DFTD’s Favorite Albums of 2009: Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros’ Up From Below
For those of you who’ve ever wondered what you’d get if you threw Woody Guthrie, June and Johnny Cash, The Arcade Fire, George Harrison, the soundtrack to Jesus Christ Superstar, and a copy of Ken Kesey’s The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test into a blender and hit puree, the answer is Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros. (Yum!)
This 10-piece psychedelic folk-pop ensemble has, with Up From Below, created a 60s throwback album that’s so joyful it practically bleeds rainbows and craps sunshine. And while it’s true that my favorite songs on this album are of the celebratory, sunshine-crapping variety, Up From Below is hardly a one-note album. True, songs like “Jangling”, “Home” and “40 Day Dream” frolic and jangle, but there’s darker moments, too. ”Carries On” is a slow-building anthem, “Black Water” is a crooning ballad, and “Desert Song” is a gothic, psychedelic number that’s more Charles Manson’s 1960s than The Beatles’.
And although I haven’t yet had a chance to see this band live, I hear that’s when they’re at their best. Rolling Stone Magazine calls their live show a “shamanistic tent revival”, and judging from the video below that sounds about right. Even though I’m certain it would positively reek of patchouli (and I hate that shit), I would totally put a flower in my hair, grab my tambourine, and go see this band live. Looks like a trip:
