The Lumineers On 'World Cafe: Next'
Playlist
- "The Dead Sea"
- "Morning Song"
The Lumineers' self-titled debut is an illuminating collection of ragged folk-rock. The Denver-based trio of Wesley Schultz, Jeremiah Fraites and Neyla Pekarek describes itself as "born out of sorrow, powered by passion, ripened by hard work." These three elements are strongly evident in the group's raw and reflective music, which not only calls to mind folk contemporaries such as The Avett Brothers and Blitzen Trapper, but also accounts for its members' experiences with personal tragedy.
"Sorrow" and "passion" course through The Lumineers' history, as Schultz and Fraites began to play together after the loss of Josh Fraites, Jeremiah's brother and Schultz's best friend. Together, they create an emotional sound out of soft piano, mandolin and cello, courtesy of Pekarek, who is classically trained. The result is an impressively balanced act that churns out powerful and personal music, both live and in the studio. The Lumineers' first full-length record is due for release in March, and you can hear two songs from it on today's installment of World Cafe: Next.
More World Cafe
World Cafe
John Mayer On World Cafe
Mayer reflects on his personal history and public image, and also plays songs from his new album.
World Cafe
Janiva Magness On World Cafe
The blues singer plays songs from her new album, Stronger For It, live in the studio.
World Cafe
The History Of The Wrecking Crew On World Cafe
The author of The Wrecking Crew talks about the influential group of 1960s musicians.
Comments
Please keep your community civil. All comments must follow the NPR.org Community rules and terms of use. See also the Community FAQ.
NPR reserves the right to read on the air and/or publish on its website or in any medium now known or unknown the e-mails and letters that we receive. We may edit them for clarity or brevity and identify authors by name and location. For additional information, please consult our Terms of Use.