The Fiery Furnaces
Brother-sister combos, anyone? No, they usually end in tears.
Well, not this one at least. The Fiery Furnaces are too kooky, warped and sonically perverted to implode. Eleanor and big bro Matt share a surname (a pretty good one at that – Friedberger), but that’s it in way of parallels. Onstage, Matt perches behind, and operates, a series of bizarre organs, while his lil sis strums guitars and freakily stares out the audience, omitting a unique, harmonic warble over a Captain Beefheart blitz that’s intense enough to stop hearts.
They signed this riotous noise coalition to Rough Trade Records, who know a good racket when they hear it. Their debut-LP of ’03, ‘Gallowsbird’s Bark’, spawned a cult hit – ‘Tropical Iceland’ – and never-ending touring-slots with Franz Ferdinand (via such efforts, Eleanor is rumoured to be romantically linked to the band’s Alex Kapranos) the world over.
But it’s in their second LP, out late-summer/2004, ‘Blueberry Boat’, that the true excitement lies – an advancement of their first, and a stellar addition to any and all musical obsessives’ end-of-year ‘finest records’ lists. May the peculiarity never cease.
OFFICIAL WEBSITE: After over a year of merely existing as a one-pager with a photo and touring-info, The Fiery’s have (literally) gone all Flash over their website, and splashed out on a new design – with further sections to be added shortly.
THEFIERYFURNACES.NET: Hmm, plagiarism – did you know that ff.net is modelled entirely on the old All Tomorrow’s Parties festival website designs? Cheeky. But good info on the band, nonetheless.
BLUEBERRYBOAT.COM: Themed around the band’s current/new LP, this is a strikingly good-looking resource on everyone’s favourite gruesome twosome.
SINGLE REVIEW – ‘CRYSTAL CLEAR’ 2003: one of 2003’s most promising debut releases, quite bluntly.
SINGLE REVIEW – ‘TROPICAL ICELAND’ 2004: read the above; a startling, pop-infused follow-up.
SINGLE REVIEW – ‘SINGLE AGAIN’ 2004: the third lift from ‘Gallowsbird’s Bark’ was a top-40 hit.
ALBUM REVIEW – ‘GALLOWSBIRD’S BARK’ 2003: NYC editor Joshua K gives a thorough low-down on one of last year’s most notable, free-range releases.
CONCERT REVIEW – NYC BOWERY BALLROOM 2003: a Rough Trade Records 25th Anniversary special, The Fiery’s perform alongside Adam Green, The Kills, British Sea Power and Jeffrey Lewis in this sell-out one-off.
CONCERT REVIEW – NYC MERCURY LOUNGE 2003: the same Josh K sees them live, and is flawed.
CONCERT REVIEW – LONDON GARAGE 2004: the sultry Cat Goodwin examines the band’s talents alongside Mad Action and The Blueskins in Highbury.
FESTIVAL REVIEW – ALL TOMORROW’S PARTIES 2004: the band nestles stridently on a bill curated especially by Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks.