dustygold's Full Review: Friction, Baby by Better Than Ezra
Better Than Ezra released a couple of well-received albums in the nineties, and "Friction, Baby" appeared in 1996. It seems to be abstract, cleaned-up rock sessions, nothing glaringly fascinating, full of coffee house poetry and amped guitar noise.
The best part of this album would be guitarist Kevin Griffin's vocals. He has a fine, rippling singing voice, and presents each song in a sleek manner. Otherwise, the album is a big square block.
My favorite track is the first. "King of New Orleans" is the only reason I have the album. It's a fetching rock song, sung by Griffin in his most wavering-poet way. There is a defined guitar riff, whereas most of the other songs on the record have scattered lines all over the place. It's also kind of a story- not the greatest ever, but enough to make a more interestingly-shaped piece of music.
"Rewind" is blocky and goes nowhere, "Long Lost" is harder and tougher, and has lots of tangly string noise and mean drumbeats, but also goes nowhere. "Hung the Moon" is no better, but at least it has energy.
Our other single was the more familiar "Desperately Wanting." Depressing lyrics, a low, acerbic theme, and really no fun at all. Still, good for the radio.
"Normal Town" is filled up with some burbling, aqueous bass/guitar part, and a bit of flute, somewhat evocative, I think.
And "Scared, Are You?" starts slow, drudgingly, and has a hook of a chorus that's half asleep. Griffin sounds very calming, and even though drowned out occasionally by too-noisy cluttered music, he wails.
"Return of the Post Moderns" doesn't quite act as intellectual as its title pretends to be; nondescript guitar does nothing for the song, and it's almost entirely made up of stream of consciousness poetry that would only be cool if it was...well, interesting. They do indeed fit the word 'onomatopoeia' in there.
Squawking and halting, "Still Life with Cooley" is a boring 'daddy' song, never is it explained who Cooley is, never is any point made at all. Very wordy and crumpled up, but at least the sound is different.
I think "WWOZ" is supposed to be a radio station, I don't know. A somewhat pleasant tune, with some carelessly plucked mandolin, very nonthreatening. And "At Ch.deGaulle, etc." is some kind of old-fashioned instrumental, followed by a nutty hidden track, sung badly in... French? I don't speak French. Maybe it's Polish. Whatever.
Anyway, I'm too dense to feel the magic in this album.
I don't really get it. It would be great, great music if it was more imaginative, if they put the same energy into the musical arrangements as they did into the lyrics.
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