The Lumineers - Cleopatra Album Review

Propelled by the commercial-endorsing 'Ho Hey', The Lumineers self-titled debut album was a top ten success in multiple territories, with sales in the US alone topping 1.3 million units.  Anticipation is high for the quintet's second effort, with their busy touring schedule for the next six months featuring many sold out shows, such as all of the UK dates.

All too often when a band makes a commercial breakthrough, the desire to capitalise on it leads to a second-rate batch of material or evidently desperate attempts to repeat the tricks that got them noticed.  To that end, the four year wait for 'Cleopatra' is evidence of a different approach - and there's certainly no contrived recreation of their best known hit.  They do, however, continue what they know and create well - warming indie folk.  'Sleep On The Floor' is a slow, stirring opener which will have you convinced that starting over again is the greatest idea, while 'Ophelia' has an urgent piano melody that'll lodge itself in your mind.  The title track, which shares the name of the album, enthusiastically raises the tempo, while 'Angela' proves an alluring acoustic cut.  A couple of the latter tracks, namely 'Long Way From Home' and 'Sick In The Head' see the momentum curtailed, but 'My Eyes' is a welcome reminder before the record ends of what The Lumineers are capable of.