The Fiery Furnaces "Blueberry Boat"

I always get really excited when a band releases a new album within a year of their last one. It shows they're thinking on their feet.

The first person to email me who wants to see the Fiery Furnaces show tomorrow night at North Six and a) lives in the NYC area and b) can get to the venue by 9 PM will get ONE free ticket. Please email fluxequalsrad @ hotmail.com

if you see her, tell the girl that I'm still in love w/ her, please, jody.

will do.

speech!

thanks matthew! u r teh roxor.

Good. Post-punk three-piece... great live show. Good dressers.

The ticket is still available.

My thoughts are here.

Also, it was very nice seeing Jody and Matthew at the show. ILXors hail!

Gallowsbird's Bark was my third favorite record of last year and the Fiery Furnaces themselves intrigue me more than just about any other band out there right now. If only spiritually, Eleanor and Matt Friedberger are the Becker and Fagen of their day. "Literate," yeah, perfectionist, fine, but they also crackle with a cryptic synchronicity that excludes the rest of the world from ever really knowing their thought processes or motivations.

You wanna crack them open because what's inside has gotta be pretty interesting, this brother and sister whose shy bedroom geekiness often careens into controlled crank-mania and near-autistic strings of information, strings of words, strings of notes, free associations. But it's not cold and distant, it's warm and funny and a little vulnerable too, guardedly emotional.

Seeing them live drives all this home. There's a keyboardist/bass player and a drummer too, and they're doing very well holding down the insanely difficult parts they've had to learn for the stage show (95 percent of the live arrangements are different from what's on record), and it reminds me of the Magic Band guys being forced under great duress to learn whatever crazy shit Beefheart threw at them, or the orchestra backing Laura Nyro on the Eli/Tendaberry dates, working overtime overdubbing parts that would match Nyro's rhythmically erratic voice-and-piano takes. Except it's not one spastic genius -- it's two, two siblings with a bizarre telepathy that I can detect when I watch them nail all their cues, their entrances, endings, changes, without even looking at each other more than a couple of times in the whole set. As good as the other musicians were last night (compared to reports of shows where they seemed lost and out of their depth), it was all about keeping up with the Friedbergers.

The set was a trial run for a lot of new songs (from their forthcoming Blueberry Boat, the "alienating second album" where they add some Soft Machine to their Suicide, throw some languid space-prog on that scatty E Street jingle-jangle, and float their Hot Wheels canoe farther east on the world atlas). Seeing how little equipment there actually is on stage (basically the bare bones of what any touring band carries around, give or take a Rhodes piano), it makes sense that the Fiery Furnaces' live arrangements are so different; they go at the material all minimal and full-throttle and it's baffling and hard to follow sometimes (let's say Eleanor is singing with her only backup being Matt barfing out relentless repetitive wah-drunk patterns on his Telecaster; as an art-punk experiment it's fun but there were some words on Gallowsbird's Bark that really benefitted from having a chord supporting them, giving them the necessary phrasing, gravity, etc, and this is one of the most cool things songwriting does and when it's not there I kinda miss it).

But the new songs came off wonderfully. I love their voices, and I love their voices on these songs. They enunciate so you can hear what they're singing, but they don't get too cutesy about it, like "here's the part where you're supposed to find all this terribly poignant/riotously funny," the way some jazz singers do. The lyrics could ostensibly speak for themselves, but there's so much scrappy port-city character in Eleanor and Matt's singing that it's delightful to hear those voices and those words in tandem. And the pacing of the show didn't restrict this at all. In a way, it tested it. It's there, all right.

For those interested in decoding the setlist Jody posted, here's the song order with full titles and the songs which were left out:

main set: I Lost My Dog / Broke Mind* --> Spaniolated --> Single* / South Is Only A Home --> Quay Cur (only the first section) --> Bow Wow --> Inspector Blancheflower (only middle section) --> Don't Dance Her Down / Inca Rag/Name Game / Up In The North / Worry Worry / I'm Gonna Run --> Leaky Tunnel --> Blueberry Boat (only middle and final sections) --> Asthma Attack / Crystal Clear / Tropical Ice-Land
encore: Two Fat Feet (Matt & Eleanor only) / Bright Blue Tie (Matt & Eleanor only) / Chris Michaels / Rub Alcohol Blues (Matt & Eleanor only) (* = non-Blueberry Boat new song, probably on album #3)

And wait, aren't you the guy who loved the Prosaics? Those guys were the dullest, most imagination-free band that I've seen in a long time. If guitars had presets like keyboards and drums machines, they'd have the whole show on "moderate post-punk." The singer was godawful, it was all too emo and drab, just an alarming lack of creativity. It was quite a contrast with the FF, for sure. The Prosaics should just change their name to Emopol and be done with it.

I can't argue about them wearing nice clothes, but whatever. I saw the drummer in his nice suit hop on his Vespa and drive off after the show.

The Fiery Furnaces looked nice, but nondescript. Matt cut his hair since the last time I saw them in November.

Now, however, it's totally my comfort choice album of the moment, as well as being at the top of any list I am going to write, and as I do not make many lists - merely one which is titled "best things ever", which consists of entirely one entry - this is very good indeed. Yes.

I can see why people might be put off by the album, but... I don't care. And anyway, there'll be another couple along soon that they might like. Ah gosh, I like having a new favourite band. Especially when it isn't the Hives.

That's a really bad joke.

I really like this album. It's cool. challenge-haters and idea-haters were made to hate this album. it's really good though. of course Christgau is gonna hate it cuz he would have to listen to it more than once to appreciate it, and he's got, like, 50 albums a day to get through.

just listened to this again to see whether it's lost the initial magic

it hasn't. i may be southall's padawan but i'm definitely off-message as far as this lot are concerned. in fact, loads of people (my dad included) have just LOATHED this music out of hand. i can see why. it requires a certain degree of mental sacrifice and acceptance to integrate with, a degree which people might not be willing to bestow.

bitter tea's a joy as well.

Oh GOD I LOVE this album. I should really get around to Bitter Tea, and rehearsing my Choir.

rehearsing my choir is beyond even MY corny indie fuxxxxxorness. i hope to 'get' it eventually. there are moments of brilliance, mind.

fuxxxxxorness?

Anyway, anything that gets such a crap review on Pitchfork is something I want to like.

you and I BOTH know that that 4.0 was payback for chris dahlen's 9.6 + 8.9 double-smash combination, it all evens out in the end

See, I hate that attitude. Pitchfork are always at that shit. Remember when they gave Vespertine a pretty average score cos it wasn't Homogenic? You actually had to read the Homogenic review to know what he was on about.

Produced by Matthew Friedberger over one very snowy, cold winter by Lake Michigan, engineered by Bill Skibbe and Jessica Ruffins, and mixed by John McEntire at Soma Studios in Chicago, Widow City includes the band’s first time use of the Chamberlain, a keyboard that triggers tapes loops of other instruments to create its library of sounds. The Chamberlain acts as the sole source of strings, woodwinds and harp sounds found on Widow City, and, as such, the sounds on the tapes are widows in relation to their long lost Husband recorded performances, living on and on, dressed in the audio black that is the lack of high end on these analog tapes. This idea is important to note on this recording, an LP where loss mingles with love, where husbands sit still on their honeymoon, where gurus are shunned, where words of affection are too faint to ever be carried by the winds of Cairo and more. When playing live, the band deconstructs the form of the songs on their records and reconstructs them anew for each tour; A similar approach was taken to Widow City as a whole, both within individual songs and as a linear narrative throughout the album. The overall arc of the songs as a group, as well as the transitions between songs (sometimes completely seamless), is definitely intended. Like past recordings, multi-instrumentalist Matthew plays everything on this record except the drums (played by Robert D’Amico, an essential part of the band’s live show for the last two years). The songs were inspired in part by advertisements from women’s magazines of the early 70’s, an imagined Ouija board by which Matthew might ascertain what his sister would want him to write about, and the cultural pages of alternative lifestyle weekly papers, or not. But of course, like all things The Fiery Furnaces create, to think these three elements are literally all there is to these songs and lyrics would be incredibly short-sighted. These references are the jumping off points; ultimately, the songs take us on their own journeys, through “duplexes of the dead” and “woods without berries,” to places where guitars flicker through sinewy keyboards. We’re moved by some of the deepest, head-nodding grooves found on any Fiery Furnaces album, punctuated by some of the most tempestuous musical storms found on any Fiery Furnaces album. “Ex-Guru” shimmers with one of the Furnaces’ most scintillating choruses, while “Restorative Beer” reverberates with bluesy guitar stabs contrasting the crashing cymbals that weave with the lead organ line. “Clear Signal from Cairo” is meditative and bass-heavy, and title track “Widow City” is a ballad infused with a nautical air through the instruments tipping from one side of the verse to the other. Widow City’s songs are precise, chaotic, and absolutely genius, anchored by some of Eleanor’s strongest vocal performances ever recorded (see “My Egyptian Grammar” for an idea of her range). Once you hear this record, we absolutely believe that you’ll be hard-pressed to find another album this fall as compelling, beautiful, strange, dense and magical as this one. Widow City is musical terrain entirely of their own making, and from a band as extraordinary and original as The Fiery Furnaces, we would expect nothing less.

