Lumineers – III

III is folk/rock concept disk that explores the effects of addiction on three generations of the fictitious Sparks family. It is inspired by the real life experiences of lead singer Wesley Schultz and drummer Jeremiah Fraites who experienced the impacts of the disease in their youth. Each part revolves around the mother (Gloria), grandson (Junior) and son (Jimmy) respectively, showing how the misery of substance abuse is inherited like a bad gene. Sonically you will hear their unique sound but here it is morphed through the use of minor chords and discordant rhythms. It is not an easy disk to listen to, but it is worth a spin if you are interested in an edgy indie sound with a message. Note the last three tracks are bonus items that are distinct from the album narrative.

RIFY: Barr Brothers
FCC: #5

***1 Donna – soft but dramatic vocals over piano tell the dreary story of Gloria’s childhood setting the stage for the next 3 generations (slow, 3:09)
**2 Life In The City – driving bass & drums accentuate Gloria’s growing addiction while living NYC (med, 3:46)
***3 Gloria – hitting rock bottom out on the street with abrupt ending (fast, 3:30)
**4 It Wasn’t Easy... – Junior’s breakup with girlfriend with poignant vocals and acoustic guitar (med, 3:27)
5 Leader Of The Landslide – Junior’s letting go of his flawed family (FCC, slow, 6:09)
6 Left For Denver - austere story of Junior’s mother leaving the family with simple guitar backing (slow, 3:24)
7 My Cell – dark & foreboding with Schultz’s strained vocals (slow, 3:16)
*8 Jimmy Sparks – tale of Jimmy’s bleak life expressed in minor chords & etherial piano/violin. Slow start builds to powerful ending (med, 5:57)
9 April – piano based instrumental (med, 0:59)
10 Salt And Sea – song of foreboding with long classical sounding piano break (slow, 4:24)
11 Democracy – highly orchestrated cover of a Leonard Cohen classic (slow, 6:45)
12 Old Lady – (slow, 4:18)
13 Soundtrack Song - (slow, 2:02)