EP

Somewhere out there there’s a line between the good and the bad. Until I find it, consider me an avid Fiery Furnaces supporter. Have you found your line? If not, keep reading. If so, I’m sorry, but apparently The Fiery Furnaces are not for you. 

When my review for the Furnaces recent album Blueberry Boat ran in the fall of 2004, I began getting responses from numerous readers, most of whom were intrigued and excited to hear the album. The feedback I received a week or so later was not quite so zestful. I couldn’t help but wonder if I had misled whatzup readers entirely. One excerpt in particular helps me sleep at night: “Few people will love this album, many will hate it - no one could have ever imagined it.” Sure, it sounds like an endorsement for a David Lynch film, but I’m standing by it.

I’ve rececntly been told numerous times (from numerous sources) that The Fiery Furnaces are a bad band. When and where do people realize that they have the ability to make such calls? I’ve certainly aired my beefs with a handful of copycat bands on the pages of whatzup (Bumblebeez, Scissor Sisters, Ken Stringfellow, etc.), but never have I bashed a band due to my own lack of understanding. So is it true? Do some listeners spend their precious time listening to weird and, ultimately, bad music only because it’s different? Do college aged kids, for example, really listen to an album and think, “Wow, I have to like this?”

Yeah, sadly, some college kids do, very likely the majority of them. College is a time to question what you’ve been told and find your individuality; but are bands like The Fiery Furnaces really able to make a career out of these kids’ eager wallets? Enough questions; my answer is no. There is no thin line and, to me, The Fiery Furnaces are anything but bad In fact, I would argue that their spastic approach to music is very fresh and exhilarating, and their keyboard-driven, guitar solo-havin’ songs aren’t so bad either.

Their third official release, entitled EP, is not quite what you’d expect, given the title and implied format. The expression EP originally came about as a term for an “extended play” single, meaning too much material for a single and not nearly enough for an LP. In this case, listeners get 10 songs (40 minutes) coiled from the band’s stand-alone singles and leftover tracks from their first two albums. Overall, a very strong collection of material to follow up last year’s blockbuster and prepare the band for a year that will still see two more albums ahead. That’s right, two more this year.

After a dancy keyboard overture similar to Blueberry Boat‘s intro comes the band’s new single, “Single Again.” Both funny and troublesome, sister Eleanor sings about dependency, abuse and longing without a drop of sobriety. “Here Comes the Summer” is a perfectlly concise extention of Blueberry, while “Evergreen” feels all too abbreviated. Also similar to Blueberry, the Furnaces took time to edit EP‘s otherwise unrelated songs into one long, flowing mix.

Brother Matthew’s songs, specifically “Sing For Me,” feel like old favorites after a couple of listens. Typically only the band’s auxilary singer/writer, Matthew spends much of his time crafting guitar licks and explosive solos that walk the line of Jack White and early-era Doug Martsch. Matthew’s guitar work on both Blueberry and EP have been refreshing enough to leave fans longing for a more guitar-oriented release. “Tropical-Iceland” stands as the Friedberger’s most radio-friendly release to date, with Eleanor mirthfully chiming, “black stone beach and black death bottle is all me and my baby’ll need in the topical icy Iceland.” Furnace skeptics, just try to hate this one.

EP is a victorious expansion of Blueberry Boat that will have fans both rejoicing and salivating for more. While the Furnaces’ army of supporters might not stand a chance next to their army of haters, they are making waves without the help of a major label. EP should only help their outlandish cause.

Can the experimental nature of a recording make it seem better than it really is? While college kids may find their savior in Eleanor Friedberger, pop/rock fans will almost always be left cold in the the Furnaces’ oddball heat. The Fiery Furnaces provide music for detail-oriented listeners with short attention spans and a soft spot for guitar solos. On EP, one man’s nightmare is another’s ecstasy.      8.5/10

Written by G. William Locke