Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros

After the dissolution of his dance-punk band Ima Robot, Alex Ebert ended a relationship, entered rehab, and began penning a tale about a godlike figure named Edward Sharpe. That story would eventually shape his alter ego, who would go on to lead the folk-rock band Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros. The group was modeled on the free-love movement of the ‘60s, with band members coming and going and songs revolving around themes of positivity and joy. The band’s 2009 debut album, Up from Below, was a success by any measure, but it also featured the group’s biggest hit, “Home,” a freewheeling and rollicking whistling ode to love. The track introduced the group to a massive audience, who celebrated the collective’s 2012 psych-folk opus Here and 2013’s raw, unfiltered self-titled LP. The group last released an album in 2016 before Alex Ebert departed to pursue solo endeavors and work in the film industry as a composer.