Blueberry Boat
Encyclopedia
Blueberry Boat is the second, highly conceptual album from The Fiery Furnaces
, released July 13, 2004.
, which was substituted for guitar on some songs. Keyboards
, guitar
s, and drums
are the main instruments used. As with all Fiery Furnaces releases, Eleanor Friedberger
provides most of the vocals, with her brother Matt
adding to a few songs. Matt is considered the main instrumentalist for the band, while both Friedbergers share lyrical duties.
Five songs on the album are more than seven and a half minutes long, with the longest stretching over ten minutes. Many of the songs seem to take the form of two or more parts; if separated into distinct tracks, this LP would contain more than thirty articles of music.
The song "Straight Street" references the biblical "street called straight" in Damascus
. "1917" features references to the 1917 World Series
, the most recent series that the Chicago White Sox
had won at the point this album was released.
gave it a rating of 9.6 out of 10, calling it "a record for the overgrown part of our brain that craves engrossing complexity"; NME
was less enthralled, giving the album a rating of 1 out of 10 and calling it "toe-curlingly unlistenable." Pitchfork placed Blueberry Boat at number 145 on their list of top 200 albums of the 2000s.
The Fiery Furnaces
The Fiery Furnaces are a U.S. indie rock band formed in 2000 in Brooklyn, New York. The band's primary members are Matthew and Eleanor Friedberger. The siblings are originally from Oak Park, Illinois, a near-western suburb of Chicago.- Band biography :...
, released July 13, 2004.
Track listing
- "Quay Cur" – 10:25
- "Straight Street" – 5:00
- "Blueberry Boat" – 9:09
- "Chris Michaels" – 7:53
- "Paw PawAsimina trilobaAsimina triloba, the pawpaw, paw paw, paw-paw, or common pawpaw, is a species of Asimina in the same plant family as the custard-apple, cherimoya, sweetsop, ylang-ylang and soursop...
Tree" – 4:39 - "My Dog Was Lost But Now He's Found" – 3:29
- "Mason CityMason City, IowaMason City is the county seat of Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, United States. The population was 28,079 in the 2010 census, a decline from 29,172 in the 2000 census. The Mason City Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Cerro Gordo and Worth counties....
" – 8:14 - "Chief Inspector Blancheflower" – 8:58
- "Spaniolated" – 3:21
- "19171917 Chicago White Sox seasonThe 1917 Chicago White Sox dominated the American League with a record of 100-54. The 100 wins is a club record that still stands. Their offense was first in runs scored while their pitching staff led the league with a 2.16 ERA....
" – 4:52 - "Birdie Brain" – 3:05
- "Turning Round" – 2:13
- "Wolf Notes" – 4:51
Additional information
More than twenty different instruments were used in the creation of this album, including the sitarSitar
The 'Tablaman' is a plucked stringed instrument predominantly used in Hindustani classical music, where it has been ubiquitous since the Middle Ages...
, which was substituted for guitar on some songs. Keyboards
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s, and drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
are the main instruments used. As with all Fiery Furnaces releases, Eleanor Friedberger
Eleanor Friedberger
Eleanor Friedberger is part of the indie rock duo The Fiery Furnaces with her brother Matthew Friedberger. In the band she contributes the majority of the vocals both on record and during their live performances. Eleanor grew up singing with her grandmother, Olga Sarantos and family in a Greek...
provides most of the vocals, with her brother Matt
Matthew Friedberger
Matthew Friedberger is half of the indie rock duo The Fiery Furnaces. In the band he contributes the majority of the instrumentation, writes most of the songs and lyrics and occasionally sings...
adding to a few songs. Matt is considered the main instrumentalist for the band, while both Friedbergers share lyrical duties.
Five songs on the album are more than seven and a half minutes long, with the longest stretching over ten minutes. Many of the songs seem to take the form of two or more parts; if separated into distinct tracks, this LP would contain more than thirty articles of music.
The song "Straight Street" references the biblical "street called straight" in Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
. "1917" features references to the 1917 World Series
1917 World Series
In the 1917 World Series, the Chicago White Sox beat the New York Giants four games to two. The Series was played against the backdrop of World War I, which dominated the American newspapers that year and next....
, the most recent series that the Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
had won at the point this album was released.
Critical reception
The album garnered extremely mixed reviews; Pitchfork MediaPitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
gave it a rating of 9.6 out of 10, calling it "a record for the overgrown part of our brain that craves engrossing complexity"; NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
was less enthralled, giving the album a rating of 1 out of 10 and calling it "toe-curlingly unlistenable." Pitchfork placed Blueberry Boat at number 145 on their list of top 200 albums of the 2000s.
Personnel
- The Fiery Furnaces – Packaging
- Eleanor Friedberger – Group member
- Matthew Friedberger – Producer, group member
- Samara Lubelski – Violin, engineer, mixing
- David Muller – Drums
- Emily Scholnick – Artwork
- Nicolas Vernhes – Engineer, mixing, computer editing
External links
- Review and Summary of Album's Concept The High Hat
- Unfinished but Detailed Analysis of Album Concept Clap Clap Blog (October 17, 2005) entry