MUSIC REVIEW - Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros – Up From below
2009
Community Records

A lot has been made about the make up, formation, theory behind, and lifestyle of the band based around the fictitious musical savior of Edward Sharpe – just see the Huffington Post link at the bottom. I won’t go into those sort of things, because as interesting as all that is, I find their music and concerts to be the better story in this album. I picked up the rereleased version of their self-titled CD, redubbed “Up From Below”.

These guys first came on my radar this summer, when I was planning out my trip out to Monolith Festival at Red Rocks in Colorado, where I was lucky enough to get a press pass to. I went through a lot of bands they had listed and gave each a quick listen, marking out my plans for who to see, and gave a lackadaisical check to this band (based off 20 seconds of ’40 Day Dream’). I got to see them on the stage at the back of the amphitheater, were they performed for a motley crowd of hipsters, hippies, and indie kids. They ignited the audience – the entire rock-and-concrete floor was bouncing in time with the songs.

I only recently got the album for a thorough listen. The largest impact of having 9-12 members recording the songs is that the album is decidedly organic in sound and feel. The rare times a flange or echo is used sticks out noticeably, enhancing the effect. The songs (particularly ‘Janglin,’ ‘Carries On,’ and ‘Black Water’) uses the large group to create choral effects without the need for overdub and reverb. The net result is a poppy, catchy psych-indie-rock album with lots of warmth and heart in it.

The stand out hit is, of course, ‘Home,’ a Johnny Cash/June Carter style duet which has appeared on numerous TV shows and all across the radio. However, I find that the album stands up even without this song, and deserves a listen from any hipster/indie kid that hasn’t already.

Will I play it on my show? Undoubtably. RIYL – Devotchka, the Woodstock lifestyle.

LINKS:
BUY CD / MP3's ON AMAZON
Huff Post background on band
Myspace