Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros – This Life
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Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros are back with their self-titled third full-length album. All the jangly, 60′s-tinged big band psychedelia and pop, folk and rock that made the band so famous in the first place is still there, but their sound has grown a bit. While the band still holds on to their roots (even recently announcing their own curated Big Top festival under an old-school circus tent in LA), there are definitely new elements to their sound that show up on this album.
The video for lead single “Better Days” perfectly showcases the band’s quirky optimism and is a great lead in to another foot-tapping, sing-a-long Edward Sharpe ensemble album. Most of the beginning portion of the album follows suit. Songs like “Let’s Get High”, “Please!”, and even “In the Lion” have the “oooohs” and “aaaaahs,” upbeat tempos and full backing band sounds that fall perfectly into the Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros repertoire.
Where Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros really shines, though, is with the quieter, darker songs like “They Were Wrong” and the album closer “This Life”. While “They Were Wrong” is clearly an Edward Sharpe song, there’s no big band sound here. At the end, where you might expect an explosive “oooohhhhhh” or some kind of collective yell, the sound never comes. The conclusion is simply lead singer Alexander Ebert’s voice and a stripped down arrangement — the power in that simplicity is really refreshing. The band’s stripped down sound comes back strongest on the final song. “This Life” begins with a riff reminiscent of “Stand By Me” and escalates into an explosive bridge proclaiming “This life ain’t for me now, it’s for you.” These songs might lack the radio sensibility of the rest of the album, but this new creative territory is what stuck with me the most.
There are, of course, other stunners on the album that fit more of the typical Edward Sharpe mold. “Life is Hard” is a remarkably upbeat track for such a heavy subject, and the 60s-esque, happy wisdom and chemistry between Alex and bandmate Jade Castrinos is a nice nod to “Home”. ”Remember to Remember” is also one of my favorites – I love Jade’s voice, and this song is one of the only tracks that truly features her vocal abilities. Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros is available worldwide and the band is currently on a large U.S. tour!