Ooh, John McEntire.

a keyboard that triggers tapes loops of other instruments to create its library of sounds

disco inferno alert! maybe we can convert ned and southall after all

first album on thrill jockey too. i like that cuz i can always find thrill jockey vinyl easily. i will buy this just based on how much i liked blueberry boat. bitter tea i liked too but not so much that i kept listening to it that much.

Oh, Thrill Jockey. They make more sense on Thrill Jockey somehow. I mean, Rough Trade? I suppose GallowsbirdsBark was a bit NEWROCKREVOLUTION but then....

For all the talk of tape loops, deconstruction, beauty, strangeness, density, magic, etc., I'd be much more excited if it mentioned something about giving Eleanor another note to sing for her melody lines.

some of Eleanor’s strongest vocal performances ever recorded (see “My Egyptian Grammar” for an idea of her range).

It's hard to tell if that means melodic range, or her emotional range as she sings the same two notes over and over and over again.

There's truth in that. Still it works most of the time. It may be all she can do. So long as he keeps his singing to a minimum it's fine.

I've long since disposed of Blueberry Boat. Total bag of shite.

you have this uncanny knack of appearing just before I arrive, southall. is this the record on which we disagree most?

Probably not.

here's an album that's a perfect advertisement for 'too bloody long'. this thing should be half the length. seriously, i don't have time for 9 minute songs when the music is this twee

I rediscovered it recently and love the Dr. Seuss silliness of the lyrics.

I rediscovered it recently and love the Dr. Seuss silliness of the lyrics.

At least those that aren't lifted from Pynchon.

'chris michaels' is great actually. i partially withdraw what i said earlier. though not everything.

Widow City sounds great, compared to the double M. Friedberger, which had its interesting moments but is a real chore to listen to.

rehearsing my choir is beyond even MY corny indie fuxxxxxorness. i hope to 'get' it eventually. there are moments of brilliance, mind.

Rehearsing my Choir is easily the Furnaces' finest moment - and I don't expect it to be topped any time soon (though I will give Widow City a chance - even though I found long stretches of Bitter Tea somewhat tedious).

I'd be much more excited if it mentioned something about giving Eleanor another note to sing for her melody lines

Very OTM

just listened to this again to see whether it's lost the initial magic

Any time I see this kinda sentiment, I know it's sure to be crap.

disco inferno didnt use tape loops of instruments; they used midi guitar and drum interfaces to trigger found sounds as well as the occasional harp

hmm, did i really need that semicolon

Any time I see this kinda sentiment, I know it's sure to be crap.

maybe, smartass, i hadn't listened to the album in about 6 or 7 months, and didn't have especially fond memories of the last time. i was pleasantly surprised!

anyone else think this is the first reactionary FF album?
or is this return to (albeit shorter) blueberry boatish pop just the band coming full circle?

also there is way too much talking eleanor for my taste i think.

One of the guys I went to high school with was really into the Soft Machine. He loved (well, still does!) all that avant-garde stuff that major rockers managed to get released in the late 60s/early 70s - Thunderclap Newman, Harrison's Wonderwall/Electronic Sound/etc. His folks were musical too, but from the American Songbook tradition - so you see where this is all going to end up. Thought of him while listening to Blueberry Boat now.

Album is great and still feels like it's pushing forward. Wonder if they watched the Monkees' Head much? The wilder shifts reminds me of Head and the Monkees had that American Songbook element too. Monkees probably secret influence on everything.

still one of my very favorite 00's records

Just noticed that FF has the Blueberry Boat lyric book back in print:

https://thefieryfurnaces.bandcamp.com/merch/blueberry-boat-book

I'm tempted. Matthew has the same regard as me for bad translation engines