Ten-piece joy merchants Edward Sharpe and co. return with yet another slice of sun soaked soul, now with added experimentation. Somewhat unfairly dismissed as some wannabe neo-hippies by the naysayers, Alex Ebert and gang have always done a damn fine job of evoking those classic ‘60s valley albums and, as is the case with 2012s ‘Here’, matching their folk-psych perfection. We guess being happy is uncool in some circles.
Retreating to New Orleans for this fourth effort ‘PersonA’ sees the group keeping the loose, stoned melodies of old but now with some of the Orlean jazz atmosphere soaked into the skin. This new experimental edge is seen immediately with the fantastic ‘Hot Coals', a seven-minute combo of eerie ditty, light pop and out-and-out jam. It may come as a shock to those who just know advert fodder ‘Home’ but it’s a welcome evolution and a clear signifier how far the group have come as musicians.
‘Uncomfortable’s opening even sees Ebert channel Billie Holiday, the track filled with a brooding passion and talk of realness, trust and terror. Still, it would be impossible for the band to get too heavy on the tones though, and sweet relief can be found on the dreamy ‘Somewhere’ and the ecstatic ‘No Love Like Yours’. Another great, Nina Simone, is invoked on the Sunday groove of ‘Wake Up The Sun’ and we even get a dash of scat for our money.
More interest is found on ‘Let It Down’ and its haunting, Morricone feel. It’s as though you’re riding into the sunset while entertained by tales of platinum, eggshells and the knowledge you are to die. ‘PersonA’ sees a band stretching their creative wings and expanding their sound far beyond the fireside jammage that created them and becoming a more respectable prospect for it. The sun worshippers have added dashes of shadow and are all the more interesting for it.
7/10
Words: Sam Walker-Smart
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