Edward Sharpe & Magnetic Zeros have received loads love here at Cougar HQ since I caught them live in London. The band has been on the road for what seems like forever and you’d be hard pressed to find a harder working band.
Almost a year to the date I first heard the track, ESMZ‘s released a distinctly vintage feeling video for the amazing ‘Home‘. With the hot weather hopefully approaching again there is no reason for it not to become the anthem for this summer too.
Out of intense envy for everyone who is going to SxSW I considered a silent protest for the duration of the event. However, having featured Nevada‘s Burning Man Festival a few days ago I figured the awesome Austin event deserves some Cougar loving too.
Besides, as you can see from the flyer above the guys at Vagrant are putting on showcase next week is below featuring some of the bands we have been covering on these pages. If you are out there drop by and make sure you tell them Cougar Microbes sent you.
Talking of Vagrant bands, It has been a while since I have written about Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros and that just can’t be right so here is a new remix of ’Home‘. Considering this is my personal favourite track anybody fiddling with is heading into risky territory. I’m glad to say André Anjos of RAC manages to pull it off creating a track that is unique in its own right yet doesn’t hide the source material entirely from the listener.
The Pixies were one of my most cherished bands growing up and to date Doolittle is my favourite album. To catch the Boston legends on two occasions was an absolute treasure. The culmination of 15+ years of fandom!
August 2009 will remain a memorable date in Cougar history. Having briefly spun the 10-piece’s debut album in the build up I attended the Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros show at the Lexington with a mixture of bemusement and curiosity. It took just 45 minutes to convert me to their cause and it took two more shows for their album to became my top album of the year.
If Charles Manson and The Manson Family had focussed their energy on creating memorable pop they might have reached a fraction of the talent Ed Sharpe and co. possess
My choice of #01 album of 2009 should come as no great suprise to regular Cougar Microbes readers and anyone who has spoken to me over the last six months. Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros gate crashed my music collection last summer, when I first heard ‘Up From Below‘, and soon enough became the guests of honour following 3 amazing live performance around London.
I have written so extensively about the exploits of the Californian 10 piece that it is obvious they struck a chord with me. It has been years since I have become obsessed with a band, and with my self appointed critic status justifiably so. However ES&M0 came along and reverted me to a sparkly eyed music fan once more.If your heart doesn’t warm to the spine tingling emotions displayed on ‘Home‘ then there may be nothing more the doctors can do for you.
As I wrote back in August: for the past few weeks it feels like I have joined my own cult group devoted to producing heartfelt psychedelic pop music.
The spirit of The Merry Pranksters lives on into 2010.
Anyone who has been within earshot in the past few months will know that I absolutely love Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros. Since catching their scintillating live performances in London this August I have kept their album on repeat.
I have secretly been keeping tabs on their endless tour hoping to intercept them at some point. I was particularly keen on either one of the bands homecoming shows in Los Angeles or the sold out performance New York‘s Bowery Ballroom this comingtuesday.Sadly I am unlikely to be flying over to see the band in the near future…
Fortunately there is now a way to watch the Bowery Ballroom show from the comfort of my own livings room thanks to rVibe‘s new service. The company stream HQ concerts using their exclusive technology to anyone with access to the internet. Just log in, buy a ticket and watch a fully produced live show from your computer.
Log in on Tuesday November 17th, at 10:00 PM EST through www.rvibe.com and enjoy the show!
It must have be serendipity but soon after I discovered the music of Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros‘ I spotted the band were rolling into London for a few shows. Having fallen in love with their album only a few weeks earlier I would now get the chance to test their credentials. Surely the magic could not be recreated live, there were just too many places this could fall flat on its face.
LIVE @ THE LEXINGTON 20/08/09
First up came a show at The Lexington, a relatively new venue near Angel. Its intimate upstairs room was the perfect setting for an initiation with The Magnetic Zeros. As the band filed on stage and took their positions there was a palpable sense of anticipation in the air a split second before the band threw themselves into the first song causing the room to erupted.
