I don’t know if it’s just me, or if it’s just the way things are going these days, but it seems like I’m encountering a lot of bands that make me think, “Jesus, these guys can do whatever they want!” — exceedingly talented people who thrive on challenging themselves and succeed artistically in doing so.
“Challenging” might have been a word I would have used to describe the Fiery Furnaces’ 2003 album Blueberry Boat (my first exposure to them), but I tended to use the word “confounding.” I’ve since seen the light, dear hearts, though I do still prefer their slightly more straightforward material. But the thing about the Fiery Furnaces is, if you don’t particularly like a song, go to a show — it’ll sound different. They’re noted for reworking their songs for their live shows, stringing them together, dropping bits and pieces into each other, or just plain switching up the music.
Having never caught them live, I was a little disappointed to hear that they were touring as a straight-up four-piece band, with no piano/keyboards. But I ate my thoughts shortly after the set started, because the no-frills setup allowed for an unobstructed view of how creative and talented the Friedberger siblings are. Their bandmates were no slouches, either — especially drummer Robert D’Amico, who deserves a medal for not only keeping up the Friedbergers’ sonic shenanigans, but improving them. (And I know that lots of guitar players can play complicated stuff without looking, but Matt Friedberger made it look even more aggravating to the amateur musician than usual.)
Bonus rock points for 1.) playing an unplanned second encore (thanks, rabid front-row fans!) and 2.) Eleanor Friedberger going straight from the stage to work the merch table. Hard worker!
Both of my longtime readers know that I’m not one for trying to describe the music itself, so I’ll just recommend (maybe even insist) you check em the next time they come through your town. You can get a taste for their live show via their 51-track 2008 live album Remember.
In other FF news, they weren’t content to wait for their tour to rework the songs from their best-of-2009 I’m Going Away, so they’ve already recorded and released Take Me Round Again, in which brother and sister give solo takes on the songs from the album they just released, for crying out loud. Here’s a sample:
Eleanor Friedberger – Keep Me In The Dark from Take Me Round Again
