Music Millennium

Ezra Furman follows his ''layered, baroque pop melodrama'' (Billboard), Transangelic Exodus, with Twelve Nudes. Continuing on the same wavelength, this ''spiritually queer''punk record is both incendiary and inspiring. Across the album, Furman channels pent-up energy, distinguished by sharp, lacerating observations, confessions and proclamations. Twelve Nudes was recorded quickly in Oakland in the of Fall 2018 and was mixed by venerated producer John Congleton (Sharon Van Etten, St. Vincent). The result is less stereotypical punk and more raw, raucous rock'n'roll. The album has two spiritual heroes - the late great punk Jay Reatard and Canadian writer and philosopher Anne Carson. The title stems directly from Carson, who used the term ''nudes'' to describe the meditations she used to deal with intense pain in her life. Throughout Twelve Nudes, Furman uses both personal and outward experiences to communicate intense frustration.