Artist: The Fiery Furnaces
Album: I'm Going Away
Year: 2009
Grade: 2.5 pretzels
Here’s what I know about the Fiery Furnaces: A) they’re a brother/sister act from New York, B) they’re a mainstay of the college radio/alternative indie rock scene and C) they have a reputation for being very, very weird. Like, recording-concept-albums-about-their-grandmother weird. Somehow, despite being one of those hip young college folks you hear so much about, I’ve never actually taken the time to listen to their music. I’ve heard the odd song here or there that has made me vaguely interested, but never enough to really hunt down one of their albums. So, with their seventh and latest album, I’m Going Away, arriving on shelves this month, I’m finally becoming acquainted with their music. And…well…despite never listening to their music before, I’m disappointed.
The Fiery Furnaces’ reputation promised me off-the-wall songwriting, quirky singing and unusual, jarring lyrics. I expected something challenging, something that might take a few listens to really wrap my head around. However, I’m Going Away gives me, well…fairly dull, ordinary lounge-y blues numbers, about the usual themes of broken romances and so forth. Mixed through all of this is an overwhelming sense of theatric showmanship, which makes these retro blues songs feel like a hell of a lot of posturing and acting on the part of the band. Perhaps it was wrong of me to listen to this album expecting something that would blow my fucking mind. However, at the very least, I was hoping for something a bit more lively than “The End Is Near”.
The Fiery Furnaces’ reputation promised me off-the-wall songwriting, quirky singing and unusual, jarring lyrics. I expected something challenging, something that might take a few listens to really wrap my head around. However, I’m Going Away gives me, well…fairly dull, ordinary lounge-y blues numbers, about the usual themes of broken romances and so forth. Mixed through all of this is an overwhelming sense of theatric showmanship, which makes these retro blues songs feel like a hell of a lot of posturing and acting on the part of the band. Perhaps it was wrong of me to listen to this album expecting something that would blow my fucking mind. However, at the very least, I was hoping for something a bit more lively than “The End Is Near”.
Listening to I’m Going Away has made me take a cursory listen through the band’s back catalogue through iTunes. Even with those brief thirty-second clips as my only examples, I can tell that this new album and its unremarkable straightforwardness is a departure for the band. Driven by siblings Matthew and Eleanor Friedberger, the band feels like they're intentionally restraining themselves from doing crazier things. While I can understand why a group might do something like that (angling for more mainstream appeal or just a desire to change things up), to a first-time listener like myself, this new material simply does not grab my attention. It’s bad when thirty-seconds of music on iTunes sounds more interesting than an entire fifty-minute album.
A couple songs on the album did jump out at me. “Staring At The Steeple” gains a lot of mileage with low, heavy piano clomping and lots of tension-filled electric guitar chords. Likewise, “Keep Me In Dark” finds a very enjoyable balance between some tense verses and a more upbeat chorus. While neither song is something I would describe as “spectacular,” both prove at least somewhat memorable. Sadly, the same cannot be said for the rest of the album. I’m Going Away just sounds like more overly earnest blues aping from alternative hipsters in New York. I’m glad this album has made me aware of the Fiery Furnaces’ music, but mostly because I’m more determined than ever to figure out why people have raved about them to me for years. Music like I’m Going Away surely can’t be the answer.
Please please listen to Bitter Tea. People's love/like of them will all make sense. This album though, ehh. I listened. Then I deleted it, because it disappointed me. Bleh.
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