Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros
Up From Below

Interesting debut. July 2009. Even though it's not quite certain they'll manage to make a second album. By constantly traveling around the USA by bus, they might lose their way home. Anyway, they are "Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros." I've seen them compared to "Arcade Fire" but I don't find that at all. Instead, I would liken them to "The Polyphonic Spree." If you like "the Spree," you'll also enjoy these "Zeros," although ours are perhaps less refined and decidedly more folk. But that idea of a huge gathering of musicians that come and go in a sort of wandering community even before being a musical band. It seems the same to me. In short, the flower children who don't want to leave, don't want to disappear. And fortunately, I might add.

The music: there are four or five really good tracks, a couple of which are worth remembering. But let's take it step by step: 1) "40Day Dream" is the track the album revolves around, another important one comes about halfway through the album. Catchy, rhythmic even with hand clapping. At concerts, they "trip out" with this piece. Cheerful stuff. By the way, almost all tracks are sung in duet with our Ed alongside the very talented singer Jade Castrinos. 2)  "Janglin" is on par with the first track. Another "classic" of their concerts. The genre sprinkled throughout the tracks is anyway a sort of country-soul-folk. And also a bit "Honky Tonk" at several points. 3) "Up From Below," the track that gives the album its title, is typically country. But the "Honky Tonk" contamination is assertive, so it doesn't turn into the usual cloying dirge that sometimes leaves us Europeans a bit flat. But I imagine "our folk music" might have the same effect on Americans. This track is enjoyable nonetheless. 4) "Carries On," this is a track where "soul" stands out over the rest, it's almost gospel. The choruses come in, and you can also sense the folk influence we've mentioned. All this with a certain dose of cheerfulness that makes everything glide by well.

Oh! Maybe they're not always super original. But considering the sense of a wandering community, everything remains coherent as a whole, not out of place. 5) "Jade" is a folk ballad. With the background choruses of the community, this one passes well too. 6) "Home" and we're at the third track that stands out in concerts. Sung in a duet between Ed and Jade. It's country-folk-soul, and horns make their appearance, fitting in perfectly. Whistling and clapping (clapping? No, maybe not the hands, but everything else, yes).  6) "Desert Song" is one of the most pop tracks on the album. Dream-pop, I'd say. With prominent percussion. And that's fine. 7) "Black Water" starts with hand claps and returns to country-folk-soul with harmonica and violin. 8) "Come in Please". And this one I really like. It's a soul track sung by Jade. Cheerful with prominently featured horns. Beautiful? Sure, why not. 9) 10) 11) "Simplest Love" "Kisses over Babylon" "Brother" are three tracks that somewhat lower the album's tone. 12) "Om Nashi Me" is instead a worthy conclusion. A track where the whole band is heard with Ed and Jade accompanying with an "instrumental" vocal. Conclusion: there are at least four tracks worth listening to, the first two, "Home" and "Come in Please" that compete with the first for the medal of best track. Give this group a listen and especially watch them on YouTube. They'll grow on you. I'm sure.

Enjoy listening. Alex