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Recently signed to the small label, Beyond
Records, Better That Ezra set sail on Closer in 2001.
Misunderstood kicks off this highly anticipated album.
Misunderstood is everything you would expect from a Better Than
Ezra pop song, great instrumentation, the BTE flute, and little
bits thrown in here and there. This combines the pop song talent apparent
from the band's first single, Good, with the musicianship honed
through experimentation during How Does Your Garden Grow?
It's a great song, begging you to sing along.
Extra Ordinary was the band's first
single off the record, a completely indulgent song. Indulgent in all the
different sounds, instruments, and layers cram packed into this tiny
three-minute forty-five second song. This song received a lot of air play
quickly, especially because of its abundant use of lyrical pop culture
references. Title track, Closer, is a much different song in
comparison, and probably one of the musical masterpieces of the band's
career. Heartfelt and powerful, Closer almost needs a different
format, like central song in a movie, to impact the listener. Its depth
seems lost among upbeat, fun pop songs. It is...musical poetry.
Rolling is a funny, bouncy song with a
retro feel. Once again, completely different from previous songs we have
heard from the band before, Rolling takes some time to appreciate.
Easily the best song on the album, A Lifetime, shares the intimate
heartache of losing a close friend. One of the band's best songs, it
rivals Live Again off HDYGG? as best song ever. It is
very reminiscent of At the Stars as well, combining similar chords
and dynamics...a pop song masterpiece.
Recognize is a great, rocking
tune...again different than anything we have seen. Combining the sound of
a slide acoustic guitar with the grunge power of songs like Pull,
Recognize is an instant favorite. Completely out of place, is a
mellow breakdown with the BTE flute and Tom's smooth, warm floating
bass guitar. Incredible. Sincerely, Me brings it back to more
typical Ezra flavor, singing the words to a letter to an ex-lover
after a break up.
At this point it should be obvious that every
song flows well into the next, even if they are completely different. The
over all sound of the album is varied and diverse, but not near as
disjointed as HDYGG? The dissonance of having two songs that
do not go back to back is absent in the album. What a treat! Continuing in
this feel is Get You In, a much slower groove, almost sounding like
an Eric Clapton song.
Briefly was the first song I ever heard
of this record, and it blew me away. An incredible hit, I can't believe
Briefly was not released as a single. (Granted the label went under
just after the album was released...) "Now I'm close, but not touching.
I'm cold, but not freezing. I'm only alive, only alive briefly" are
incredible lyrics. This song uses ever piece of Better Than Ezra's
song writing skills. Amazing.
Juarez changes up the album again. Even
more mellow than Get You In, the highlight of this song is in the
music. Its jazzy feel is attributed to Tom's warm, ambient bass and
similarly sounding lead guitars. I Do wraps the album with a the
perfect pop flare this band is known for.
Closer is an amazing record. It
stand on its own, but means so much more in the context of Better Than
Ezra's growth. The band's earliest material does not even compare.
While HDYGG? is still my favorite album, Closer
is very much equal to that album. If their label had not gone out of
business, or a bigger label had been able to adequately promote this
record, I am sure everyone would know who Better Than Ezra
is. As it stands, they remain just below the radar, with devoted fans
eager to see what the trio produces next.
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