Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros: Here

     

     Few bands capture sixties folk idealism better than Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros.  The group, led by frontman Alex Ebert, has made a career out of traveling across the country singing happy songs the masses.  As cheesy as Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros may sound, and they do, the band knows how to craft a well written song.   With the release of their latest, Here, the group of merrymakers continue to their message of love to world by penning painfully catchy tunes for the world.
     Those looking for avant-garde, or particularly innovative music, need not look to Here.  The thematic premise of the album, and the band on the whole, is pretty on the nose.  They are not trying to blow  minds, but rather to open hearts. They make sing-a-longs about love, happiness, and dancing.  The themes are cliche, but the band, and the listeners, are aware of that.   While listening to Here, it is necessary to take the band at face value. 
     Musically, Here expounds on the same basic tenants of it its predecessor.  All the elements of a giant jam session are in place, although in a smaller degree. The band lacks the huge, messianic, moments of Up From Below, and there is a noticeable lack of opulent musical swells and crescendos.  The result are tunes, that are more relaxed, but also more forgettable.  The more laid back vibe of Here, however, shows Ebert coming into his own as a frontman of a massive band, and clearly becoming more comfortable in his position, and his approach.
     Here is not full of surprises; fans know what they are getting when they press play on a Edward Sharpe album.  Those who are willing to put indie rock pretentiousness aside for a listen will reap the reward, being happily lost in the blissed sounds of a happy band of gypsies. In today's world,  love is NOT all you need.  Thanks to Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, though, we are reminded that it is a part of it.