Remember the Mumford & Sons fever that swept Pepperdine last year, roundabout the time England’s folksy Fab Four graced California stages like Coachella? Maybe you’re one of the lucky ones who went. Not I.
I would avert my gaze every time an ad for one of their shows popped up on Facebook, trying not to hurl the proverbial piggy bank at the wall to snag a ticket to one of their sold-out performances. And since I was already practicing restraint, I didn’t go online and look up a video of what I was missing. More on that in a second.
When Mumford announced its June gig with Arcade Fire, Beirut and the Vaccines in Hyde Park, I was thrilled. As it turns out, I was going to be in London, fortunate enough to get an internship in the summer program. But then I saw the date and figured I’d have to skip it — really, who books Hyde Park on a Thursday afternoon? But my gracious supervisors at the music magazine I interned for practically laughed when I said I could stay in the office instead of going. Score.
So, recuperating from a drizzly Hard Rock Calling with the Killers in Hyde Park the week before (it’s very, very important to capitalize that “k” in “Killers”), I began to gear up for Arcade Fire, Mumford, et al in the park the following week.
While I waited like a squirming child on her way to Disneyland, I tried to dodge the new Mumford & Sons material strewn about the Net to preserve the anticipation for my first Mumford show. Why, you ask, would I deny my ears great new tracks if they’re just sitting there for our enjoyment on YouTube?
See, Mumford has been road-testing quite a few potential tracks from their sophomore album for some time now. The Killers, on the other hand, defied persistent rumors and played no new material from their forthcoming follow-up to 2008’s “Day & Age” at Hard Rock Calling. This got me thinking: who has the better approach?
Surely there’s merit to both, but in the age of YouTube, I’d say the Killers are right to keep their newest tracks under wraps. There’s something special about hearing albums in their entirety for the first time, as crafted by the artist. For this we give credit to the true Fab Four, the Beatles, and their 1967 album, “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” frequently labeled the greatest album of all time because of its revolutionary introduction of the concept album. (I mean, it’s not because of “Good Morning Good Morning.”)
The interactive experience of road-testing also introduces the danger of letting the popularity of romping crowd favorites muscle out those tracks it takes several listens to warm up to, perhaps like Mumford’s “After the Storm.” Remember that one?
Before Mumford fans string their bows with flaming arrows, let me clarify. I do enjoy how getting a new single and hearing new material live builds anticipation. But disjointed segments on YouTube are not the way to go, especially when bands have a ton of new material.
You’re probably saying, “OK, idiot, just don’t look the songs up online. Problem solved!” Fair enough. But having new material online affects the artistic process regardless of whether all fans hear the material or not. It’s great that it works for Mumford, but Brandon Flowers of the Killers said he “used to ad-lib words at early Killers shows, as long as we had some kind of melody and an arrangement for the song I’d just let it out, but then YouTube happened. You could kinda get away with it before but now it’s different.”
And because we invariably splash new songs across YouTube (I’m guilty of this), little pockets of discovery are introduced prior to an album’s release, which dulls anticipation. And anticipation is an integral part of savoring a new album and identifying with it as a whole. It’s why we don’t start the meal with dessert, unless we’re dining on the Titanic.
At the end of the day, I know I’ll still buy Mumford’s and the Killers’ albums, but I side with Brandon Flowers’ cautious approach on this one. I’m loving the mysterious anticipation for the new Killers record, and this summer’s reveal of new song “The Rising Tide” was a nice teaser.
Having said that, hearing Mumford’s new material in London’s most famous park was like Christmas in June, and it’ll be agonizing to avoid listening to that new material again. But I promise you, delaying that gratification will be worth it. Instead, YouTube that dog running in his sleep. I promise you that’ll be worth it, too.