Album Review: Big Fugitive Life [EP] by Ezra Furman

Ezra Furman, by his own admission here, is ready - and by the sound of this six track EP, what he’s ready for is more than cult stardom. The Big Fugitive Life EP features songs that Furman describes as orphans, which either didn’t make the cut from his breakthrough record, last year’s Perpetual Motion People or 2012s The Year of No Returning. Lead track "Teddy I'm Ready" is giddy with excitement.

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Comprising four cuts that were originally intended for inclusion on 2015's Perpetual Motion People and two that were slated to appear on 2012's Year of No Returning, Big Fugitive Life should be a so-so, filler-heavy stopgap to tide fans over until Furman's next full-length. Instead, it's a densely packed power lunch proving that Furman might be brimming over with enough good ideas to warrant an EP every couple of months. Opener and single "Teddy I'm Ready" pairs bubbly Brill Building pop architecture, girl group "ooohs" and "ahhhs," and a screaming sax solo with one of Furman's best melodies and vocal takes to date.

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Rock 'n' roll is at Ezra Furman's core, but the Chicago musician has an uncanny way of expanding the genre in every direction imaginable, making it seem like the most exciting form of music out there rather than one that's becoming staid, which is how it sometimes feels lately. He's a genius songwriter - and outstanding frontperson, as those who have seen him live can attest. The gender-fluid singer/songwriter splits his new six-song EP in two.

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