Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros have a magical spirit embodying them. Their debut album, Up from Below, is a retro revival of late 60's style communal music mixed with interactive clapping and addictive sing-a-long choruses.
Some of the songs on this album sound like they could have been hits during the Age of Aquarius, and might even be powerful enough to get some listeners to follow the band's converted school bus from gig to gig. One thing is for sure, this band brings a charismatic energy with them wherever they go.
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros: The Band
Although the band is called Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, there is no one named Edward Sharpe in the group. The 10-piece Los Angeles based folk rock band is lead by lead singer, Alex Ebert, and seems more like a family that travels around and plays music together than an assembled group of modern day musicians.
Ebert, whose voice has a soulful confidence to it, is backed by band members chiming in, in a communal, hippie sing-a-long style. The result is music that radiates an uplifting vibe, and conveys to the listener that everything is going to be alright.
Up From Below: The Album Review
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros' debut album Up From Below was released on July 7, 2009 by Vagrant Records. The album's highlights are most definitely the first track "40 Day Dream", and the sixth track, titled "Home".
"40 Day Dream" is a song that renders instant bliss. It's hard to listen to this song and not do any toe-tapping, swaying or grooving to it. It's the right choice for those looking for something to jump up and down and clap their hands to in a 60's communal love-fest sort of way. Listen to it more than one time, and it will become, addictive.
In the song "Home", Ebert is joined in vocal harmony by fellow band member and girlfriend Jade Castrinos. The song begins with some whistling to a thumping Johnny Cash-like beat, and imparts the message, "Home, what we call home, home is whenever I'm with you." It has a comforting effect to it, and sounds like something that might have been played on the radio five decades ago.
Some other songs worth noting are "Om Nashi Me", which repeats the title of the song over and over again throughout the entire track, and could almost cause listeners to go into a trance-like state; "Desert Song" is mesmerizing, and chock-full of shaking tambourines and uncommonly used percussion instruments; and "Kisses Over Babylon" is sung in an entirely different language.
This is not the average new release. It's uplifting, it's creative and it's full of energy. It has just the right mix of mellow songs, joyful sing-a-longs and tracks that are somehow strange but familiar. The style of music on this new album is becoming increasingly popular, it's feel good music. Listen to it and feel good.
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