Chicago's Ezra Furman is the hot-to-trot name du jour, the oddly named pop/rock musician who is having a moment in the spotlight thanks to advance reports of Perpetual Motion People, his third solo album, and his apparently compelling, visceral live shows.
Certainly, there is something more than engaging, more than just buzz-band here.
Without guilt or shame, Furman rips pages out of the history books: 1950s pop blueprint (doo wop), 1960s cool (Velvet Underground), 1970s punk (Richard Hell, Modern Lovers), power pop (Fountains of Wayne) and indie rock (a much improved version of The Strokes).
Everything is to play for. Factor in Furman’s knack for coining lyrics that reference the illogic of Tom Waits and the cut-and-thrust clarity of Elvis Costello, and you have one enticing, exciting package.
