Album Review - The Lumineers

The Lumineers.com

There are albums out there that can be heard numerous times and any one person still can’t identify any name of any song.  Or there are albums that play like one long monotone melody that seems to never transition or change tempo, leading to nothing remembered and nothing gained.  The Lumineers’s self-debut album does none of that.

The American folk rock-band consists of Wesley Schultz on guitar/lead vocals, Jeremiah Fraites on drums/vocals, and Neyla Pekarek on everything else and vocals.  The power trio, are great musicians with fantastic harmonizing abilities that will have you yearning for more.  With their first released single “Ho Hey”, the Lumineers instantly seize your soul and easily tangle a web of beautiful melodies and toe-tappers around your heart. 

With Dylan-esque lyrics and melodies dancing in the same vicinity as Mumford and Sons, this Album is worth a listen.

Tracks:

1. Flowers in your hair: The finger picking on this track reminds me of Simon and Garfunkel, with the added addition of violin.

2. Classy Girls:  Fantastic piano intro and the lyrics are magically written, making you remember lost opportunities.

3. Submarines: A popping tune with prominent piano and marching band drums; a toe-tapper that gets stuck in your head, with comical lyrics.

4. Dead Sea:  The slow dramatic chords are highlighted quickly, but it’s the chorus that swirls around your memory.  The vocals are also great in this tune: scratchy with a hint of twang.  There’s also a soft addition of cello in the background.

5. Ho Hey: The crown jewel of the album, this song instantly stays with you no matter how hard you try to shake it from your mind.  It had me frantically running to my nearest guitar to try and replicate its greatness.  The video is also worthy of a view. 

6. Slow It Down:  Pained vocals make this song squeeze your heart, while the lyrics dig deep into a story of love’s past.

7. Stubborn Love:  The violin is prominent in this lovely tale.  The soft notes creep around your head, only to be exaggerated by the wonderful chorus and lyrics behind it. 

8. Big Parade: A happy toe-tapper that gives numerous haunting earworms, lasting till days later.  The real test for a song is: I place the CD in the car, turn it up to full potential and allow my better half a listen. (She loves music that I try to steer clear of: R&B and Pop) A few hours later she was humming and singing the chorus, that’s how I gauge a perfectly written melody.  Well Done.

9. Charlie Boy:  The beautiful plucked notes, followed by storyteller lyrics, paint quite the film inside the mind.  Again, perfect string instruments frame out the background.
 
10. Flapper Girl:  The piano melody brings back memories of intros to old TV shows; incredible earworm.

11. Morning Song: The only song in the album with a strong electrical guitar element.  Slower than most, the song slowly builds to an extreme with drums, vocals and guitar all filling the perfect ending to a great album.

The Lumineers is the Album to listen to on a breezy summer day, with the windows down and your feet up on the dashboard, bouncing to the rhythms.  Perfect driving songs that will make your mind drift away from the current problems and anxieties, helping focus all energies on the better part of life.
If you’re not one to plunk down the coin for the album right away, you can always stream it for free to see what I’m talking about, and then you can buy it.