Cleopatra CD

Maybe the Lumineers got tired of hearing other bands replicate the big-footed stomp of "Ho Hey," an aesthetic that was impossible to avoid in the wake of their eponymous 2012 debut.  So many bands adopted this thunderous folk that it no longer seemed to belong to the Lumineers; it appeared communal, perhaps existing to the earlier generations the Lumineers so clearly loved yet never quite replicated.  Given this omnipresence, maybe it's not a surprise that the trio avoid any semblance of infectious rhythms on Cleopatra, their long-awaited second album, yet the sobriety of this 2016 affair is striking.  Melancholy and sullen, Cleopatra feels like a conscious reaction to the idea that the band was merely a boisterous retro-throwback, a band that existed primarily on the surface.  Apart from the lead single "Ophelia" and "Cleopatra," this sophomore set avoids tempos that could be called sprightly, and melody comes second to mood as well.  Sometimes, the Lumineers are quite effective at be