Customer Reviews

Widow City

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This album has completely exceeded all expectations. My background with this band is: Gallowsbirds Bark: LOVE IT, EP: LOVE IT, Blueberry Boat: HATE IT, Bitter Tea: LUKEWARM, Grandma Album: NEVER HEARD IT.

Here I was hoping for a return to the more straightforward and rocking Gallowsbirds Bark/EP type of stuff, but this is even better... they've somehow managed to take all of the freaky weird prog stuff, meld it with some dirty guitar and raw banging drums, and produced this: an endless cornucopia of tweaked-out curio that walks the perfect line between out there and in there. The weirdness has now been taken to a whole new level. Like Michael Jackson surpasses the bad barrier to become good again, the Fiery Furnaces have surpassed the weird barrier to become... Im not sure, but it just seems a LOT more palatable now.

It probably has to do with the guitar: Bitter Tea suffered from a lack of it. They also seem to have gotten a better grip on song lengths: both Bitter Tea and Blueberry Boat suffered from songs that went on at least 2 or 3 minutes too long. The genre hopping is still intact, but it's way more fun this time around: at points, Widow City almost sounds like Ween cubed, complete with kooky slowed-down vocals (but less the overuse of backwards ones, thankfully).

One thing I disagree with that I've read in other reviews is that this album should be enjoyed in small doses. NO WAY! To me, this needs to be listened to in its entirety, preferably on a good set of headphones. The centerpiece as I hear it is "Navy Nurse", it builds up to that point, and then the chorus kicks in and it's pure bliss. Right there it just smacks you over the head how sweet this stuff is, and that's not to say that "Navy Nurse" is the best song... in fact, there really isn't a weak song to be found here.

My only complaint with Widow City is the way it ends. The abrupt ending doesn't work for me here.... a drawn out chord would have been better, allowing a few seconds to digest this aural feast.

I love these guys. It's so awesome to have a band working in the rock idiom and yet bringing so much of their own thing to it. They take some unbelievable risks that aren't always entirely successful (e.g. grandma) but when they do the payoff is well worth it. 'Widow City' is the Fiery Furnaces album I've been waiting for. It captures the heavy rock sound of their live shows, mixes in the resourceful sonic exploration of their studio work and applies it to some fantastic new material. It's a wonderful record, albeit a demanding one. Such a dense piece of work, you might feel like you've gotten the point by the middle. Just give it a rest, go outside and listen to the birds chirp for awhile, and then come back and start from where you left off. Don't give up on it until you've given the Zeppelin stomp of "Navy Nurse" or the Beatles via Mutantes "Restorative Beer" a chance to sink in. Definitely some of their absolute best material. And of course it's always a pleasure to hear Eleanor Friedberger's singing. I don't know how she pulls off some of the phrasing her brother throws at her. Her decidedly unfashionable (i.e. un-Feisty) vocals aren't going be heard in any ipod commercials anytime soon, but she's capable of some really challenging and truly beautiful work. I'm just so happy a record like this came about. It's so easy to get down on music in general these days (Britney this, RIAA that) but this album (for me at least) is a real affirmation of how great rock music has been and continues to be.

I can't help but be surprised by these guys at every album they release and they release so many. Matthew Friedberger even has a few solo releases that are even nuttier. They are one of the most original and interesting groups making music today. Because you can't pin them down, you can't describe them to people you just have to force them to listen. Even turned down low so you can talk to people in the car, you can't but help hear amazing changes, quick piano bits, a hard rockout guitar riff or a crazy bass driven melodic rhythm. Eleanor really has a unique voice and just floats through every track, driven by whatever it is that motivates her and I'm sure it's something no one can now but her and her talented brother, Matthew
I really like the EP album and Bluberry Boat a lot but this, I think the more I hear it sticks with me. They've found a wonderful new creative level and I hope they never stop making records cause I'll surely have to keep buying them, just like a tv show you just have to know where it's going, the same with them, I can't wait to see what they do next.

This is a very entertaining and enjoyable album. Those complaining about the state of the music industry need to disregard top 40 music and look elsewhere. The new releases by Iron And Wine (The Shepherd's Dog) and Devendra Banhart (Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon), as well as The Church's Uninvited Like The Clouds are also excellent, beautiful pieces of art.

Frank Zappa would have liked the Fiery Furnaces. Not because they particularly sound like Zappa, but because their approach is similar to his. Unfortunately, they have the same effect that Zappa has on me: that it's a big, clever, inside joke, and I don't get it. I don't dispute the artistry, but in the end, it just sounds like a disjointed batch of weirdness created by talented people who could probably create something more coherent and just as artistic, if they wanted to. Anyway, those who "get it" tend to love it, so your mileage may vary.