You can read all the press releases and scout out all the photo shoots but nothing will prepare you for when you first see the band on stage. I found myself wondering if the entire audience had somehow been transported back in time with the band not only looking like they had come out of a lost documentary about a great 60s band but also acting the part.
Frontman Alex Ebert spent half of the concert euphorically dancing in the middle of the audience and still didn’t miss a single note. His affirmation, before breaking into yet another anthem, that he “really shouldn’t have smoked that joint before coming on stage” warranted a hearty chuckle from the crowd.
A quick look around the room confirmed that most of the crowd was singing every word back. The evident sense of camaraderie on stage suggested the band were having as much fun playing these songs as the audience were having receiving them. There is something really special about 10 people engaging the audience at every opportunity and all contributing to a glorious like atmosphere.
After what seems like only a few minutes the band reluctantly left the stage. In actual fact they had already performed for well over an hour yet that didn’t stop the crowd from begging for more. I got the feeling that the band could have just play on through the night.
Their parting shot was “Come see us in the park tomorrow..”
“WHAT PARK!?” shouted the audience in mock pantomime style….
“Victoria… maybe??!”
LIVE @ VICTORIA PARK BANDSTAND 21/08/09
It took a quick look around the internet to confirm that the band would indeed be playing in Victoria Park on Friday afternoon. As I arrived with photographer Stefan to the bandstand I was worried we may have been in the wrong place or that we had missed it altogether. There were only 3 people around and they didn’t appear to be particularly interested in any performance.
Soon enough though a small crowd began to build and I spotted some familiar silhouettes approaching the bandstand from the distance. Once they got closer the band were completely charming making a point of greeting the people who had gathered around at this point. Even though I only spent a few hours in their company this was a real insight into how the band clicked.
Following an impromptu stretching sessions, some rolling around in the grass and some free cider and crisps (courtesy of nice folk at Rough Trade Records) the band rolled out their piano and set up their instruments. Starting their performance with trumpet player Stewart Cole sat at a picnic nearby and playing from afar you realise how relaxed these guys are around each other. Eventually he joins the rest of the gang and they produce wonderful renditions of the same tracks I had heard the previous night.
Stunning blonde Nora Kirkpatrick adds some beauty to the ensemble but it would be a mistake to dismiss her as simple eye candy. Her accordion is ever present on the album and was even more present in this acoustic setting. It is partly thanks to her that melodies that would normally linger behind the scenes on the record claim rightful recognition live.
In most other band the disruption of Alex Ebert’s constantly wandering off mid-song would inevitably cause some tension but in The Magnetic Zeros this was laughed off and incorporated into the show as a running joke. There seems to be a surprising lack of egos in the ensemble and the bands seem to genuinely enjoy each others company and are happy to go with the flow.
There was just enough time for a rousing rendition of ‘Up From Below‘ before the band were rushed off to play an in-store appearance at Rough Trade East. I briefly consider attending this performance as well but instead head home to prepare for tonight.
LIVE @ KOKO 21/08/09
Koko in Camden offered yet another setting and a very different audience. The crowd seemed to mostly consist of university students and I was wondering what they would make of Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros. In the past I had not been particularly approving of the venue new design. However, I must admit the upstairs bar area presented a formidable view of the stage.
As the scheduled performance time of 1 am approached I was surprised by how packed the dance floor had become. The band were dressed more formally this time out but, obviously, still in vintage gear bringing a colourful explosion to the stage. Benefiting from the great acoustics in the venue the performance was slightly more edgy than on the previous night but not worse off for it and this uninitiated audience were soon eating out of their hands.
I had reserved particular praise for Jade Castrinos‘ contribution to the bands dynamic in my review of their album and on stage she is even more dazzling. Her harmonies and improvised chants were truly wonderful and the interaction with beau Alex produced some of the most profound moments. She belongs to a select group of artists who are slightly crazy yet incredibly talented and is the true soul of the ensemble.
