foods. However, I would probably find myself recommending, if not the product, at least the ad to all of my single male friends. I think they would appreciate the "work" put into the ad, if you catch my drift. 

What surprises me most about this ad is the level of sex-appeal. I realize that sex sells, and whatnot, but the level of sex and seductive tactics used in the commercial is baffling to me.I was unaware that our society had stooped so low already. Thankfully, it was banned from national television, where *families,* not just young men, would be watching a tradition all over the country.