Ezra Furman & The Harpoons - Banging Down The Doors

Label: Minty Fresh
Rating: 3.5 Guns

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"I wonder what would happen if someone forced the Violent Femmes at gun-point to play a show with Radiohead and Beck?" I thought to myself, as I wandered to my mailbox.

I slipped the key in the slot only to discover a large white envelope with the magazine's address scrawled in Yellow crayon. I ripped the envelope open in a fit of curiosity, and to my amazement, inside the envelope was Ezra Furman & The Harpoon's debut album "Banging Down The Doors."



I slipped the CD into my car stereo only to discover the answer to my previous question. "Hello, this song is called 'Mother's Day,' it's about a whore that I knew in Chicago," a voice eerily similar to Gordon Gano's shouted at me over booming drums.

"Banging Down The Doors" is Ezra Furman's Minty Fresh debut, and it delivers like a sonic folk explosion. Just like the Femmes, this band relies heavily on acoustic guitar, and subdued, yet in-your-face rhythm section.

"I Wanna Be Ignored" (see player under album cover) is the album's first single, and sounds like it could take dorm rooms by storm across the country. "Mother's Day" and "Hotel Room in Casablanca" are strong songs as well. "Casablanca" follows the Folk Rock format, using harmonica and thick acoustic guitars to highlight Ezra's stunning voice.

"Halloween Snow" is reminiscent in sound to a snowy winter in Chicago, and gives off the same Midwestern vibe as the rest of "Banging Down The Door"

A few other key tracks are: "How Long, Diana?," "God Is A Middle-Aged Woman," "My Soul Has Escaped From My Body," and "She's All I Got Left."

This album is definitely worth a few dozen spins, go out and buy it.

Check them out at EzraFurman.com