Doghousesmall
Doghouse
972631
III
(2019)
The Lumineers
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Label: Dualtone
Duration: 50:59
Genre: Rock

III is a prosaic title for a release as ambitious as the Lumineers' third effort. The numeric title carries a double meaning: the album is a song cycle told in three parts, with the first two available as a digital EP prior to the September 2019 release of III. Through these three chapters, the Lumineers tell a tale of the long-lasting ramifications of addiction and co-dependence. The ten ruminative songs (the deluxe edition adds three bonus tracks, including a cover of Leonard Cohen's "Democracy" and the slight sketch "Soundtrack Song") are collectively a far cry from the rousing stomp of "Ho Hey." Tempos rarely quicken and the arrangements often do little more than gently cradle the plaintive voice of Wesley Schultz. When the record does get a little lively, as it does on "It Wasn't Easy to Be Happy for You" and the searching closer "Salt and the Sea," there's still a melancholy undercurrent tying the whole record together. Schultz and co-writer Jeremiah Fraites etch telling details into their story that make the sadness seem earned and realized, if lugubrious. III moves at a deliberate, nearly dreary pace that forces a listener to pay attention, and while it can take some effort to meet the Lumineers on their own terms, it's nevertheless easy to admire the ambition behind the project.

by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
allmusic.com


Track
Chapter I : Gloria Sparks
Donna
Life In The City
Gloria
Chapter II : Junior Sparks
It Wasn't Easy To Be Happy For You
Leader Of The Landslide
Left For Denver
Chapter III : Jimmy Sparks
My Cell
Jimmy Sparks
April
Salt And The Sea
BONUS TRACKS
Democracy
Old Lady
Soundtrack Song
Original Release: 2019-01-01
Composer: Leonard Cohen, Jeremiah Fraites, Wesley Schultz
Producer: Simone Felice
UPC: 803020195127