Band’s beginnings are like an indie music love story

Alex Ebert and Jade Castrinos have the kind of musical chemistry that has caused outlets like NPR to compare them to June and Johnny Cash. iTunes Sessoin

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

Community Music

Rocks like: June and Johnny Cash, Arcade Fire, Bob Dylan

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Alex Ebert and Jade Castrinos have the kind of musical chemistry that has caused outlets like NPR to compare them  to June and Johnny Cash.

Ebert was in the middle of a crisis when he met Castrinos. The pair quickly began making music together, and in the summer of 2009, they started touring with a van full of other musicians under the moniker Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. The band charmed critics with the catchy tune “Home” off its debut album Up From Below.

Recently, the indie group, which boasts 10 core members, released its iTunes Session featuring five songs from its album along with a new song, “Fire & Water.” Characteristic of the band, the new song fits in with its catchy, foot-tapping aesthetic. Primarily featuring Castrinos’ vocals, reminiscent of Janis Joplan, the song employs their usual opulence of layering several kinds of instruments and styles — acoustic guitar, trumpets, piano and harmonica. They create an aurally varied, but cohesive, sound reminiscent at points of folk, bluegrass and occasionally gospel.

“Janglin” is yet another track that proves the group’s uncanny ability to write songs with both the hippie sensibility of a jam session and the poppy appeal of a jingle. The song’s underlying melody begins with just a piano, a change from the original, and layers twinkling percussion, staccato “bops” in chorus and drums.

The rest of the songs have the same listenable quality and the emotive voices of Ebert and Castrinos. “Brother” is a much simpler tune. A repetitive and simple guitar rift, Ebert’s wavering vocals and a harmonica give it a sense of longing. “Up From Below” possesses a certain peppy quality derived from the rapid pace and upbeat percussion. One snag, however, is that Ebert occasionally sings in an incomprehensible Dylan-esque fashion.

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros has the mesmerizing ability to mesh the many instruments of its group using catchy melodies to create a unified sound.