Yikes! Also, An Affirmation
You may notice a link over on the left [I mean the other left. --ed.] there to a very wonderful mp3 blog named Fluxblog, run by one Matthew Perpetua. His latest entry is something of a lament upon the current state of The Fiery Furnaces live configuration, and that configuration's appeal, and even the misguided or maybe even cynical motivations behind the nature of that appeal.
Well, I'm a long-standing fan of the Fieries, although I can't say that I've loved everything they've ever done. The albums are all strong, although I can also understand why people who so easily fall in love with Gallowsbird's Bark blanche when confronted with some of their later stuff. I don't particularly care for Rehearsing My Choir, which makes me pretty sad because I think it's the most ambitious project so far from a band whose creative ambition was always a big part of their appeal for me. It has its moments (notably the perfect melody of "Slavin' Away", the wonderful piano breakdown on "Forty-Eight Twenty-Three Twenty-Second Street", and the brilliant, imagistic tacked piano scene-setter on opener "The Garfield El"), but most of RMC's songs fall into the less dense mode of composition and arrangement which I tend to like less than their more dense sonics. It's the same difference in mode which makes me really like almost all of Bitter Tea, the Holy Ghost Language School half of Matthew Friedberger's solo double album less so than Winter Women, and why I don't really like "Big Bill Crib" off of that latter album.
On the other hand some of the mp3s available on Fluxblog are exactly the kind of stripped down, sparse versions you might think I'd be against -- but that's not true. The KEXP performance of "Teach Me Sweetheart" is as great as M. Perpetua says it is; it's worth noting, though, that it's stripped down to emphasize its wistfulness (or something), not in order to burden it with a velocity or rhythm entirely alien to every other available version. I've seen the Fieries twice, and while both were quite some time ago, I think they were already on their way to their present incarnation by the second show, which I definitely didn't like as much as the first. Songs/medleys "burdened by alien velocities" may be exactly what was different between them. Energy is one thing, but do people really want to see a show where the performers seem completely rushed to get through their material? Doesn't that seem sort of anti- the very craftsmanship that is supposed to be Matt Friedberger's strength? In the end, I think I share Fluxblog's exasperation. Or, you know, I would if I was likely to see them on this tour, which I probably won't. It's also a nice coincidence (or maybe not a coincidence?) that of Montreal get a post script (or "post post"?) mention -- their entirely awesome live cover of "Tropical Ice-Land" (which Fluxblog posted some time ago) is exactly what I would like out of The Fiery Furnaces themselves. The 9:30 Club show has plenty of moments like that. Maybe they'll swing back that way sometime soon.
Anyways, I'm still looking forward to Widow City! "Navy Nurse" is awesome!
---
Also, to fill everyone in on my travels: no, I'm not just going from strip club to strip club or anything (see last post). Before Atlanta I went through Birmingham and saw the latest addition to the family, Ian, who seemed pretty cool for someone who just eats, sleeps, cries, and poops. Kind of an infant G.G. Allin, I guess. I also saw Superbad, which I recommend. It might not have quite the date movie appeal of Knocked Up (which, um, I actually didn't see, though it seems like it was trying pretty hard to appeal to both genders), but there were plenty of young women in the theater with me, and plenty of giggles and guffaws coming from their direction. So there. Also went to an Apple Store (my first visit to one, strangely) and played with an iPhone. Pretty damn neat, I have to admit.
And Atlanta has solid appeal, even beyond geriatric strippers (if you can imagine). The Georgia Aquarium is a little on the expensive side, but well worth a visit. Decatur, which is basically where I'm staying, has a great little downtown district, including a great pub, the Brick Store. I can highly recommend Terrapin's new India Brown Ale to all of you beer lovers. Also a couple of trips to Little Five Points yielded some great music finds at Criminal Records, my first trip to an American Apparel outlet (Is wearing a brand's clothes inside of their store a bad thing, like wearing a band t-shirt to that band's concerts? Because I got one of those dismissive up-and-down looks from the one lady employee, but a much more pleasant greeting from the other.), and an unexpectedly great hamburger from a bar called The Vortex, where there were also lots of scantily clad biker chicks. So maybe scantily-cladness is sort of a running theme so far, but maybe that's just Atlanta for you.
