Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros: PersonA

Justin Jacobs on April 25, 2016

Los Angeles collective Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros may forever be known for their mega indie hit “Home,” also known as the first dance at your hipster cousin’s wedding. And while the song’s friendly folkster-in-love vibe is still representative of the group’s work, their fourth album, PersonA, tones down the cuteness for a more nuanced set of tunes. The most notable shift in PersonA is the absence of co-singer Jade Castrinos, whose playful lyrical banter with Sharpe (lead singer Alex Ebert) defined the band’s sound. The album opens with the lovely, barely-there guitar intro to “Hot Coals,” a seven-minute track that wafts like smoke until breaking into a gorgeous groove with brushed percussion and cascading piano. An echoing trumpet cuts through the sounds and church organs climb before the whole thing crumbles into silence. It’s a statement—this album is something more. Recorded in New Orleans, horns pepper the songs throughout. Still, Sharpe’s folk-spirit presence presides; on the jazzy “Wake Up the Sun,” he’s “tired of Buddha, so bored of Abraham. I’m tired of Krishna, feels good to say I am.” And first single “No Love Like Yours” shows that Sharpe can still churn out a fun, folk anthem. Growth sounds great on PersonA

Artist: Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros
Album: PersonA
Label: Community