Ezra Furman – All Of Us Flames

Strident, confrontational, and inspiring...

Ezra Furman has always – in essence – been a punk rock performer. Strident, confrontational, and inspiring, she’s forever walked her own path, inviting the rest to follow. ‘All Of Us Flames’ may not sound punk, but it retains her defiantly original ethos – bold, profoundly honest, and deeply insightful, this is an inspired return, one that might rank as her finest, most complete record to date.

Produced by John Congleton in LA, it’s an album that seems to let the songs live a little. Opener ‘Trains Comes Through’ crashes into the stereo with alacrity, while the adorable ‘Dressed In Black’ infuses Baroque pop with a theatrical air.

‘Point Me Toward The Real’ comes straight from the heart, the cry of someone who wants pure communication; the glitchy ‘Ally Sheedy In The Breakfast Club’ meanwhile is a raw outpouring, a stark confessional framed around pop culture.

Yet as powerful as this record is, it’s also innately musical. ‘Poor Girl A Long Way From Heaven’ glides into view with a crisp, unfiltered beauty, ‘Temple Of Broken Dreams’ has a neat Americana feel, and finale ‘Come Close’ has an enticingly playful feel. Perhaps Ezra Furman’s words speak most eloquently of all: her cheeky, subversive ‘I Saw The Truth Undressing’ seems to sum up this wonderful, enlightening record.

9/10

Words: Robin Murray

Dig This? Dig Deeper: The Replacements, Patti Smith, Kim Gordon

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