Alice Cooper had previously taken exception to UK unit Mumford & Sons being branded a rock group, but the band's recent, electrified Wilder Mind has made him a convert. You might even say that the shock rock icon, well, loves it to death.
An interview from 2013 had Cooper railing against what passes for rock these days, throwing Mumford & Sons under his wheels for lacking the "outlaw" oomph needed to be considered a rock band. While he said the band was good in its own right, he clarified that the group's politely banjo-pluckin', acoustic guitar-totin' arrangements are closer to folk.
It should be remembered that the "No More Mr. Nice Guy" singer still rocks a mascara-and-skull heavy stage costume, and uses guillotines and straightjackets in his stage show. He said at the time, "Mumford & Sons are great at what they do. But it's not rock 'n' roll. Don't call it rock 'n' roll. It's an offence to rock 'n' roll."
Now, with Mumford & Sons having cranked the amps on Wilder Mind, Cooper has thrown his full support behind the UK outfit.
"Did you hear the new album? It rocks!" he told NME. "I mean, absolutely electric rock 'n' roll. They came up with a rock 'n' roll record and kind of proved me wrong."
He went on to insinuate that the group now fit in with his definition of guitar-based "attitude rock," which also includes his own band, the Foo Fighters, and Aerosmith. While it's unclear if Cooper and Mumford & Sons will ever feed Frankensteins together on a joint tour, but it seems like the veteran musician is into checking them out sometime soon, so long as they stick to the new stuff.
"I'm not taking anything back, because of the fact that when I heard them they were playing folk music," Cooper clarified. "Now, I'm really impressed with them. That's the kind of band I'd go to see."
An interview from 2013 had Cooper railing against what passes for rock these days, throwing Mumford & Sons under his wheels for lacking the "outlaw" oomph needed to be considered a rock band. While he said the band was good in its own right, he clarified that the group's politely banjo-pluckin', acoustic guitar-totin' arrangements are closer to folk.
It should be remembered that the "No More Mr. Nice Guy" singer still rocks a mascara-and-skull heavy stage costume, and uses guillotines and straightjackets in his stage show. He said at the time, "Mumford & Sons are great at what they do. But it's not rock 'n' roll. Don't call it rock 'n' roll. It's an offence to rock 'n' roll."
Now, with Mumford & Sons having cranked the amps on Wilder Mind, Cooper has thrown his full support behind the UK outfit.
"Did you hear the new album? It rocks!" he told NME. "I mean, absolutely electric rock 'n' roll. They came up with a rock 'n' roll record and kind of proved me wrong."
He went on to insinuate that the group now fit in with his definition of guitar-based "attitude rock," which also includes his own band, the Foo Fighters, and Aerosmith. While it's unclear if Cooper and Mumford & Sons will ever feed Frankensteins together on a joint tour, but it seems like the veteran musician is into checking them out sometime soon, so long as they stick to the new stuff.
"I'm not taking anything back, because of the fact that when I heard them they were playing folk music," Cooper clarified. "Now, I'm really impressed with them. That's the kind of band I'd go to see."
