5 ...according to our Clinton on 27 November 2006.
I have to admit I hated the Fiery Furnaces when they first came
out - I had them down as an obvious cash in on The White Stripes and
in the same bracket as The Kills & all the other boy/girl duo's. But one day
I read a review in the NME of their second album that gave it 1 out of 10 and
was fascinated as I thought they were the type of band NME would love. When I
listened to the album 'Blueberry Boat' I was blown away with its amazing
arrangements, bizzare narratives and incredible sprawl. There's so much ambition
and inventiveness even if it gets a tad wearing at times. So what do the Fiery
Furnaces do to follow this up? They record an album of duets with their
grandmother. This is not quite as odd as it sounds as said octogenarian is an ex
singer. The album manages to be both amazing and self indulgent beyond belief.
Opener 'The Garfield El' is just magnificent. A spiralling piano riff with the
wierd vocals of Olga Sarantos battling gamely with the much younger Eleanor
Friedberger. This song proves to be the most commercial moment on the record as
gradually the album spirals into an extraordinary mix of baroque
progressive pop and the type of twists and turns found in opera or in a
complicated musical. A very, very challenging listen but great when taken in
small doses. On Rough Trade.
Love this record? Hate it? Tell us.
What their label says...
1. The Garfield El 2. The Wayward Granddaughter 3. A Candymaker’s Knife in my Bag 4. We Wrote Letters Everyday 5. Forty-Eight Twenty-Three Twenty-Second Street 6. Guns Under The Counter 7. Seven Silver Curses 8. Though Let’s Be Fair 9. Slavin’ Away 10. Rehearsing My Choir 11. Does It Remind You of When?
