Lumineers Confront Cycle of Addiction in New Album

The Lumineers do not have a history of shying away from personal topics, as they have often embedded a mixed sense of both confronting life's struggles - from the mundane to wholly existential - with wanderlust within the lyrics of their most popular songs such as Cleopatra, Angela, Stubborn Love, Nobody Knows, and so on. 

That does not mean their latest album III (so named for their third album release) is not a lucid gut check from the reality so many Americans presently face. 

Tackling issues such as abandonment, alcoholism, gambling, mental health, and abuse, III chronicles the generational cycle of addiction from the perspective of three figures within the fictional Sparks family.

Presented as part of a unique three-chapter concept, the indie folk band from Denver delves into the cycle of addiction from the lens of an alcoholic matriarch to her gambling obsessed son and grandson who suffers it all. There are no heroes nor foes in III, only humans confronting the worst aspects of a life in anguished turmoil.

This is not to say III is either lacking the Lumineers trademark moments of acoustic accomplishment nor the joy their lyrics can summon (although the dark nature of the album is its central theme, bright moments are present in Life in the City, Gloria, Left for Denver, and the bonus track of Democracy), but they work in concert towards a greater tale. 

It is not only a testament to the Lumineers ability to genuinely tell a heart wrenching story, but it is reflective of the issues facing the generation of Millennials who make up the majority of their audience. 

Rarely does music leave me equally impressed yet stunned by its composition, but the Lumineers managed to do so over the course of all ten songs contained within the album's primary storyline. It is as if the origins of  their debut album The Lumineers and the wanderlust storytelling of Cleopatra had a child, and its name was America. 

I am very biased as an avid fan of the Lumineers music, but I would wholly recommend a listen or two to their new album III with close attention being paid to detail.

2020 Vision: Tulsi Gabbard

Author's note: This is part of a new series on Democratic candidates who have announced their candidacy for President. 

Tulsi Gabbard is an interesting candidate for higher office: she's relatively young being only in her late-thirties (she was first elected to the Hawaii House of Representatives in her early twenties), was originally born in the territory of American Samoa, and she is a Major in the Hawaii Army National Guard who previously served in the Iraq War. 

She also has a history of making brash decisions. Previously a Vice Chair of the powerful DNC, she resigned from that position to support U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders candidacy in 2016, while her more infamous moment occurred in 2017 when she met with Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad without telling anyone in House leadership beforehand. 

Formally launching her candidacy for the White House on February 2nd, 2019, Ms. Gabbard immediately ran into Democratic headwinds over her previous opposition to gay marriage and LGBTQ issues as well as her unorthodox foreign policy views. Additionally, as Politico reported before her campaign even formally launched: 

"Tulsi Gabbard's presidential campaign hasn't officially launched yet but it's already melting down. Two-and-a-half weeks after the Hawaii Democrat told CNN she had decided to run for the White House-an announcement that even her own staff didn't know was coming, after weeks of debating the timing of the rollout- the 37-year-old congresswoman has struggled to contain the chaos."  

My favorite metaphor for Ms. Gabbard's campaign since announcing her candidacy might be this tidbit from a recent Des Moines Register article:

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard's first Iowa visit as a presidential candidate had a slow start: A flight delay in Chicago meant she had to cancel her first event in Des Moines with the Asian and Latino Coalition Saturday night. Her rescheduled event in the capital city just had 13 attendants.

Regardless of the rocky start, however, Ms. Gabbard does stand out as a prominent Democrat who associated herself significantly with the Sanders campaign in 2016, who is publicly opposed to the "Green New Deal" that is all the rage among some precincts on the Democratic side, and who is very vocally opposed to military adventurism abroad.

Although the road to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue might remain best traveled from her congressional office in Washington, D.C. - especially if Mr. Sanders does indeed run for the oval office again - Ms. Gabbard is an interesting candidate to watch with a strong 2020 vision of being her party's nominee against incumbent President Donald J. Trump.