The Lumineers

Vinyl LP pressing. 2016 album from the Grammy-nominated outfit. It took four years for The Lumineers to follow up their platinum-plus self-titled debut - which spent 46 weeks on the Billboard 200 and peaked at #2 - but Cleopatra is well worth the wait. During that time, The Lumineers - whose original members Wesley Schultz and Jeremiah Fraites founded the band in Ramsey, New Jersey back in 2002 - earned a pair of Grammy nominations (Best New Artist, Best Americana Album). Cleopatra proves Schultz and Fraites - along with cellist/vocalist Neyla Pekarek- are neither taking their good fortune for granted, nor sitting back on their laurels. With the help of producer Simone Felice (The Felice Brothers, The Avett Brothers), the man Wesley calls "our shaman," the band ensconced themselves in Clubhouse, a recording studio high atop a hill in rural Rhinebeck, N.Y., not far from Woodstock. The band had total artistic freedom in writing and recording the album, so Wesley and Jer pushed the envelope on experimental tracks like the stream-of-consciousness, purposely lo-fi "Sick in the Head," the yearning, piano chord build-up of "In the Light," or the closing orchestral instrumental, the aptly titled coda, "Patience." "We continue to make the kind of records we want to," says Wesley. "We believe in this music. It's a true labor of love. We just want to keep reaching more people with our songs." Given the evidence on The Lumineers' eagerly anticipated sophomore album Cleopatra, that shouldn't be a problem.

Tracks

• 1 Sleep on the Floor
• 2 Ophelia
• 3 Cleopatra
• 4 Gun Song
• 5 Angela
• 6 In the Light
• 7 Gale Song
• 8 Long Way from Home
• 9 Sick in the Head
• 10 My Eyes
• 11 Patience

The Lumineers' new album III is audacious: every note, every syllable, and every moment of silence in between is emotionally charged. It's darker in tone than previous albums and is presented in three chapters, with each one centering on one main character from a fictitious family known as the Sparks, who span three generations in the album's storyline. III's concept began while the band was writing in the Catskill mountains, where producer Simone Felice works. Mixing raw emotional themes with their ear-catching melodies, expressive vocals and trademark acoustic sound, III moves masterly in artistic directions not yet traveled by the band. Regarding the cinematic new record, multi-instrumentalist Jeremiah Fraites says, "This collection of songs worked out in a beautiful way, and I feel with this album we've really hit our stride." Vocalist Wesley Schultz adds that lead single "Gloria," "is about love between an addict and her family." 180g vinyl 2LP-set with three bonus tracks. 

LP1

1. Donna
2. Life In The City
3. Gloria
4. It Wasn't Easy To Be Happy For You
5. Leader Of The Landslide
6. Left For Denver

LP2

1. My Cell
2. Jimmy Sparks
3. April
4. Salt And The Sea
5. Democracy (Bonus Track)
6. Old Lady (Bonus Track)
7. Soundtrack Song (Bonus Track)

Vinyl LP pressing. In 2011, an eponymous, self-recorded EP led to touring, and before long The Lumineers started attracting devout fans. They're drawn by songs like "Ho Hey" and "Stubborn Love," Americana-inflected barn burners in the vein of the Avett Brothers and Mumford & Sons. The roots revival of the last few yeas has primed listeners for a new generation of rustic, heart-on-the-sleeve music. The Lumineers walk that line with an unerring gift for timeless melodies and soul-stirring lyrics.

Tracks