Show Review: Fiery Furnaces @ Northsix

I found myself in New York for a week at the beginning of this year. For a job interview. And for a special lady friend. Or the other way around. Dammit.    

On the friday before I left, the Fiery Furnaces played at the very cool Northsix Club in Brooklyn.  Drums. Percussion. Electric guitar. Keyboards. And Eleanor out front. After apologizing for taking so long to come out, she says "... And here is Bitter Tea". Hearing that was very exciting; for, Bitter Tea is the name of the band's latest, and perhaps most cohesive album.

Haunting melodies based largely around strange rhythms that stop, change, restart, and change again, beg the listener to stay alert - which keeps this album fully interesting from beginning to end. Plus, bizarre lyrics questioning the taste of osmanthus blossoms and floating "'til the brackish warm current stops in my throat" makes this album impossible to digest in less than eleven times through. And that, my re-discovered friends, is why i luuh-huuhve this album.

Now, about the show.

We got to the show in time to catch the end of the opening band. Unfortunately, I cannot remember their name. And I cannot find it anywhere on this thing they call the internet. Sorry. So after Eleanor mentioned "... And here is Bitter Tea", the band launched into the opening song of the album. Then they played the next six songs from the album, but bailed on finishing the album for what may have been lack of instrumentation to complete some of the ideas on the record. In fact, the first few songs sounded thin to me because I was missing the layered keyboards that are present on the album. Once I realized that they could not execute those sounds live, I accepted what they gave me as ambitious enough in and of themselves. For, had I not had Bitter Tea's production in my head, what the band played would have seemed phenomenal.

Eleanor's brother and other half of the writing duo, Matt Friedburger, sat stage left behind the keyboard. He and the ridiculously solid drummer, Bob D'Amico, were the conductors. Watching them peer at each other anticipating the next sudden change was fun for me. Eleanor just kinda paced back and forth in between singing her lines. Though she wasn't the most animated performer, the voice was captivating enough to stare at its source.

The set lasted about an hour and ten minutes. This was fine considering how hot it felt in there after about seven. Not unlike the hipster scene in Los Angeles clubs, New Yorkers were still yet attentive during the set. It was only towards the end when they played a couple older songs that the first couple rows began to boogie - clearly familiar with only pre-Bitter Tea material. Fair enough.

And that's that. A poor account of a very good show. Thanks for getting through it. I haven't written here in quite awhile, so I'm well out of practice. But I hope I can see a show soon enough that will allow me to review again. Too bad I live in Charlotte. For now.

And hey How. I miss you.