When he’s not commandeering the stage as the boisterous bassist for SoCal punks Blink-182, Tweeting wisdom to more than 1.6 million followers, or handling album production duties for bands like Motion City Soundtrack and New Found Glory, you’d think Mark Hoppus would turn down the music.
Not. Possible.
In our continuing series, Hopp on Pop, Hoppus shares his favorite acts, culled from his incessant pursuit of all that rocks. (Click here to discover Mark’s previous picks, including folk couple the Weepies, globetrotting MC Uffie, Britpoppers Your Vegas, and more.) Check out his latest entry below, and come back to SPIN.com every Wednesday for Mark’s new discovery.
Be sure to follow more of Mark’s opinions and exploits via Twitter and on his blog! And check out Mark’s 8 Favorite Albums of 2009!
MUMFORD & SONS
HOMETOWN:
London
THE BASICS:
One of the hottest British bands to cross the pond in some time, this folksy outfit’s debut album, Sigh No More — out February 16 in the U.S. — landed on lots of U.K. end-of-year lists. Marcus Mumford and three fellas who aren’t his sons — Country Winston, Ben Lovett, and Ted Dwane — earned their stripes supporting fellow British folk star Laura Marling, and their debut was produced by Markus Dravs, whose credits include the Arcade Fire and Coldplay.
WHERE HOPP HEARD THEM FIRST:
“A friend who I’ve been working with in the studio sent me an email saying to check out this band.”
WHY THEY ROCK:
“Acoustic guitar, banjo, upright bass, and piano. Not the typical combination for a rocking band, but Mumford and Sons make it happen. Imagine traditional American bluegrass music mixed with pub tunes from the U.K.That’s Mumford and Sons. More energy and passion in the songs than most electric guitar-driven bands. Who’d’ve thought four lads from london would do country/folk so well?”
HOPP’S TOP TRACK:
“‘Little Lion Man.’ Makes me want to go out and learn how to play banjo, and also learn how to sing in tune. A really great track.”
WATCH: Mumford and Sons, “Little Lion Man”
FIND OUT MORE:
mumfordandsons.com
