Fiery Furnaces

how could anyone but the corniest indie fuxors pretend that jumbled indulgent BB shite (except for the title track..i thought that was "neat") is in any way greater than GB??

Major Misunderstanding is a character in the British adult comic Viz. He is a retired major who dresses smartly, has a bushy walrus moustache and wears his medals on his chest for all to see; things which suggest that he is very pompous.

i just read about this. it's....bizarre

Like most creative musicians, Matt Friedberger is not a fan of Radiohead and most of their chart busters. Of course, Matt and all the Fiery Furnaces family are great fans of all Tommys living or dead, so much so that lots of the Fiery Furnaces' work is, because of the pun, dedicated to imitating the Who's Tommy.

"Back in the fall of 1996 or whenever that interview was conducted, the interviewer asked what Matt thought of the Radiohead song celebrating a WWI veteran. Matt naturally thought it would be interesting to pretend that they wrote a song about the celebrated American composer of a similar sounding name, hence his joking in the interview about Radiohead composing a song with something like 48 notes to an octave. It was easy and amusing to imagine Radiohead's attempt to colonize that relatively arcane bit of our musical lifeworld. This is what they used to call, in some bohemian and advertising circles, 'riffing' or fooling around.

"Matt has not heard the Radiohead song about Harry Patch, but if he did, he is sure he wouldn't like it. No doubt Radiohead and their fans can ignore his opinion of this matter and continue with their triumphant artistic interventions. Matt would have much preferred to insult Beck but he is too afraid of Scientologists.

This guy sounds . . . disturbed.

This is hilarious. Matt Friedberger seems like he is probably not a very nice person IRL. I still need to listen to "I'm Going Away". "Widow City" is one of my favorite of their albums.

What a fun band.

They were.

Was just over to their Wiki page, almost teared up a little.

Blueberry Boat ages brilliantly, one of the best albums of the 00's beyond doubt imo

oh my fucking god this thread though

EP came out 10 years ago this Sunday. ;_;

Holy christ that makes me feel old.

Love several, but Rehearsing My Choir is rock of ages, in more ways than one. Granny Olga in Heaven, you rule!

how could anyone but the corniest indie fuxors pretend that jumbled indulgent BB shite (except for the title track..i thought that was "neat") is in any way greater than GB??

whatever dude

no kidding

they're both great records! they're just really really different.

They are the most fun indie band from the 00s imho. Maybe of all time.

well obviously

i have trouble perceiving these guys as 'fun'. bit of a mess, but fun?

Wacky glasses fun.

An excitable dog with a bowel problem fun

you both suck

i was thinking about signing up to do this artist poll. not sure if there would be enough interest?

I'd vote in it, do it

that's the problem. you and i and maybe a couple more. i think if i wanted to go down this type of path i would rather do of Montreal instead, as my love is much stronger.

why i chose to add Suede instead of Super Furry Animals. similar circumstances/adding the ILM element.

/

even when i do things on purpose, i still fuck it up.

Maybe a mixed genre poll? Don't know how to call it yho... Quirky, slightly Psychedelic pop from the 00s onwards? I don't know how to classify it. Of Montreal, Flaming Lips and Fiery Furnaces seem compatible.

great idea, can't wait until you do it :-)

Amen, self
Love several, but Rehearsing My Choir is rock of ages, in more ways than one. Granny Olga in Heaven, you rule!

― dow, Friday, January 9, 2015 9:11 AM

Olga really delivers her stories, with editing and rocking settings by Matthew.

Since “ranking” is all the rage ’round here:

1. Widow City (Side 2)
2. Rehearsing My Choir
3. I’m Going Away
4. Bitter Tea (Side 1)
5. Blueberry Boat
6. Gallowsbird’s Bark
7. Widow City (Side 1)
8. EP
9. Bitter Tea (Side 2)

Not counted: Take Me Round Again; Remember [but it’s great!]

(Also, having now bothered to look up how the vinyl actually breaks down — please sub “LP1” / “LP2,” or just “First Half” / “Second Half,” for “Side 1” / “Side 2” in both cases.)

Also, to give you an idea of the grading curve here — I’d rate “Gallowsbird’s Bark” an 8/10

haha, I like that

EP is good

Is I'm Going Away that good? I was too scared to ever hear it. Blueberry Boat is still my favourite album of this millennium

Happy to see Rehearsing My Choir get its rightful due. Blueberry Boat has become one of my fave records, period.

I've been listening to I'm Going Away. It's...alright. Even In The Rain (where I'm up to) is lovely. I can't remotely see how anyone could prefer it to any of the previous four albums (and EP) but it isn't bad music.

Lost At Sea is good too

Yeah, the album ends strong I guess but it's not quite there for me. Still! Hell of a run they had

I’m Going Away is a great album, with some of their best playing (and it’s the one I’ll still throw on the most often)

Stylistically, it revisits the tight, bluesy rock of Gallowsbird and the “empty musical theatre rehearsal room” aesthetic of (some of) Blueberry Boat... making for a nice closure.

(Also — the sarcastic guitar solo in “Even in the Rain” always makes me laugh, and is a perfect expression of Matt’s “personality”; for better or worse.)

Gawker style:

1. Widow City
2. Blueberry Boat
3. Gallowsbird's Bark
4. EP
5. I'm Going Away
6. getting hit by a bus
7. Rehearsing My Choir
8. Bitter Tea

That must be some bus, lol

Poor lovely Bitter Tea

Don't sleep on the Mr Fried Burger album fyi, fans of TFF's weirder stuff

Here https://mfriedberger.bandcamp.com/releases

It's second to BB in my ranking tbh

Bitter Tea sounded terrific at the time, and still does. The only “problem” is some of the songwriting in the 2nd half...

(and that damn whistle)