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THE FIERY FURNACES have been confounding both fans and critics since the release of their 2003 debut album Gallowsbird’s Bark. Thus, when I learned that they would be touring as a stripped-down guitar, bass and drums combo to support their new, keyboard-heavy album Bitter Tea, I wasn’t surprised. After all, this is a band that I’ve learned to expect the unexpected from. Even if their experiments don’t always work, they always challenge themselves and steer clear of well-worn paths. They’re not afraid to fall on their faces in the process, and I respect them enormously for that.
Regardless, I was curious how they’d pull off the new songs live without any keyboards. However, I’d have to wait a little while to find out. Hitting the stage at roughly 10:00 PM, they opened with a jaw-dropping version of “Chris Michaels” from their 2004 tour-de-force Blueberry Boat. Unlike in the past, where they would only play material from Blueberry Boat in a medley form, they played the entire song and kept all of its changes and nuances intact.
They followed it with a blistering version of Gallowsbird’s Bark’s “Crystal Clear.” They still have a tendency to play their songs much faster live than on their records; while that helps high-energy numbers like “Crystal Clear” and “Asthma Attack” (the first song of the encore), it hurts some of their other songs. For instance, when they played “Straight Street,” they played it so fast that it obscured the song’s incredible vocal melody.
This was the first misstep of the evening, though fortunately they atoned for it by playing some of the excellent new Bitter Tea songs. “Police Sweater Blood Vow” grooved in an almost LED ZEPPELIN-esque fashion, “Teach Me Sweetheart” was as beautiful as its recorded version. Album openers “In My Little Thatched Hut” and “I’m in No Mood” retained their manic energy in this live setting. However, when they played “Waiting to Know You” (my favorite song from Bitter Tea), its tender beauty and huge pop hooks just didn’t translate to the stage as well as I would’ve hoped.
In the liner notes to his 1986 album Blood and Chocolate, ELVIS COSTELLO writes that when he and his then band THE ATTRACTIONS tried more tender material for that hard-edged record, it was like they were playing with boxing gloves on. I sort of felt that way about this performance. While The Fiery Furnaces are one of the most daring and inventive bands on the scene today, and their live show is moving in the right direction, it hasn’t quite yet caught up to what they’ve been able to capture in the studio.
Regardless, an unexpected highlight came with three songs from last year’s terrific but poorly received Rehearsing My Choir. They played “Slavin’ Away,” which segued into the title track and then the album closer “Does It Remind You of When,” with singer ELEANOR FRIEDBERGER reprising her grandmother OLGA SARANTOS’ vocal parts. When I saw them tour behind Rehearsing My Choir at the Black Cat in Washington, DC last year (review here), much of that album’s subtle grace and sentimentality got lost in the way of them trying to adapt the songs for their raucous live show. However, for some reason this time these songs worked better. Perhaps it was because they were just part of the show and not the main attraction.
Another positive was the addition of former SEBADOH member JASON LOWENSTEIN as their touring bass player. The fact that Lowenstein and main songwriter/guitarist MATTHEW FRIEDBERGER are able to duplicate the complex, stop-on-a-dime arrangements of the records and adapt them to a live setting is impressive in and of itself. Thus, while The Fiery Furnaces put on a very good show, I would hesitate to call it great because of a few reservations.
