Thursday, November 9, 1995
Better than Ezra
by Joe Ryan
Collegian Staff
Better than Ezra’s 1995 release,
Deluxe has been named the 1995
College Album of the Year and
for good reason.
The slower rock sounds of this
album can trace their origins to
other college music gods like
R.E.M. and Smashing
Pumpkins, who surely provided
the inspiration for this New
Orleans trio.
Most of the sounds put forth
by this album are slower paced
guitar with some faster innuendos
to spice up the refrains.
llte mesmerizing vocals of lead
singer and guitarist Kevin Griffin
have a certain uniqueness that is
sure to attract. His voice is at
time overpowering and then
changes fluently to a slow and
mellow timbre that allows the
music itself to work its magic.
The instrumental
accompaniment of this album
works well. The subtle changes
of pace are well-timed and
consistent with the vocals and the
vibe which the music is putting
out.
Tom Drummond’s bass on the
album is remnant of the group
Primus in that it is overpowering
and provides something more
than simply the backbone of the
music.
The first release spawned of the
album was the song “Good”.
The song is fast paced and sounds
like something by Rancid on
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depressants. It is also the only
song to really make use of the
grunge pedal.
This song quickly gained
notoriety with its catchy refrain
“Ah-huh, it was good living with
you.”
With its vocal and intellectual
references to Beavis and Butthead,
it quickly gained frequent airplay
on MTV as a “Buzz Clip”, but
not before college radio stations
all over the country had
discovered it and made it a regular
on the rotation list.
It wasn’t until the band’s
second single, “In the Blood,”
that we get to see the sensitive
side of the band which dominates
the rest of the album. The song
tells the sad tale of a
misunderstood deaf boy who has
trouble communicating with
others, and thus introverts
himself to prevent future
humiliation.
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: College album of 1995
The song hasn’t been as
successful on MTV, making
appearances only on Kennedy’s
Alternative Nation, but it has
proven quite popular on the radio.
The album sets its own
pace and expresses
itself in its own manner.
The slower rock sounds
can trace their origins to
other college music
gods like R.E.M. and
Smashing Pumpkins.
The video is a true mirror’s
reflection of the song itself with
graphic images such as a boy
trying to'understand why his
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mother is yelling at him, and
later finding only more self
anguish when he realizes that his
handicap will prevent him from
ever becoming a norm' child.
This song has quickly become
a favorite of all types of radio
stations. Even bubbly, top-forty
radio stations like Jet 102.3 have
given it plenty of airplay.
For the most pan, this is a
slow and reflective album which
can both inspire and rock at once.
1 must caul ion, however, that
this album may not appeal to all
listeners.
The album is, for the most
part, not a hard-rocking display of
grunge pedals and whammy-bars.
It is an album that sets its own
pace and expresses itself in its
own manner.
I love the way this group
brings together such diverse
sounds as violins and mandolins
with the traditional guitar.
Even without such
extraordinarily beguiling rhythm
and sound, I’d still recommend
this album simply for its artistic
aperture. I definitely recommend
you to check it out.
If you go to the Millcrcek
Mall, you can get it on the guilt
free wall and return it if you don’t
like it, after copying it of course.
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