i don't if everyone got the memo, but it's definitely winter. it's fucking cold! i was walking down the street to my favorite bagel shop (kettleman's, check it out if you're in PDX) and i had this interesting sensation in my hands that i'm sure we're all familiar with - when you're hands are so cold, they feel like they're burning. i've always thought this was odd, and i started thinking about it as another spectrum, something i'm fond of as you may have noticed. in the sense that, if you go far enough one way, you can somehow end up back on the other side. this idea reoccured in my head as i later sat in kettleman's, eating my bagel, reading the music section of the portland mercury. i started to relate this concept to music. there's an interesting niche that exists in music, where many bands that are coming out with "fresh" sounds are really beginning to sound like they could've come out 30, 40, 50 years ago. which is i suppose is nothing new exactly, as bands will always have influences, but in this day and age of digital-this and electro-that, there's a lot of room for the old to become to new again. one of my favorite examples of this is edward sharpe and the magnetic zeros. to see what i mean, hit the jump.
i was instantly in love with these guys after hearing their here comes ep back in may, but i didn't write a blog then and i figure now is as good a time as any to write something about them. and there's there's no shortage to write about when reviewing edward sharpe and the magnetic zeros. from the fact that this band is compiled of a regular cast of 10 musicians on stage to the reality that this motley crew first toured the country in big white school bus. imagery which becomes crystal clear and totally fitting when their choral, folk-rock, seemingly "oldies" sound first hits your ear drums. led by frontman alex ebert, aka edward sharpe, the group goes beyond just their music to eschew a certain retro aesthetic that is undeniably cool. for example, they are currently 2 video releases into a 12-part feature length movie musical. not only that but i can easily imagine these guys playing both today's sasquatch and yesterday's woodstock and providing the same meadow stomping merriment. with clear signs of modern production value it's certainly sounds like something you could be listening to streaming on this website, but at many times like something from the back seat of the family station wagon in the 90's, on that "old" FM radio while watching your mom tap her fingers and sing along . or is that just me?
so for good reason, this is a band that has quickly achieved a remarkable amount of success and acclaim for having only one full length album released back in july, up from below. perhaps because alex ebert was also the frontman of ima robot. a relatively well known band in the early 2000's that was at one time signed with virgin records; meaning he's got connections. all of which is to say these guys are not exactly breaking news, but in this day and age it can take awhile for that acclaim to translate into mainstream success and these guys are definitely on the verge. not exactly a household name or garnering much of any big radio playtime, but when your hit single "home" has over 200,000 plays on myspace, you know you're getting somewhere. expect to see these guys on a few summer festival line-ups. don't wait though, now is as good a time as any to take off a few layers and dance around barefoot to edwarde sharpe and the magnetic zeros.
home -
part 2 of 12: kisses over babylon -
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