The Fiery Furnaces - Benton Harbour Blues (Rough Trade)
UK release date: 15 May 2006
Brother and sister duo Matthew and Eleanor Friedburger, aka the Fiery Furnaces, turn up the trip-hop pianos and opium den accordions on this latest taster from their new album Bitter Tea, released earlier this month.
Benton Harbour Blues lays down lyrical twists and swirling organs carefully crafted to make the band sound like it belongs in the penny arcade of Camber Sands, where you can catch them later this month at All Tomorrow's Parties, following a short UK tour.
It's playful and poppy, swirly and layered, with hints of psychedelia and fairground organs sliding in and out of a fragile structure into which the lyrics wander in a slightly confused fashion, not seeming entirely sure whether they should be there or not. And then it all fades away rather than ends, like a party that broke up while you weren't looking. Nice enough, but a bit more substance wouldn't have hurt.
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