One of the most unlikely success stories of the past year has been the rise of Mumford and Sons, an English folk-rock band that includes an accordionist, a mandolin player and a banjo player.  They’ve only been around for a couple of years after being formed within the folk scene that sprung up in London in the middle of the decade.

They’re also quite literary.  The title of the song “Timshel” is a reference to the John Steinbeck novel, East of Eden.  But you’d have to really pay attention in English class to recognize that the single, “Sigh No More” lifts lines directly from the Shakespearean play, Much Ado About Nothing.

Yeah, that’s a little plagiaristic, but as leader Marcus Mumford says “You can rip off Shakespeare all you like; no lawyer’s going to call you up on that one.”  He does have a point.

Smart ass, Mr. Mumford.

I can't stop talking about, and listening to, these guys. Their album is probably the most played album (and I mean all songs not just the singles) in my digital music archive (all 35 GB of goodness).