Mumford & Sons Go Back to “The Cave” for Expanded Album

In case you’ve been living under a rock for the past year or so, Mumford & Sons isn’t the name of a trendy country boutique. It’s a rather great, roots-oriented band turning out some of the best, harmonically dense Americana-tinged rock on the scene right now. (Naturally, they’re not from around these parts, calling West London their home.)

In the year since Mumford & Sons’ Sigh No More was released in the U.S., the quartet’s songs, namely “Little Lion Man” and “The Cave,” have become surprising crossover hits. Constant touring and promotion on television helped the album peak at No. 2; the band particularly enjoyed a 99% sales jump after performing on the Grammy Awards alongside The Avett Brothers and a surprising upstart named Bob Dylan. (The band received nominations for Best Rock Song and Best New Artist, too.)

On October 25, as the band reconvenes in the studio for their second album, their U.S. label Glassnote will release a three-disc expanded edition of the record, featuring a host of extras. (This package was released last year in their native U.K. by Island Records.) In addition to the album and one bonus track, “Hold On to What You Believe,” a bonus CD includes a live show on the band’s U.K. tour, and a DVD features a three-part documentary about the band. The set will also come in a faux-leather case with a 22-page booklet.

The deluxe Sigh No More – one of the first deluxe editions of recent records you’ll be spotting for the fourth quarter (but assuredly not the last) – can be pre-ordered here. The track list is after the jump.

Better Than Barbecued Iguana: Varese to Release New Wall of Voodoo Compilation

There’s a good chance that, if you own at least one ’80s compilation CD released in the past 10 or 15 years, you’ve heard “Mexican Radio” by Wall of Voodoo. Though the song – with its distinctively sung couplets from vocalist Stan Ridgeway and a propulsive, rhythmic backing track featuring some great guitar work and a distinctive, mariachi-flavored harmonica/synth lick – peaked outside of Billboard‘s Top 40 almost three decades ago, it’s become one of those tunes that sums up the New Wave sound in just under four minutes.

Anyone curious to hear more of the band, who spent the better part of the ’80s turning out edgy rock records for Miles Copeland’s I.R.S. label (alongside acts like R.E.M. and The Go-Go’s), had a rough time of it in the ’90s and early aughts, as so little of the catalogue was in print. Most would be surprised to even know that, not long after “Mexican Radio,” Ridgeway and two other members of the band left, leaving new vocalist Andy Prieboy to take the reins from 1983 to 1988. This lineup enjoyed two minor hits in Australia, “Far Side of Crazy” and a cover of The Beach Boys’ “Do It Again,” the video of which actually featured an appearance by Brian Wilson himself.

Now, to solve those years of searching, Varese Vintage plans a compilation spanning all the singles from both iterations of the band. Lost Weekend: The Best of the I.R.S. Years covers all the major beats of the band’s career (other than their self-titled 1980 debut EP, released by Index Records), including the band’s contract-finishing, out-of-print 1989 live album. (And “Mexican Radio” is indeed included in its original single mix, rather than the version that appeared on the Call of the West album.)

Look for it on November 15, order it on Amazon here and check the track list after the jump.

Deftones Go “Elite,” Release Vinyl Box

Get ready, vinyl heads: yet another vinyl box set is coming your way, this time from Reprise for Sacramento rockers Deftones.

When the Deftones’ debut album, 1995’s Adrenaline, went gold (and later platinum) with considerably little promotion on MTV or radio, it could have been construed as a surprise. But the band – comprised of high school friends Chino Moreno, Stephen Carpenter and Abe Cunningham on vocals, guitar and drums, respectively, plus bassist Chi Cheng and keyboardist Frank Delgado (a guest member until 2000) – was road-tested over a lengthy period of time, and worked hard toward finding their edge in a crowded West Coast rock scene. Earning the attention of Madonna’s Maverick Records imprint, the Deftones built a strong, dedicated fan base, earning three platinum and one gold album certification and seeing their last four albums peak within the U.S. Top 10.

The band has also built a strong amount of crossover appeal through their wide variety of studio and live covers of everyone from Duran Duran and Depeche Mode to John Lennon and Sade. These fan favorites have been compiled several times, most recently on Covers, a vinyl set exclusive to Record Store Day retailers earlier this year.

While recent years have been challenging for the band – Cheng was seriously injured in a car accident in 2008 and Sergio Vega has filled in since then – the band presses on, having released the strongly-reviewed Diamond Eyes in 2010 and supporting Cheng’s recovery, after which they will finish work on Eros, the album they were working on before the bassist’s accident. The band celebrates that strong output with a 180-gram vinyl box set coming out October 25 and featuring all six of their studio albums over seven LPs (2000’s White Pony is a double album) as well as the aforementioned Covers set. The set, limited to 1,000 hand-numbered copies, can be ordered now, and the track lists are yours to peruse after the jump.