For the third time in 2 days I watched Alex and Jade sing the amazing ‘Home‘ (undoubtedly my track of 2009), to eachother. It is almost like night after night the rest of the band and the audience are complicit as the duo reinforce their feelings for one another. The romance that transpires through the songs really takes on a whole new understanding on stage.
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros did not disappoint but rather reinforced my infatuation with their debut. Over 2 days I witnessed the band play three contrasting locations winning new fans along the way and surpassing themselves on every occasion. By the end of the last show on Friday night a whole bunch of new fans and I were won over by both their music and their personalities.
As a bonus here is the band performing ‘Home‘ on Letterman only a few weeks after I had seen them, no doubt more fans were won along the way.
This blog’s full name is pinched almost word for word from the excellent Tom Wolfe book ‘The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test‘. In it (if I recall correctly) Ken Kesey urges his gang of Merry Pranksters to descend on towns and infiltrate their mentality like ‘Cougar microbes marching in like army ants...’
It feels like for the past few weeks I have joined my own cult group devoted to producing heartfelt psychedelic pop music. It all started when I was sent Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros‘ debut album ‘Up From Below‘…
Initially I was suspicious of how close the band came to capturing Kesey and co.’s aura. Everything from the bohemian clothes, the commune mentality and the dated album cover could be dismissed as part of some new ‘hippie-ster’ fad. The band even travel on a converted silver bus! Ultimately I kept retuning to the sheer magnetism of the songs and that is all that mattered.
The album is an epic journey emphasising love, peace and a sense of community whilst introducing an array of instruments including trumpets, xylophones, harmonicas, accordions, pianos and tons of percussions and whistles. Elements of The Mamas & The Papas, Buffalo Springfield, some Johny Cash and June Carter as well as recent releases by the likes of Elvis Perkins,The Arcade Fire and successive Conor Oberst projects spring to mind . In the hands of a lesser band this 60s and 70s influenced music could be perceived as insincere but with TheMagnetic Zeros it remains genuine and fresh.
From the opening claps and stomps of first single ‘40 Day Dream‘ I know I had stumbled over something quite special. Indeed, the first half of the album is crammed with single material ranging from the fairytail-esque ‘Janglin‘ to the euphoric title track ‘Up From Below’ right through to the uplifting gospel tinged ‘Carries On‘.
The name Jade is referenced throughout the album as she represents a muse of sorts for the ensemble. Her vocals and subtle melodic emphasis provide many of the best moments so it is a pity that the track bearing her name is the weakest on the album. This is rectified very quickly as Jade herself goes on to lead the standout track, ‘Home‘, . Its tongue-in-cheek delivery and deliberately syrupy lyrics can’t camouflage the breathtaking melody and genuine sense of the protagonists’ love.
After the emotional and musical peak of ‘Home‘ the band reveal a reflective side in the second half of the album. There is still room for ‘I Come In Please’ with its rolling daydream melody and trippy qualities but the likes of ‘Desert Song’, ‘Black Water’, ‘Simplest Love’, ‘Brother‘ and ‘Kisses Over Babylon’ (sung in Spanish) aim to be both brooding and epic. The sparse arrangements of these tracks and their cinematic delivery further highlight how talented this ensemble really are.
Album closer ‘Om Nashi Me’ is the perfect footnote for this adventure. The track reiterates many of the underlying themes that appear throughout the album and its amazing trumpet lead and mass chants will remain with you hours after its last note has rung.
Top notch musicianship, stellar songwriting and heartfelt singing make this a truly amazing aural experience and in my books ‘Up From Below‘ is already a nominee for album of the year.
I just got back from seeing Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros at lovely new London venue The Lexington in Angel. They were nothing short of extraordinary! Cougar Microbes is blitzing all their London performances so we’ll catch three gigs in two days. Their album ‘Up From Below‘ is verging on my album of the year. Expect a full feature soon.
TRACKS:
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros – I Come In Please
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