Ezra Furman Is Finally Making The Punk Music Of Her Teenage Dreams

October 12, 2020 11:44 AM

Furman explains that her own use of throwback elements - swing beats, wailing saxophones, doo-wop choruses - is partially the product of all the "musical debris" floating around in her head, but it’s also a useful way to set up bigger thematic ideas. That’s especially where the '50s and '60s influences come in. "I go to that music because I feel a sort of similar level of repression in my life, where I know that transphobia and heteronormativity are not going to destroy me, but I can feel it holding me back and I can feel myself pushing against it," she says.

Interview by Karen Muller. Some of Ezra Furman's songs: Restless Year, Every Feeling, Love You So Bad, In America, My Zero.

posted by smcg (8 comments total)

This is good.
posted by He Is Only The Imposter at 11:51 AM on October 12, 2020

I had not heard of Ezra Furman because I am a musical no-nothing. Have only seen/heard Restless Year thus far. It was such a balm for my soul partly because I miss the SF Bay Area so much and I instantly realized I was back home, kind of sort of. Liked the music, too. Thanks for the post, smcg!
posted by Bella Donna at 12:14 PM on October 12, 2020

"If you are sick of the way things are, so am I. In our lives, in our society, in our heads, in the world. It can make you feel really bad. But you can also start to find this ennobling edge to it, this wealth of experience in suffering and in refusing to accept things as they are. [...] One reason I love music: it plays and you can hear your troubles in a different light. Maybe your pain could be part of a larger story, a heroism or a wild, full life. Good music can help you romanticize your problems. Maybe they are a prelude to some kind of triumph. Rock'n'roll, because its roots are in the blues, tends to sympathize with the downtrodden. Same with religion, at least the Judaism I know and love. At their best, they suggest that the people in power, the people who are feeling good and doing well, are not necessarily the people of real substance. The powerless and broken-hearted are the secret heroes. And the day is coming when they rise up and get what they deserve..."--Ezra Furman, from the liner notes to her 2013 album Day of the Dog.
posted by misteraitch at 12:14 PM on October 12, 2020 [4 favorites]

I love Take off your sunglasses. The "I don't get to go on any vacations, I gotta go to work everyday" line hits so hard.

The girlfriend relentlessly accomplishing every task while the narrator is unable to take of (her/his) sunglasses is also classic. That's a good song.
posted by The_Vegetables at 12:24 PM on October 12, 2020

Twelve Nudes was my favorite album of 2019. I can't recommend it highly enough.
posted by vibrotronica at 3:00 PM on October 12, 2020 [2 favorites]

I received Twelve Nudes by mistake when I ordered another artist's album online. I was had never heard of her but I decided to open it up and play it anyway. Best shipping mistake of my life!
posted by Jaymzifer at 3:30 PM on October 12, 2020 [3 favorites]

Wow. These songs feel instantly familiar. I love it!
posted by TheCoug at 7:42 AM on October 13, 2020

Ezra Furman - The Queen of Hearts (Live at The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston)
posted by He Is Only The Imposter at 4:41 PM on November 2, 2020