Well, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros Up From Below has passed my desk back in June, and let me tell you, it’s only gathering more and more force as it rolls along! I received three tracks back then and as much as they intrigued me the rest of the album has proved to be chock full of talent with a range of sound that can only be described as impressive. Hearkening back to grand, popular-music theatrical productions of the sixties and seventies, Up From Below, brings us a large cast of ten musicians with quite a dramatic feel to it and a message-laden story of dreams and journeys and self-realizations. Produced with layers of echo and well insulated percussion, this record is tinged with a bit of Jesus Christ Superstar, (or my memory of it, at least), not on any particular track, but perhaps on the way it’s put together and on the whole of it.
It’s the seventies and it’s summer and it’s minidresses and long hair and it’s a tour bus and accordions and a banjo and guitars all over again. And yes, you can pin that sort of “nostalgia” label on all this if you wish. But I prefer to just listen to the music and see how I feel about it without all the gloss, and image, and, dare I say, hype of this amazing tour that takes them from my little neighborhood (where I missed them last week, having not bought a ticket in time!) all the way to Europe and back again in the next month or so. Because darlings, after all this touring and playing in amazing festivals and concert halls is over, you will be left with their record. Do you like it?
I assure you that seeing them live will be fantabulous and you should go see them. Their live shows look to be so full of energy and fun, this is no sit-down-and-enjoy kind of band! But back to this record, Up From Below, there a tracks that yes, I will be playing again and again. ”40 Day Dream” is one that is bound to fill my mind full of good memories of the summer of 2009. I hope it does the same for you! xoxo
Tour Dates
Aug 14 2009 8:00P Haldern Pop Festival Rees, Nordrhein-Westfalen
Aug 16 2009 8:00P Ruby Lounge Manchester
Aug 17 2009 8:00P King Tuts Glasgow, Scotland
Aug 18 2009 8:00P Hare and Hounds Birmingham
Aug 20 2009 8:00P The Lexington London, London and South East
Aug 21 2009 10:00P KOKO London, London and South East
Aug 22 2009 8:00P Pukkelpop Festival Hasselt
Aug 23 2009 8:00P Lowlands Festival Biddinghuizen
Aug 25 2009 8:00P Bang Bang Club Postfach, Berlin
Aug 26 2009 8:00P Atomic Cafe Munich
Aug 27 2009 8:00P Nouveau Casino Paris
Aug 30 2009 8:00P Music Hall of Williamsburg Brooklyn, New York
Sep 2 2009 9:30P Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, Ohio
Sep 5 2009 7:00P Club Garibaldi Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Sep 6 2009 7:00P The Maintenance Shop Ames, Iowa
Sep 8 2009 10:00P Jackpot Music Hall Lawrence, Kansas
Sep 11 2009 8:00P Wildflower Pavilion @ Planet Lyons, Colorado
Sep 12 2009 2:00P MONOLITH FESTIVAL @ RED ROCKS!! Denver, Colorado
Sep 15 2009 8:00P The Independent- EAS San Francisco, California
Sep 17 2009 10:00P Holocene Portland, Oregon
Sep 22 2009 8:00P The El Rey Los Angeles, California
Oct 3 2009 8:00P PAPPY AND HARRIETS 2nd Annual MANIMAL festival! PIONEERTOWN, California
Oct 18 2009 5:00P The Treasure Island Festival San Francisco, California
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I think the song “Kisses over Babylon” stars Clint Eastwood.
Oh Andrew, it does not! (tho that did make me go check, hahah) xoxo
it does sound like a spaghetti western soundtrack. I liked the rest of the material on their myspace page. Good find.
I much prefer Alex Ebert as the eurotrash pansexual pretty boy he used to be than as this hetero Johnny Cash, “I’m your man” wannabe. Sorry.