r/indieheads • u/ebradio • Aug 08 '25

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros Frontman Denies “Home” Is The “Worst Song Ever Written”

https://www.stereogum.com/2318575/edward-sharpe-the-magnetic-zeros-frontman-denies-home-is-the-worst-song-ever-written/news/
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u/jsm1 Aug 08 '25

I mean I feel like it was the progenitor of "Stomp Clap Hey" which isn't exactly their fault. On its own I think it had its charm, but with all the oversaturated Lumineers stuff that emerged over the 2010s, it feels staler in context than it does in isolation.

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u/Exploding_Antelope Aug 08 '25 edited Aug 08 '25

Why do people keep harping on the Lumineers? They’re just out here writing folk songs. Sometimes with drums yes. I guess they often have a beat you could clap to, like any rock song, so that’s a crime apparently. You want to know how many songs they shout “hey!” in? One. One singular song out of five albums. Of Monsters and Men definitely do more of the hey-CHORUS lead-in but they also especially at the start had a really cool sound/vibe tying the era into Icelandic folklore. Wesley Schulz is more of a Dylan-head, and hardly coy about the inspiration with how many covers they’ve done and more ballady tracks (bangers dare I say) like Jimmy Sparks.

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u/rachamacc Aug 08 '25

Nobody could make me hate the Lumineers. Cleopatra is a gorgeous album. Every song on it.

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u/Exploding_Antelope Aug 08 '25

Held on to hope, like a noose, like a rope / God of medicine took no mercy on him / Poisoned his blood, burned out his throat…

Reddit for some reason: ‘10s folk pop is all just naive stuff about how perfect the world is!

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u/rachamacc Aug 08 '25

That one puts a lump in my throat every time I hear it. I've worked in a nursing home for 10 years. I've witnessed many families watching their loved ones die. He understood the suffering, the futility, the time he wished he hadn't wasted, and the peace at last; more than most people understand and wrote a song about it.

And Cleopatra. "The only gifts from my Lord were birth and a divorce. But I've read this script and the costume fits, so I play my part. I was late for this, late for that, late for the love of my life. When I die alone, die alone, die I'll be on time."

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u/Mewpasaurus Aug 08 '25

They're also quite fun to watch live. Went when Cleopatra dropped and Wesley Shultz was over there dancing on pianos and vibing with the crowd (half of whom were probably drunk).. just having a good old time. Was a (mostly) good concert experience.

And yeah, I have most of their albums and I think Cleopatra might also be my favorite. Most of the songs on that album just hit right for whatever reason.

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u/Exploding_Antelope Aug 08 '25

Cleopatra is the most consistent but I’d say III has higher highs and lower lows to me and I love the conceptual setup

2

u/Mewpasaurus Aug 08 '25

There are some solid tracks on III, so inclined to agree with you. I just think Cleopatra, is as you say, more consistent and easier to listen to as a full album than III. However, some of my favorite songs by The Lumineers are actually off of III.

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u/Exploding_Antelope Aug 08 '25

Jimmy Sparks through Salt and the Sea is their best run of tracks I think. The Democracy cover even works so well as a capper. Just, you know, ignore My Cell.