From score writing to songwriting
Releasing his first ever self-titled album on September 16th, 2022, Marcus Mumford is successfully able to pivot from working on TV scores such as Ted Lasso as well as his group work on Mumford and Sons to his own solo composed work. (self-titled) is a riveting look at the vulnerability of an artist and utilizes interesting instrumental techniques in his work. With his past experience working alongside Tom Howe on the TV show and collaborations with other strong artists, his skills are able to carry over in his first original work beyond the camera.
One of his stronger singles is “Cannibal” which already has almost 1.5 million views on Spotify alone. Mumford’s skills here cannot be ignored when it comes to his building of musical climax. The first half of the song is mainly comprised of simple guitar strumming and a soft bass to outline the chordal structure. This simple technique seen fairly often in songs helps create intimacy and gives a focus to the lyrics. Mumford discusses the intimacies of being honest with yourself and the struggle to sometimes tell the truth. There are massive rests between every lyrical beat to give it weight and let it sink in with the listener. This all culminates with Mumford asking with one final plea “Help me to begin” before there is a massive burst of sound. This is a wonderful first track on the album and gives audiences a glimpse of what is yet to come. Mumford’s vocals in the background of the instrumental are particularly impressive, echoing the phrase over and over as the song comes to a close.
Beyond a strong start, (self-titled) exceeds in songs that have collaborations with other artists. One of these strong collaborations is with the indie-pop sensation Phoebe Bridgers with the penultimate track “Stonecatcher.” Once again, this song is mostly melancholic and more intimate in nature, featuring simple strumming patterns while Bridgers and Mumford harmonize against it. This creates very dissonant moments from the vocals to the instrumental and helps create an intimate mood for the audience. In particular, Bridgers’ additive of upper thirds from the melody in her famous whispery tone colliding against Mumford’s more brassy voice is excellent in execution.
A similar thing can be seen in the track “Dangerous Game (feat. Clairo)” where Clairo’s vocals compliment Mumford’s voice perfectly. Having these popular artists collaborate on (self-titled) helps Mumford reach a larger audience in the indie genre and beyond. In “Dangerous Game” compositionally, the use of the seventh in the chordal structures adds a specific tone color and helps add to the polarization of the themes of love and loss.
Overall, with his collaborations with artists of all kinds over the years from his experience in Mumford and Sons and Ted Lasso, Marcus Mumford’s (self-titled) is a wonderful example of how collaboration is key to boosting solo work. Mumford’s songs of intimacy, love, loneliness and loss are able to strike a chord with audiences. As Mumford begins this new chapter of creativity, his success is sure to follow.
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