Photo by Vince Kmeron
New tour dates have been announced for Phoenix, Vampire Weekend, The Big Pink, Hot Chip, The xx, Passion Pit, Japandroids, St. Vincent, Jay-Z, Neon Indian, and Fiery Furnaces. Full dates after the jump: Continue reading →
Photo by Vince Kmeron
New tour dates have been announced for Phoenix, Vampire Weekend, The Big Pink, Hot Chip, The xx, Passion Pit, Japandroids, St. Vincent, Jay-Z, Neon Indian, and Fiery Furnaces. Full dates after the jump: Continue reading →
The Fiery Furnaces
I’m Going Away
Thrill Jockey
out July 21st
[82]
[Rating Scale]
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[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 →

If you haven’t noticed, I’ve been slacking around here for almost a week now. Let’s just say I was gone — but I’m back now and I’m going to make it all up to you. Here I will post some of the more interesting new tracks that have surfaced while I was gone. Read on if you’re interested in any of these tracks:
Mickey Factz – Flying Balloon
3OH!3 – Don’t Trust Me (ft. Kid Cudi) (Benny Blanco Remix)
The Fiery Furnaces – Charmaine Champagne
The Very Best – Warm Heart of Africa (feat. Ezra Koenig of Vampire Weekend)
Continue reading →

Pretty Much Amazing’s Listening Booth is where we get to talk about our favorite new songs! Yay!
This Is Ivy League – The Richest Kids
Is this music or is this a mere exploitation of a hyped demographic *cough* Vampire Weekend *cough*? I’m glad to say, this is music. Real. Good. Music.
Wyclef Jean – Fast Car (remix feat. Lupe Fiasco)
At first, I thought this was just a new Lupe Fiasco track. Warning to those who want to add Cool Youg Lou to your remix team: He’s a verse hogger.
G-Unit – Grimey
In this new track from the upcoming G-Unit mixtape, 50 Cent confesses to being dirty, grimy, and filthy, but doesn’t go on to admit himself as a tired MC.
And now moving onto our daily downloads. These are free and legal. So download away.
Foo Fighters – Keep The Car Running
Jens Lekman – Friday Night At The Drive-In Bingo
Athlete – Hurricane (Camp America Remix)
Justice – DANCE (Paste Black Remix)
Oh No! Oh My! – Finally Found A Home
The Fiery Furnaces – Ex-Guru
The New Pornographers – Myriad Harbour
They Might Be Giants – Careful What You Pack
The Mountain Goats – Sax Rohmer Number 1
Xiu Xiu – I Do What I Want, When I Want