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This quietly released album is Better Than
Ezra's largest growth point ever. How Does Your Garden Grow?
shows a band willing to experiment and enjoy the music. The opening
instrumental track Je ne m'en Souviens pas illustrates just that.
Filled with drum loops, samples, digitally processed sounds, and a
floating flute melody, this record begins on an incredibly different mood
than previous albums.
The ambient, ethereal feel drives right into
One More Murder, Better Than Ezra's lead single off the
album. Though it did not receive abundant air play, One More Murder
was featured on the soundtrack of X-files: Fight the Future earlier
that summer. This track is reminiscent of Normal Town off
Friction, Baby, but clearly shows the band's growth though
experimentation. This album was recorded in their vary own Fudge Studios,
and apparently having their own studio was beneficial for the band.
At the Stars is a more typical BTE
ballad about capturing the perfect moment and savoring it. A full song,
At the Stars includes a string and piano accompaniment, and is one of
the trio's best songs to date. It is unbelievable that this song did not
receive much, if any, airplay. I Like it Like That is, again, a
completely different sound. Playful and excessive, this song has the band
playing with every bell and whistle at their disposal...it's a fun song.
Allison Foley continues with the chorus
"So, I get drunk and stoned every time you come around," and is similar in
feel and texture. Under You is a slow, heartfelt, passionate song
providing a good transition. The emotionally powerful Live Again
begins quietly with keys, kicking in with Travis McNabb's best rhythm line
yet. Live Again effectively communicates all breaking through all
the pain of an ended relationship, and trying to start your life over. I'm
not sure if it is the instrumentation, the lyrics, or another connection
to the song, but Live Again is Better Than Ezra's best song
ever.
Happy Day Māmā returns to the more
playful, upbeat tracks on HDYGG, making for an interesting
transition. Pull is completely the opposite, featuring a
high-energy, in-your-face, crunching grunge guitar and lyrics dripping
from Kevin's mouth. It is actually an incredibly compelling song.
Particle is another gem on this album, beginning with a drum
processor, combining them with a live kit, and bringing in Kevin's voice
over the top. This is another masterful song in which the band utilizes
every skill honed, making a musical masterpiece.
Giving a relatively minimalist impression,
Beautiful Mistake continues in excellence musically and emotionally.
Everything in 2's is the perfect wind-down for the album, returning
to the essential Better Than Ezra acoustic guitar and a chorus
begging the listener to sing along. This would be the perfect ending for
the record.
Unfortunately, the emotional bliss
Everything in 2's leaves you in is immediately shattered by New
Kind of Low. This artistically bizarre, and pretty harsh two part song
just has no place on the album. But then again, HDYGG is the
perfect album for it. It is a way for the band to say, "We're not
predictable, and we like it that way." Thankfully, Waxing or Waning?
brings things back to a comparable level of normalcy, but by this time
you just want the album to end. This shows that sometimes more...is just
to much.
However, words are not capable of conveying
this album's excellence. It is like trying to quantify the unseen or
bottle truth. This is an album to experience and breathe. It is a
masterful creation, and I wish the label supported the record more. The
album was supported with three tours across the country, but the lack of
commercial support helped this record vanish into the background. Elektra
later released Better Than Ezra from their contract, most likely
because of low sales.
This is extremely unfortunate because
HDYGG is probably one of the best albums released in the late
1990's, and I highly recommend it to you now.
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