Ezra Furman – Perpetual Motion People
Chicago wunderkind delivers hope on his third album.
Forget anti-depressants. Well, don’t. But if you’re downbeat, questioning life, or actually just want a party, Ezra Furman is your man. A yowling, nervy, sickeningly eloquent blend of Jonathan Richman, Woody Allen and Armistead Maupin, he delivers high-speed drama full of bristling riffs and frazzled joie de vivre. His band, The Boyfriends, are just as passionately able, so Restless Year slams in with ’60s bubble-gum, a groovy “ooh la la” chorus and Furman sounding like David Byrne at his most hysterically upbeat, pumping tragic-comic lyrics ’til the veins stand out. Lousy Connection is ’50s doo-wop, with deep bass vocals and Tim Sandusky’s astonishing, honking sax. Closer to the bone, Haunted Head is a self-deprecating soul-pop take on loneliness; seconds later, Body Was Made scorches through ear-frying Ramones-style riffs. Driven, hooky, moving. Better than Prozac or a sunny day. Watch the video for Restless Year here: