Nice to Meet You: Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros are trippy, hippy and lots of fun.
I realize many of you out there may already be somewhat familiar with this band; in about a year they have gone from relative obscurity to great popularity and appeared in two different primetime television commercials. Some may call sellout on this one, but with songs that catchy, who could resist a little paid airtime?
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros are a bit difficult to write about because they’re not like most bands. The group/ensemble/collective/what-have-you is lead by vocalist Alex Ebert, formerly of Ima Robot. The band officially lists 10 members, but on any occasion there may be as many as five to ten additional musicians on stage. The group has a strange vibe to it, very retro, very, dare I say – Hippy? They utilize just about any instrument you could think of and create very deep, yet catchy tunes.
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros focuses on the story of the fictional character Edward Sharpe. Sharpe, who was created by Ebert as a sort of misguided messianic figure, is on a mission to save mankind but is continually interrupted by love and the law. The band’s premier album, Up From Below, which was released in Summer 2009, follows Edward Sharpe’s struggles through every song. The band is also hard at work turning the album into a feature-length musical that they have been releasing in 12-part segments.
Check out a few of the band’s songs and the part 2 of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros’ musical below.
Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros "KISSES OVER BABYLON" from Edward Sharpe on Vimeo.
Posted by Andrew Scott on Jun 01, 2010 @ 6:06 am
