Mysterious Power

Ezra Furman’s rowdy and brilliant Mysterious Power, written before their breakthrough to bigger audiences in the late 2010’s, showcases all of this songwriter’s many good sides: self-immolating punk-rock performance (“I Killed Myself But I Didn’t Die”), deft fusions of the Hebrew Bible and the Clash (“Hard Time In a Terrible Land”), and bona-fide craftsmanship (“Wild Feeling”). This record in particular showcases Furman’s ability to combine a sense of heritage, a freewheeling and original voice, and show-stealing delivery.