Perpetual Motion People

Had I not been so short of funds in 2015, I'd have bought Perpetual Motion People as soon as it came out. I was already a fan of Furman's previous album Day of the Dog, and liked what I'd heard of the new one. I ended up acquiring it a few years later, having perhaps left it a little too long, my enthusiasms having drifted off to one side in the meantime. Still, it is a very good record, and a good-looking one on clear blue vinyl.

It feels like a continuation of Day of the Dog, with the same '50s rock'n'roll ingredients, garnished with Tim Sandusky's contributions on saxophone: Sandusky produced both records too. A gifted lyricist, Furman delivers her well-turned words with a fervent sincerity. Among the songs, I'm fondest of are 'Lousy Connection', 'Haunted Head', 'Ordinary Life' and 'Body Was Made'. 'Pot Holes' is fun, too.

Furman writes a good sleeve-note, and Perpetual Motion People comes with a veritable essay, in which a period of crisis in the singer's early 20s is recounted and her growing dissatisfaction with masculinity & gender conformity is explained. The latter point is also made, of course, by the front cover photo. I've never seen the TV show Sex Education, but I'm delighted its makers' use of Furman's songs in several shows has brought her music to a wider audience.

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