Mumford And Sons frontman Marcus Mumford has said that this year’s Mercury Music Prize shortlist represents a ‘migration away from guitar bands and towards urban and British hip-hop’. Watch our video interview with Mumford above.
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Mumford was talking to NME at the unveiling of the 2017 Mercury Music Prize shortlisted albums – where he sits on this year’s judging panel.
“I’d say there’s been a migration away from guitar bands towards urban music and British hip-hop – which I think is amazing, and I would celebrate that,” Mumford told NME. “I’d like more guitar bands around. Noel Gallagher’s got a lot to say on the subject. He doesn’t even consider our band a guitar band which is good.
“It’s easier to make a song on a computer now than in a garage with instruments. It’s easier to make a really good song on a computer too. It’s not laziness or anything, it’s just getting a bunch of people in a room to play instruments and spend their time rehearsing those instruments so that they’re ready to record them is more challenging because you can also just make a great record on a computer quickly.”
He added: “I don’t know how I feel about that, because at the moment I really enjoy making songs on a computer.”
The Mercury Music Prize 2017 shortlist is:
Alt-J: ‘Relaxer’
Blossoms: ‘Blossoms’
Dinosaur: ‘Together, As One’
Ed Sheeran: ‘Divide’
Glass Animals: ‘How To Be A Human Being’
J Hus: ‘Common Sense’
Kate Tempest: ‘Let Them Eat Chaos’
Loyle Carner: ‘Yesterday’s Gone’
Sampha: ‘Process’
Stormzy: ‘Gang Signs & Prayer’
The Big Moon: ‘Love In The Fourth Dimension’
The xx: ‘I See You’