The Year of No Returning

by Ezra Furman

Overview

After moving from Minty Fresh to Red Parlor, 2011's Mysterious Power showed a less rollicking side of Ezra Furman & the Harpoons, and for her first solo outing, The Year of No Returning, the frontperson of the indie rock group relies on intimate, guitar-based songs. Comparisons to Dylan have followed the songwriter from the beginning, and here, with simple, folky arrangements (and guest musicians adding backing tracks by way of percussion, piano, upright bass, or strings), Furman's poignant lyrics are more prominent than ever. The Harpoons added a fun-spirited, chaotic element to her tunes, but even in this straightforward style, without the purposefully amateurish aesthetic, Furman's thoughtful songwriting style remains refreshingly distinctive. Besides the fact that the music is softer and more focused on this outing, the most notable change is in Furman's demeanor, which has moved from childlike spunk to desperation. Songs like "Cruel Cruel World," "Are You Gonna Break My Heart?," "Doomed Love Affair," and "Down" (which starts on the note, "What the f*ck do I do all day laying in bed?") are as downtrodden as they sound. When the subject matter moves from introspection outward to focus on his surroundings, the results are even more fear-filled, as Furman dissects American society's big business attitudes and inherent lack of spirituality, with lines like "So if you ever find that church that fits in your purse, put it into your cold metal shopping cart/and keep on wandering the aisles on the sick fluorescent tiles, we'll be miles and miles apart/I've got my own search and I'm still just at the start." Often embarking with a lyrical wisdom beyond her years, it's no surprise that she would hit a midlife crisis early. With such a resounding sadness, it's doubtful that this will be the album to pull in new listeners, but it's certainly her most mature record, and packs a hell of an emotional punch. ~ Jason Lymangrover

Product Details

Release Date:	07/16/2013
Label:	BAR/NONE RECORDS
UPC:	0032862022128

Tracks

1. Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde
2. American Soil
3. Lay in the Sun
4. Sinking Slow
5. That¿¿¿s When It Hit Me
6. Down
7. Cruel Cruel World
8. Are You Gonna Break My Heart?
9. Bad Man
10. The Queen of Hearts
11. Doomed Love Affair
12. Forty Days in Kansas

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Ezra Furman   Primary Artist,Drums,Organ,Piano,Guitar,Vocals,Toy Xylophone,Organ (Hammond),Guitar (Acoustic)
Mitch Marlow   Organ (Hammond)
Larry Beers   Drums
Andrew Langer   Guitar (Electric)
Jamie Gallagher   Drums,Percussion
Adam Abrutyn   Drums
Job Mukkada   Bass,Vocals
Susan Voelz   Violin
Melissa Bach   Cello
Ben Joseph   Piano
Dan Polonsky   Bass (Upright)
Dan Garfinkel   Sax (Baritone)
Tim Sandusky   Noise,Piano,Guitar,Clarinet,Percussion

Technical Credits

Rosemarie Wagner   Cover Photo
Ezra Furman   Composer,Liner Notes
Doug Boehm   Producer
Steve McFarland   Design
Tim Sandusky   Engineer,Mastering