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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. There is a prevailing air of sunny, Seventies piano pop to the album, and indeed, in their press release, the Friedbergers describe it as being dramatic in the way that 1970s sitcom Taxi was dramatic. Certainly, with its fidgety pace, storytelling lyrics, and recurring themes, I’m Going Away has the air of an insular melodrama. It opens with its title track, a traditional tune arranged by the Friedbergers. It’s bluesy and agitated, veering to and from a churning, distorted bassline to a tinkling cascade of percussion and jazzy rhythm guitar, while Eleanor provides a veritable storm of vocals. Following such a frantic opener, “Drive to Dallas” comes as a relief: it has a laidback, folk-country ballad vibe to it that’s reminiscent of early Rilo Kiley, right up until the frenzied guitar solo halfway through.
[audio=http://pmatunes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/01-im-going-away.mp3,The Fiery Furnaces - I'm Going Away]
[audio=http://pmatunes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/02-drive-to-dallas.mp3,The Fiery Furnaces - Drive To Dallas]
This creation and subsequent release of tension features in much of I’m Going Away, and indeed, the album’s success stems from this back-and-forth motion between textures, tempos and dynamics. Fast songs lead into slow songs, and vice versa. In places, there is even contrast between lyrics and instrumentation: the despondent narratives of “Lost at Sea” and “The End is Near” are belied by their perky melodies. The latter opens like Carole King’s “So Far Away”, and indeed, Eleanor shares her smooth, mature tone. This song – one of the best on the album, in my estimation – allows Eleanor to explore the more emotive qualities of her voice, which are often lost to the typically frenetic pace of The Fiery Furnaces’ work, while Matthew Friedberger’s understated vocal performance anchors his sister’s.
[audio=http://pmatunes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/10-lost-at-sea.mp3,The Fiery Furnaces - Lost at Sea]
[audio=http://pmatunes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/03-the-end-is-near.mp3,The Fiery Furnaces - The End Is Near]
2009 has been a great musical year: Animal Collective, Bat for Lashes, La Roux, Passion Pit, Grizzly Bear, Little Boots and Phoenix have released stellar albums, and it’s still only June. Subsequently, I sense that when it comes to the time for us to order our favourites, it’s unlikely that such a low-key work as I’m Going Away will make an appearance in many Top 10 lists. That said, I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see it rank among the Top 20. With this album, The Fiery Furnaces have abandoned the eccentricities that made their previous releases so inaccessible, and tapped into their inner pop sensibilities – and the result sits so much better with me than Bitter Tea did.
To enter to win a copy of The Fiery Furnaces’ I’m Going Away, leave a comment with your thoughts on the tracks you’ve just sampled, The Fiery Furnaces, or (if you’ve listened to it) the album. Make sure you leave your name/email address in the provided fields! Entries will be accepted until July 14th
by on July 4, 2009 ‡ 0 reactions
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{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
great review Elle! I’ve mainly just been listening to the first 5 or so songs. i’ll give it a much more focussed listen now
I love the energy in the first one.
I feel like this review says it all.
i can’t figure out why i never really listened to this band before this. wonderful tracks.
If you have no idea what the rest of the Fiery Furnaces’ discography is like, and if the best examples of opposite musical poles you can offer is Passion Pit’s debut and Bat For Lashes’ second album, my guess is you had no business reviewing this album.
Thanks for expressing your opinion Sam. Of course I can only review an album according to my own musical background – and the references to Passion Pit and Bat for Lashes were to give two examples of albums I’ve recently listened to that affected me in different ways.. never mind! I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on the album.
I have heard the album and I must say that I was extremely surprised, being an avid FF fan for a few years now, at the style of the album. Yeah, the album is more straightforward, but I feel that Matt and Eleanor have really keyed in on their pop sensibilities and constructed a really fun, warm album. There is no lack of melody (see: Cut the Cake, Ray Bouvier, Lost At Sea, slow parts of Dallas), pop hooks (Charmaine Champagne, Keep Me in the Dark, Take Me Round Again) or even the harsh, frenetic sound that has encompassed some of their earlier work (Staring at the Steeple, fast parts of Dallas). Even with this seemingly new sense of pop – though most long-time fans know this has always been there – the quirks are still there, albeit a bit more subtle. Take, the ‘off-tune’ sound of some of the guitar work in Dallas, Steeple, or Ray Bouvier. The quirky lyrics are there still too, though many songs are much more straightforward, such as those of songs such as Sing For Me. Eleanor’s voice is as good as ever and Matt finally steps forward with some vocals of his own, which we haven’t heard for awhile now, and his dryness compliments her sweet, deep tone well.
Though I’m Going Away isn’t my favorite Fiery Furnaces album…..or second…..or even third, this album is a great culmination of much of their earlier work and certainly ranks among the top albums of the year.
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I’m still trying to wrap my brain around Bitter Tea so I’m good for now, but that first track sounds great. Wouldn’t mind winning a free copy.
Loving this. Just found PMA a week or two ago and haven’t listened to so much new, good music in years. Keep it up. Would lobe this album. (typo kept for the image of an ear overtaking an LP)
Songs are fantastic. I’m Going Away has a great 90′s punk sound, with a road trip feel. Drive to Dallas has a 20′s club vibe, and is probably the best of the four. Wonderful selection of songs, should be a great album.
i absolutely love these tracks! they are so fun and energetic. i can’t wait to get the new album, it would be especially fantastic to win one.
I’m absolutely loving “Drive to Dallas” and “Lost at Sea.” It’s shaping up to be really good I think…
I always thought Bitter Tea had some wonderful moments, although it’s not the album I immediately reach for when I’m in the mood for the furnaces (I’ll go for Blueberry Boat or Widow City). At the very least, you have to fall in love with “Benton Harbor Blues.” I think that’s still my favorite song of theirs – “I thought of the ways that I’ve broke my own heart?” That line destroys me nearly every time.
I’m definitely looking forward to hearing the album in its entirety though…sign me up to win!
bitter tea is the fiery furnaces’s best record and ultimately the most radical album the band has done so far (yes, even more radical than ‘rehearshing my choir’). i’d go so far as to saying that record is the best one released this decade, although that position is slightly controversial. but then again, i like chaos and the furnaces’ first four records (excluding the very good e.p.) is full of it.
widow city (2007) marks a transitional phase within the band, as if bitter tea had simply ended the furnaces’ most experimental phase and opened a second one. i loved widow city and it had to grow on me for a bit, however the record probably could have been shorter. still liked it alot though, because the furnaces still sounded like that. i think the friedberger siblings took the negative reviews of widow city (the fact it was too long) into consideration and decided to make i’m going away.
i have to admit, i don’t like the sound of the end is near, but i do rather enjoy i’m going away (it sounds reminiscent of ‘frownland’ by the great captain beefheart) and drive to dallas just builds up to a great climax. lost at sea has some nice chords and i think these songs, despite the fact they do sound more like pop tunes, still retain at least some of the furnaces’ experimental impulses…which i like.
but unlike the other furnaces records, i don’t expect i’m going away to be the best of the year. i expect it to be more of a bunt rather than a grand slam. hopefully, this is the calm before the storm and they’ll start making some more wild music again. i’ve maintained this position before: if any band is capable of making one of the best records of rock and roll, it’s the furnaces. while i do consider bitter tea as their finest moment and a great record, i’m still waiting for one to outdo it. i don’t think i’m going away is going to be that record.
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