Edward Sharpe doesn't exist. He's a fictional messianic character, a manifestation of vocalist Alex Ebert's mind and an outlet for Ebert to express his inner neo-hippy. And while Sharpe mightn't be real, the music of Edward Sharpe And The Magnetic Zeros certainly is. The eponymous third album of this late-'60s Californian revival band is filled with the uplifting gospel-chorus chants, handclap percussion and the array of horns, accordions and strings for which the ten-plus band is known. And yet there's a sense of growth on this LP. Ebert ventures from the quirky Let's Get High and delves into the more meaningful, with the melancholy gospel blues of the sermon-like Life Is Hard.
Much as Edward Sharpe is an amalgamation of Jesus, a space alien and a psychedelic bearded hippy, the record, produced entirely by Ebert himself, is a union of seemingly contradictory influences. Play this album for your friends and hear the troupe of names they rattle off in comparison: Better Days has hip hop rhythms, If I Were Free sounds like it belongs on The Beatles' White Album, Johnny Cash could have sung They Were Wrong and the duet Two with Jade Castrinos begs contrast with Sonny and Cher. It's an eclectic mix.
Yes, Edward Sharpe And The Magnetic Zeros are still producing music about spirituality, peace and getting high (on love). But the album also witnesses this neo-hippy and his troubadours maturing as a band and artists. Listen to final track This Life – Ebert's whisper-thin voice, the choral challenge of “Liar!” and the frontman's earnest choked-down tears as he responds “I'm telling the truth to y'all!” – and try to tell yourself you didn't feel something.
