This 10-piece folk-rock band from Los Angeles recalls a time when music was about magic carpet rides, green tambourines and putting your hand in the hand of the man from Galilee.
And it doesn't hurt that frontman Alex Ebert resembles modern depictions of Jesus Christ.
Building off live shows that blend hippie folk jams with burning-bush revivalism, this self-titled debut CD grounds itself in epic sing-alongs punctuated with horns, vocal harmonies and a marching-band bass drum.
"Janglin" sets the innocent tone. The song begins with childlike "hmm-bah" choral chants that rise on a cloud of trumpets and a call to heal.
The happy energy peaks on "Home," a love duet sung by Ebert and Jade Castrinos. Despite the band's L.A. roots, this lyrical track is tinged with rural charm: "Alabama, Arkansas, I do love my Ma and Pa, but not as much as I do love you," sings Castrinos.
The ebullience is hypnotic in a way that's rare among pop music albums.
