With the semi-recent accessibility of bands like The Avett
Brothers and Mumford & Sons, the folk/roots genre has gotten some
much-deserved attention. What was once reserved for hippies and country people
has become commonly heard on the radio. Some hipster-types might mourn the loss
of their favorite band’s anonymity (I personally cannot stand the word sellout.
Really, these musicians have to eat!), but this new popularity is great news
for bands coming out of the rebirth of folk. Bands such as The Head and the
Heart, Wild Child and The Lumineers have found a niche in which they can
explore musical styles and not have to compete with pop music.
7.5 The Lumineers – The Lumineers
The Lumineers self-titled album, which was released April 3,
is a work full of passionate, foot-stomping songs, akin to The Head and the
Heart, but less harmonically complex. The band is a mash-up of East coasters
and a Colorado native. Wesley Schultz, Jeremiah Fraites and Neyla Pekarek make
up the band, but their songs often sound like a whole room is singing along,
which is some of the magic of their raw-folk sound.
The songs are intricately woven together and the album is
very cohesive, but each song has its own sound, so listening to it all together
doesn’t get monotonous. The obvious
choice for album favorite is “Ho Hey.” This song is a crowd-pleasing love song
that most people can identify with. “I belong with you, you belong with me;
you’re my sweetheart.” This song is a
mix of emotions that leads the listener into singing, shouting and stomping
along—a perfect summer anthem. The song is a high point in the album and the track
to get the most radio time but is arguably not the strongest song of the
bunch. My picks for best song are “Dead
Sea,” “Big Parade” and “Stubborn Love.”
The album is good. Really, really good. This bunch of songs
pulls heartstrings, gets people dancing and is a breath of fresh air for the
music scene. Their folk sound is full of passion, and that is plain to hear. However,
there is some deeper, emotional level that has yet to manifest itself into the
music. The songs are lovely and catchy, even moving at times, but they just
fall short of powerful. Perhaps on their second album, The Lumineers will come
into their own and mature into a tour de force that connects with listeners on
a more personal level than tales of love and loss can accomplish alone. This album is one of my favorites as we dive
into summer, and I’m looking forward to seeing what comes next from the trio.
