Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Latest effort from Brother-Sister duo, July 14, 2009
My familiarity with this band had been cursory at best, but after hearing the album I really liked what I was hearing.
Yet it is the philosophy that drives the album that fascinates me. According to the record label, the album is influenced by the underlying power of story:
"All rock music is a sort of dramatic music. And since the times are tough, it makes sense to have that "drama" be something more like a version of Taxi than something like a version of Titanic. We like Taxi better than Titanic anyway. So we hope that some of the songs on this record can be used as theme songs to folk's own personal versions of Taxi."
That said, the album is cryptic, yet catchy. The lyrics are vague, but revolve around the common themes of love and loss, without ever seeming trite.
Musically it is standard garage-rock fare, though much more subdued than the White Stripes, to whom this brother-sister pair is often (and not wholly fairly) compared. Matt does branch out with some more experimental techniques in the second half of the album, which some listeners might find abrasive.
Eleanor's voice is perfect for this album, and even strays into some less orthodox rhythms on such tracks as "Charmaine Champaign."
Overall it receives 4 stars for its innovation and for being an all-in-all fun album to listen to.
[...]
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Their first disapointing album..., August 11, 2009
Let me preface this review by saying that the Fiery Furnaces are my favorite band. I love all seven of their previous albums. I've recommended them for years to bemused friends and bought their CDs as gifts for others. I had the privilege of seeing them in concert once. It is with great sadness, then, that I say that the new one is a stone-cold bore. I miss the synths and mellotron, the radical tempo shifts, the playful melodies, the whimsy... I also miss the melancholy. The Fiery Furnaces have always possessed great humor, but with a sad undercurrent: "Benton Harbor Blues," "Restorative Beer," "Police Sweater Blood Vow," "Chief Inspector Blancheflower," "1917," "Slavin' Away"... For me, nothing here is as emotionally resonant. I don't feel it. There aren't many interesting melodies (whereas on previous albums there were, like, three per song). Most of the time, Eleanor's vocal melody simply matches the melody line that Matt is playing on piano. There's a lot more repeating of lines and phrases here--to the point of annoyance. I didn't like, "She's gonna get me folked up, fairly beat," the first time I heard it, much less the 50th. This sounds like a band that is out of ideas. (I'm still in love with Matt's guitar playing, though!)
Whatever... They've made seven breathtakingly good albums in a row. Not many bands have matched that in rock history. They're entitled to a clunker. But it does hurt a little.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
As straight-forward as they've ever been... but still quirky, October 19, 2009
I've been a big fan of the Fiery Furnaces since their (mistitled) 2005 "EP" album and have been following the brother-sister act of Matthew and Eleanor Friedberger ever since, and it's been a dizzying up-and-down ride ever since, with lots of releases, some of them good, some of them not so good. I was not enthralled by their 2007 "Widow City" studio album, but loved their 2008 "Remember" sprawling live collection. Now comes the new album.
"I'm Going" (12 tracks; 47 min.) kicks off with the weirdish sounding title track, followed by an even stranger "Drive To Dallas" (with an ever-faster tempo towards the end), but pretty soon into album settles in and, get this, the band sounds as straight-forward indie-rock as they've ever been. "The End Is Near" is a pensive song, "Cut the Cake" strolls along merrily, "Even In the Rain" (one of my favorite tracks on here) is a pop-sounding track (complete with hand-clapping). Piano is noticeably present in many of the songs, such as "Staring At the Steeple", which kicks off the second half of the album, and "Lost At Sea". The 6+ min. closer "Take Me Around Again" sums up the album perfectly. In all, quite a departure from previous outings (surprise!), but with plenty of quirky moments to remind you that this is the Fiery Furnaces. One last point: the CD inner sleeve contains the lyrics to the songs, but alas, they are printed so small, they are nigh-impossible to read.
I saw the Fiery Furnaces again in concert just this August here in Cincinnati, and they brought many of the songs from this album, sounding much harder/rockier than what you hear on the album. Great, great set. THey never disappoint live. Finally, if you wonder where you can hear this band, check out WOXY (BAM! The Future of Rock and Roll), the internet-only station that brings the best indie-rock in the country, bar none.
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