eztv: calling out

It wouldn't be entirely accurate to say that EZTV met while trying out for J. Spaceman's latest US touring line-up of Spiritualized, but it's not far from the truth. Songwriter Ezra Tenenbaum had been casually working on solo home recordings in the vein of Shoes, Emitt Rhodes and Cleaners For Venus, and, in a desire to round things out, he enlisted bassist Shane O'Connell and drummer Michael Stasiak (formerly of Widowspeak). As it happened, the trio's first chance to play together was an audition for the American touring version of Spiritualized (they didn't get the job). But, the trio kept meeting and working, turning Ezra recording as a solo artist into Ezra, Shane and Michael playing as a band; thus, EZTV was formed. With Jarvis Taveniere (Woods) onboard to produce, the band headed to Thump Studios in Brooklyn to record their debut LP. The result is Calling Out, a cohesive 12-song statement in the long tradition of fully realized debuts, stripped of artifice, but full of hooks and songwriting chops. With one foot firmly planted in classic American power-pop and college rock while the other utilizes more left-of-the-dial sonic experimentation, the result is a sound that's both familiar and new, but always about the songs.