It took four years for The Lumineers to follow up their platinum-plus, multi-Grammy-nominated, self-titled debut â€“ which spent 46 weeks on the Billboard 200 and peaked at #2 -- but Cleopatra

Cleopatra (Deluxe)
- Music
It took four years for The Lumineers to follow up their platinum-plus, multi-Grammy-nominated, self-titled debut â€“ which spent 46 weeks on the Billboard 200 and peaked at #2 -- but Cleopatra is well worth the wait. After exploding onto the scene with their monster single, â€œHo Heyâ€ (which spent a staggering 62 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #3) and its follow-up, â€œStubborn Loveâ€ (recently featured on President Barack Obamaâ€™s Spotify playlist), The Lumineers spent a solid three years touring six of the seven continents. During that time, The Lumineers â€“ 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), contributed two songs to The Hunger Games franchise (including the hit Jennifer Lawrence/James Newton Howard collaboration, â€œThe Hanging Treeâ€) and sold an impressive 1.7 million albums in the U.S., and 3 million worldwide. Cleopatra proves Schultz and Fraites â€“ along with cellist/vocalist Neyla Pekarekâ€“ 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 â€œour shaman,â€ the band ensconced themselves in Clubhouse, a recording studio high atop a hill in rural Rhinebeck, N.Y., not far from Woodstock. The Lumineers then set about trying to make musical sense of their three-year-plus roller coaster ride. Their skill at setting a visual story to music comes through amidst the delicate, deceptively simple acoustic soundscapes. This time, though, bassist Byron Isaac provides a firm, low-end on the apocalyptic opener â€œSleep on the Floor,â€ a ghostly tune about getting out of town before the â€œsubways flood [and] the bridges break.â€ Itâ€™s a densely packed, cinematic song that echoes Bruce Springsteenâ€™s â€œAtlantic Cityâ€ and John Steinbeckâ€™s East of Eden â€“ which were models for the record alongside Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen and Jack Nicholson in One Flew Over the Cuckooâ€™s Nest. Cleopatra also deals with what Wesley terms â€œthe elephant in the room,â€ the bandâ€™s success and the way it can sometimes put a target on your back. The syncopated piano rolls in â€œOpheliaâ€ (â€œI got a little paycheck/You got big plans/You gotta move/I donâ€™t feel nothinâ€™ at allâ€), the organic sound of fingers squeaking on guitar strings in â€œAngelaâ€ (â€œThe strangers in this town/They raise you up just to cut you downâ€) and the Faustian bargain described in â€œMy Eyesâ€ (â€œOh, the devilâ€™s inside/You open the door/You gave him a ride/Too young to know/Too old to admit/But you couldnâ€™t see how it endsâ€) consider the perils of getting what you wish for, with everyone knowing your name, and your songs. 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 â€œSick in the Head,â€ the yearning, piano chord build-up of â€œIn the Light,â€ or the closing orchestral instrumental, the aptly titled coda, â€œPatience.â€ â€œWe continue to make the kind of records we want to,â€ says Wesley. â€œWe believe in this music. Itâ€™s a true labor of love. We just want to keep reaching more people with our songs.â€ Given the evidence on The Lumineersâ€™ eagerly anticipated sophomore album Cleopatra, that shouldnâ€™t be a problem.
Country USA
Brand Dualtone Music Group
Manufacturer Dualtone Music
Binding Vinyl
ItemPartNumber 0803020174917
ReleaseDate 2016-11-25
UnitCount 2
Format Import
UPCs 803020174917
EANs 0803020174917

Country	USA
Brand	Dualtone Music Group
Manufacturer	Dualtone Music
Binding	Vinyl
ItemPartNumber	0803020174917
ReleaseDate	2016-11-25
UnitCount	2
Format	Import
UPCs	803020174917
EANs	0803020174917

Cleopatra (Deluxe)

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