Ezra Furman

by Jason Lymangrover
A thoughtful lyricist taking his poetic inspiration, songcraft ideas, and even a few fashion cues from Bob Dylan, Ezra Furman sings in a nasally style similar to the Violent Femmes' Gordan Gano while making unpretentious indie folk/indie pop that's raw, deep, and achingly sentimental. As students of Tufts University in Chicago, guitarist Jahn Soon, bassist Joe Mukkada, and drummer Jordan Kozer formed the Harpoons as Furman's backing band in 2006 and self-recorded Beat, Beat, Beat in their dorm rooms with the help of engineer Dave Kant of Outtake Records. After self-releasing a limited run of the album and taking their first tour of the States, producer Brian Deck (Modest Mouse, Iron & Wine) took notice and pulled the band into the recording studio to record. The result was their first record for Minty Fresh, the sincere, awkward, and moving Banging Down the Doors, released in August of 2007.