The Fiery Furnaces
I’m Going Away

Thrill Jockey
out July 21st

[82]
[Rating Scale]

[rating:82/100]
I’m going to level with you here: I haven’t heard much by The Fiery Furnaces. To be precise, I’ve listened to their fifth album, Bitter Tea, once or twice, and that was enough. If you’re like me – someone who appreciates a solid tune that has some semblance of a melody and structure; someone who, without fail, skips “Revolution 9” in favour of the less grating sound of “Good Night” – Bitter Tea is a challenging listen. It doesn’t instantly become your new favourite record in the manner of Passion Pit’s debut album, nor does it grow on you slowly, like Two Suns does. In truth, Bitter Tea demands active dissection, as its repeated use of backmasking and its generally chaotic nature obscure all that is good about the album, such as Eleanor Friedberger’s genteel voice and the gorgeous “Police Sweater Blood Vow”. As that track’s title would suggest, it’s as if The Fiery Furnaces aspire to being weird for weird’s sake – and Bitter Tea is ostensibly one of their most pop-y releases. Consequently, I was relieved to discover that their latest album, I’m Going Away, is much easier on the ears. The tracks are concise and harmonious, the flow between them is logical, and there are no hidden backwards messages: something I always consider to be a plus.

This is a new direction for the brother and sister duo (for reals, this time; thanks for nothing, Jack and Meg), and their new style is one that evades description. The twelve songs of I’m Going Away touch upon moments of baroque pop, country, folk, blues, jazz and even honky-tonk piano, but somehow, they combine to make a cohesive whole. Continue reading →