Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, it just makes sense!

HOME by EDWARD SHARPE AND THE MAGNETIC ZEROS

There's absolutely no reason why this song or even this band should excite me. They just do. There's no reason other than the fact that this really is just an excellent track. Sometimes that's all that counts. In the music industry's seemingly endless obsession for originality Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros don't really tick many boxes. I mean, they do come across as rather pseudo-hippie what with all that bohemian get-up et al. They even tour together in a converted silver bus!

If anything, Home, from debut album Up From Below is one of those songs that you feel like you already know. This though, is very definitely a positive thing in this instance. In a similar vein, this is without doubt a feel-good song, which again would usually be a turn off (see: British 'heart-warmer' Wimbledon, or anything by Mika, apparently) but from the Mamas and Papas-esque vocal harmonies to the Arcade Fire-like arrangements, this tune is unbelievably and relentlessly contagious.

There's not really anything revolutionary in the lyrical content either. The familiar tale of two lovers, it's a sort of Fairytale Of New York, without the suggestions of domestic violence. What makes it work though is the energy of it all, which allows the song to repeatedly hammer home the big chorus in a way which, in the hands of others could become irritating. Yet somehow it doesn't.

When it comes down to it though, for all the lip-service I could pay to this tune, the fact is it makes me feel so good I may very well start my own hippie commune. Watch this space. (for more Edward Sharpe, not my hippie commune)