Anyways, see you in DC and/or Richmond!
Well, I'm a long-standing fan of the Fieries, although I can't say that I've loved everything they've ever done. The albums are all strong, although I can also understand why people who so easily fall in love with Gallowsbird's Bark blanche when confronted with some of their later stuff. I don't particularly care for Rehearsing My Choir, which makes me pretty sad because I think it's the most ambitious project so far from a band whose creative ambition was always a big part of their appeal for me. It has its moments (notably the perfect melody of "Slavin' Away", the wonderful piano breakdown on "Forty-Eight Twenty-Three Twenty-Second Street", and the brilliant, imagistic tacked piano scene-setter on opener "The Garfield El"), but most of RMC's songs fall into the less dense mode of composition and arrangement which I tend to like less than their more dense sonics. It's the same difference in mode which makes me really like almost all of Bitter Tea, the Holy Ghost Language School half of Matthew Friedberger's solo double album less so than Winter Women, and why I don't really like "Big Bill Crib" off of that latter album.
On the other hand some of the mp3s available on Fluxblog are exactly the kind of stripped down, sparse versions you might think I'd be against -- but that's not true. The KEXP performance of "Teach Me Sweetheart" is as great as M. Perpetua says it is; it's worth noting, though, that it's stripped down to emphasize its wistfulness (or something), not in order to burden it with a velocity or rhythm entirely alien to every other available version. I've seen the Fieries twice, and while both were quite some time ago, I think they were already on their way to their present incarnation by the second show, which I definitely didn't like as much as the first. Songs/medleys "burdened by alien velocities" may be exactly what was different between them. Energy is one thing, but do people really want to see a show where the performers seem completely rushed to get through their material? Doesn't that seem sort of anti- the very craftsmanship that is supposed to be Matt Friedberger's strength? In the end, I think I share Fluxblog's exasperation. Or, you know, I would if I was likely to see them on this tour, which I probably won't. It's also a nice coincidence (or maybe not a coincidence?) that of Montreal get a post script (or "post post"?) mention -- their entirely awesome live cover of "Tropical Ice-Land" (which Fluxblog posted some time ago) is exactly what I would like out of The Fiery Furnaces themselves. The 9:30 Club show has plenty of moments like that. Maybe they'll swing back that way sometime soon.
Anyways, I'm still looking forward to Widow City! "Navy Nurse" is awesome!
---
Also, to fill everyone in on my travels: no, I'm not just going from strip club to strip club or anything (see last post). Before Atlanta I went through Birmingham and saw the latest addition to the family, Ian, who seemed pretty cool for someone who just eats, sleeps, cries, and poops. Kind of an infant G.G. Allin, I guess. I also saw Superbad, which I recommend. It might not have quite the date movie appeal of Knocked Up (which, um, I actually didn't see, though it seems like it was trying pretty hard to appeal to both genders), but there were plenty of young women in the theater with me, and plenty of giggles and guffaws coming from their direction. So there. Also went to an Apple Store (my first visit to one, strangely) and played with an iPhone. Pretty damn neat, I have to admit.
And Atlanta has solid appeal, even beyond geriatric strippers (if you can imagine). The Georgia Aquarium is a little on the expensive side, but well worth a visit. Decatur, which is basically where I'm staying, has a great little downtown district, including a great pub, the Brick Store. I can highly recommend Terrapin's new India Brown Ale to all of you beer lovers. Also a couple of trips to Little Five Points yielded some great music finds at Criminal Records, my first trip to an American Apparel outlet (Is wearing a brand's clothes inside of their store a bad thing, like wearing a band t-shirt to that band's concerts? Because I got one of those dismissive up-and-down looks from the one lady employee, but a much more pleasant greeting from the other.), and an unexpectedly great hamburger from a bar called The Vortex, where there were also lots of scantily clad biker chicks. So maybe scantily-cladness is sort of a running theme so far, but maybe that's just Atlanta for you.
Anyways, see you in DC and/or Richmond!
posted by PearJack at 12:57 PM
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