With the departure of one of their lead singers, Jade Castrinos, in 2014, the sound and image of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros dramatically changed. The band has always been perceived as a kind of hippie-folk outfit, half band and half travelling commune, but with the loss of one of their charismatic lead singers, they had to undergo a serious image-change.
PersonA is the result of that image-change. It is a mix between their old freak-folk style, and a new, more together style which conjures images of The Beatles and the ‘60’s folk movement. It’s not necessarily a bad change, as frontman Alex Ebert said, that the guy-girl style that had characterized the band allowed them to be creatively lazy. With the change of image, came a change of personality, the persona of Edward Sharpe starting to merge more with the person of Alexander Ebert, hence the album name and the album artwork.
It seems that Ebert put a lot of work into the identity change, as the new album is a powerhouse. With folk melodies such as “Somewhere” and “No Love Like Yours,” it is likely to appeal both to long-time fans, and newcomers to the Edward Sharpe experience. Several songs seem to mark a time of change for the band, like the song “Free Stuff,” which mocks the folk music industry for overusing “hos and heys,” a musical addition which Ebert believes he was the first to use in folk music. The song represents his frustration with the music industry for “stealing his hos,” and also the band’s departure from that type of folk.
The song which stands out the most to many who review the album, and which Ebert says might be one of the best the band has ever written seems to be a bit overrated. “Wake Up the Sun” is a classic, anti-organized-religion song, in the vein of “Love is my Religion” by Ziggy Marley, and John Lennon’s “Imagine.” It doesn’t quite have the power that Ebert seems to think it does, as it proclaims “no religion, love, my religion is love.” A potentially powerful message lost perhaps in the overly-used falsetto vocals, and repetitive, unoriginal lyrics representing popular opinion in an attempt to be rebellious.
Besides this possibly overrated song, the album does have a powerful lineup. Ranging in genre from the traditional freak-folk the band is known for, to a bluesy kind of folk-rock, as characterized by the song “Uncomfortable.”
The song, which may well be the best song on the album, is the hippie-folk anthem “No Love Like Yours,” which conjures images of The Incredible String Band and The Beatles like no other song on the album. It represents the band’s ability to bridge old sounds with new folk movements, and to create a persona for themselves that may just be the best persona they have ever had.
From fans of their older music to folk-music junkies, this is an album that can appeal to just about anyone in the folk-music world. For anyone who doesn’t want to commit to a full listen, definitely check out “Somewhere” and “No Love Like Yours,” but for anyone who is in the mood for a musical experience, give it a listen all the way through. It will not disappoint.