Ezra Furman

Add Date: August 30

Artist: Ezra Furman

Album: Big Fugitive Life (EP)

Label: Bella Union/PIAS

Genre: Indie rock

Comments: Following last year's breakout Perpetual Motion People, Ezra Furman returns with the Big Fugitive Life EP. Consisting of six songs -- of which four were initially intended to be featured on Perpetual Motion People, while two were written for his 2012 debut The Year of No Returning -- the EP essentially consists of two sides. The first half of the record finds Furman embracing an upbeat, classic rock sound -- horns included -- to exude a feeling of exuberance, while the latter portion sees Furman trade in the more expansive sound for an acoustic guitar.

If the first few tracks represent Furman's eagerness to move into the next phase of his life and career, the final songs express a reflection upon not only his personal past, but the past of his loved ones, as "The Refugee" is his first song which deals with his "Jewish background and present" while being dedicated to his grandfather, who fled Nazi-occupied Poland. Overall, Big Fugitive Life simultaneously represents the end of one phase and the beginning of another for Furman; as listeners, we may hold ourselves over with these reworked outtakes as we wait for the songwriter's next full-length release.

Recommended Tracks: 1, 6, 5

DNP: 3