When I first heard the Fiery Furnaces, I wasn't sure what to make of them. I definitely found them to be creative and original, but I found some of their songs annoying. But I am addicted to this album and find myself revisiting previous albums and now I have thier whole collection. I think this album is superior to Bitter Tea, because it seems more focused. Also, it has many elements that appeal to my taste: progressive rock, melody, unpredictability, and overall weirdness. Great album from one of the most original bands of the 2000's.

I obsessively listen to a LOT of music, and while I won't tell you this is the absolute BEST album I've heard in several years, I will say I haven't gotten THIS excited about music in quite a long while.

WIDOW CITY melds breathtaking melodicism on par with The Beatles to a dazzling array of musical styles and instruments which can shift as abruptly as spinning a radio dial. This is demonstrated beautifully in the mind-blowingly fantastic opening song "The Philadelphia Grand Jury" whose quirky guitar plinks suddenly segue into a sweet "Band On The Run"-esque guitar interlude - and that's just the beginning. Vocalist Eleanor Friedberger forces a fake smile in the face of a near certain guilty verdict from the jury in question despite bribery attempts. The song is a whimsical aural delight.

From then on, the album veers from tuneful pop to alt-fuzz riffs a la Flaming Lips to astounding Captain Beefheart flights of fancy, jazzy freakouts, dissonance, heavy-metalish thundering and back to bouncy New Wave ear candy. The wonderful songwriting mixed with fearless experimentalism is striking. Sometimes the music can be rather jarring but but if you like unique, challenging music you'll probably appreciate it. Perhaps the most exciting thing about this album is its almost literary quality. The most expressive song techniques found on Broadway are fully evident in the way these fantastic lyrics are complimented by the music. I would say this is likely some of the coolest, most intelligent pop music you'll ever come across. Highly, highly recommended!

Update - this is by far the best album I've heard from this group. Many of the other ones are strange, interesting experiments but the songs in general aren't nearly as good. They really galvanized their talents and brought them all together on WIDOW CITY.

I love this band, and I love all of their CD's, however, this one tops the rest! The songs flow together from start to finish, medley style in some instances. This brother/sister duo just keeps getting better. If you like the Fiery furnaces, you will NEED this CD. The Philadelphia grand jury & Clear signal from Cairo are genius.

The Fiery Furnaces are a challenging band. When I saw them this past summer prior to the release of Widow City, they played mostly tracks off the album and I was pretty indifferent to the performance. Their appeared to be a lack of intimacy as they have transformed from a family affair into a full fledged rock outfit. Their music has always been full (a hair away from overly dense), but the multiple percussionists and schizophrenia that ensued left me shaken yet curious.

I picked up the album a few weeks later and like all Fiery Furnaces albums, disliked it at first but have grown to love it. It is often dangerous when a band sets forth a challenging path from its outset, as they may unknowingly feel obligated to push their music too far. These were my initial thoughts upon hearing some overly erratic changes (for once I felt their changes were too abrupt/angular), spoken lyrics, and sometimes weaker melodies (i.e. the verse of Duplexes of the Dead when the melody shifts).

As most others will likely attest, "Navy Nurse" is the song that brings the album back into a favorable light and is a good starting point if you're finding the album difficult to enjoy. It's pretty easy to love. I do feel like there are some weaker tracks on the way("Clear Signal from Cairo") and weaker lyrics ("And I went so far as to sacrifice a second snake to Zeus" in Ex-Guru) that through multiple listens turn good songs bad. Since Blueberry Boat I've had pretty high expectations for the band and I feel that if select tracks/melodies on this album were eliminated it could have been a lot stronger.

In summary, the core of the furnaces still remains. However, the consistent tension in Eleanor's voice as it often struggles to find a niche within the music reflects that they're just barely in control. Sort of like a car barrelling wildly and over-righting itself. At the same time I'm confident they won't slam into the cement column around the next bend.

i heard about the fiery furnaces through npr's "fresh air" review of "widow city". before getting this however i picked up both "blueberry boat" and "bitter tea". great stuff and this more of the same but with some of the more random sounds found on those two records being kept more under control. like the other two, the lyrics are completely off the wall but the melodies that anchor them are what makes them so great. i guess you could also say that "widow city" is more catchy than both "BB" and "BT". i don't know if i really have any favorites but "navy nurse", "restorative beer", "ex guru", "clear signal from cairo", "pa.grand jury" and the title track seem to get stuck in my head the most since getting this a week ago. i also recently acquired some live recordings of this material and it's just as tight as the record as well as more rocking; along with matt and eleanor there is bass and drums to help fill out the sound. since i'm hooked on the furnaces now, i'll probably go back and get the other records, although i hear that "rehearsing my choir" is a bit tough to take. anyhow, i highly recommend "widow city"!