The Fiery Furnaces have made their career with bizarre, off-kilter, ADD alternative music. So one can only come into a new album with zero expectations. But as the metaphorical needle drops on the title track of their latest LP, I’m Going Away, a surprising thing is immediately noticeable– it sounds almost normal.
But far from being a letdown, the Fiery Furnaces prove on I’m Going Away that they can do simple. Or at least what they might consider simple. Almost every track is a winner in my book. They’re not standout singles or beautifully composed works, but they’re short, catchy tunes that stick around hours later.
The lead single, “The End Is Near,” is to the point. It’s as normal as the Furnaces should ever dare do and it’s a solid little number. They follow the same musical ideas on tracks like “I’m Going Away” and “Even in the Rain,” downplaying the insanity and disjointed ideas they tend toward. But they get back to form on the wonderful and foreboding “Staring At The Steeple” (which brings to the table all kinds of strange metaphor I won’t even try to comprehend) and “Drive To Dallas.”
But most of the album walks down a plainer and easily consumed path. One trick the brother/sister duo uses is repetition. Almost every track on the album features a repeated chorus. Instead of quickly turning into an old trick, however, it only makes the album stronger. Some might note this as wasted filler, but anyone familiar with the band’s work should know by now they don’t care about repetition or lack-thereof. Each song is a new world to explore and the fun of exploring that world is the only thing that matters.
The Fiery Furnaces – “Staring At The Steeple” [MP3]
The Fiery Furnaces – “The End Is Near” [MP3]
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