From the comments: It's funny that you're posting this because a few days ago two of my roommates and I (we 3 DSR guys) ended up in an hour long discussion that revolved around Mumford & Sons and the rise of Indie Folk in general. There's not really a point in it, they appeal to the masses by producing an inoffensive version of Folk with elements that are just unique and accessible enough to the casual music listener. It's not necessarily marketed towards people that are truly into music, who might find it bland and unoriginal (as the three of us do). Eventually this will pass and another genre will be hip and in to the public and we'll be making these types of articles about those bands. I've come off as a pretentious douche to too many people by trying to tell them that they music they like kind of sucks. That's not going to stop people from liking this band, it's not going to stop them from selling records, the best I can do is nod and show them other lesser-known bands that they might enjoy more.WHY DON'T PEOPLE LIKE THE THINGS THAT I LIKE
I think a lot of the complaint comes from a simple place: "how come that band looks twee but they're knee deep in ladies?" The unspoken second sentence is usually "I dressed like that for years and my shows never filled the club let alone sold out a festival." If you analyze M&S, it falls apart. The lyrics don't tell a full story and they don't change much from tune to tune. The tunes are wicked similar. Nevertheless, they rawk out -- err, folk out. It's good fun. It's not deep, it's not challenging. It's not folk -- it's pop-rock with banjos and mandolins. It's like Cheap Trick: totally fun, not challenging, and probably an amazing live show. "This... is the first... song... on our new... album." We are also spoiled to live in an era of interesting music again, even in the pop world. For every One Direction are hundreds of other directions, any one of which could be coming to your town this weekend. Is !!! deep? No. Are they a killer live show? Worth standing two hours outside.