Matthew and Eleanor Friedberger, a.k.a. the Fiery Furnaces, are far and away the most entertaining brother-sister band out there. Gallowsbird’s Bark, their 2003 debut, showcased the siblings’ musical genius and Blueberry Boat, last year’s brilliant follow-up, only confirmed it. Their new, aptly titled EP continues the trend and is just as good, if not better, than their previous work.
The Friedbergers’ unique music is like nothing you’ve heard before. Their influences are obscure (think The Who with access to even more acid and a synthesizer), their songs are epic and their cryptic, hyper-literate lyrics demand repeated Googling. Still, their quirkiness never interferes with their exceptional ability to construct gorgeous, flowing masterpieces.
It speaks to the Friedbergers’ idiosyncrasies that EP isn’t really even an EP: at 10 tracks and over 40 minutes, EP is nearly as long as most other bands’ full-length releases. EP includes both previously released tracks and new material. The pop-genius of “Evergreen,” the reimagined “Tropical-Iceland” and the musical juxtapositions of “Smelling Cigarettes” are among EP’s, and the band’s, strongest moments.
The androgynous quality of Eleanor’s distinctive voice is reminiscent of a female Captain Beefheart, or an even more effeminate Mick Jagger, and perfectly complements the band’s wild instrumentation. The Friedbergers pile on layer after layer of sounds that at first seem incompatible. That, if anything, is the Fiery Furnaces’ weakness: much of its audience will be too stunned by their unconventional and occasionally dissonant sound that they’ll never give it the second listen it deserves. Once the music clicks (and it will), you find something new and astonishing with every listen.
