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June 12-18, 2003 musicpicks Ed Harcourt
He knows the power of restraint. Whether uptempo or down, Ed Harcourt's best moments burn slowly into the mind, the way the photograph of an old lover smolders in a fireplace. The formula leaves little room for sticky hooks. But that's what makes From Every Sphere (Heavenly) so endearing. Once Harcourt flushes the sugar rush from his system in the first three tunes, waves of melancholy wash over gentle piano keys, muted horns, sweeping electronic textures and wisps of harmonica. Rays of light break the steady rain briefly as Harcourt weighs life over lost love. "It feels good watching the sun come up/ I can attack the day with the will to burn," Harcourt cries. The coup comes on the closer, a seven-minute piano melody cut with hushed vocals and spouts of synthesized steam. It's a bit much for one sitting, but the patient are rewarded with a work of understated beauty. Tue., June 17, 9 p.m., $14, with Sondre Lerche and Regina Spektor, The North Star, 2639 Poplar St., 215-684-0808. 
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