The Fiery Furnaces
Encyclopedia
The Fiery Furnaces are a U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...

 band formed in 2000 in Brooklyn, New York. The band's primary members are Matthew
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...

 and 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...

. The siblings are originally from Oak Park, Illinois
Oak Park, Illinois
Oak Park, Illinois is a suburb bordering the west side of the city of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is the twenty-fifth largest municipality in Illinois. Oak Park has easy access to downtown Chicago due to public transportation such as the Chicago 'L' Blue and Green lines,...

, a near-western suburb of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

.

Band biography

They signed with the Rough Trade
Rough Trade Records
Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London. It was formed in 1978 by Geoff Travis who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove...

 music label in 2002, and recorded their debut album, Gallowsbird's Bark
Gallowsbird's Bark
Gallowsbird's Bark is the debut album by The Fiery Furnaces released by Rough Trade Records in 2003.-Track listing:All songs by The Fiery Furnaces, except where noted.# "South Is Only a Home" – 2:42# "I'm Gonna Run" – 2:24# "Leaky Tunnel" – 3:33...

, the same year. Released in 2003, it was often compared in the press to The White Stripes
The White Stripes
The White Stripes was an American rock band, formed in 1997 in Detroit, Michigan. The group consisted of the songwriter Jack White and drummer Meg White . Jack and Meg White were previously married to each other, but are now divorced...

 due to the garage
Garage rock
Garage rock is a raw form of rock and roll that was first popular in the United States and Canada from about 1963 to 1967. During the 1960s, it was not recognized as a separate music genre and had no specific name...

 blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...

 elements of the band’s sound and the fact that the members are siblings, which the White Stripes duo were originally misunderstood to be.

Matthew is primarily responsible for the band's songwriting and studio instrumentation, while Eleanor handles the majority of the vocal duties. Drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...

 Andy Knowles
Andy Knowles
Andy Knowles is an artist and drummer.Knowles started his drumming career with Skuta, and then in 2003 formed the cult group I Love Lucy out of the Glaswegian Art rock scene...

 and bassist
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....

 Toshi Yano
Toshi Yano
Toshi Yano was a founding member of the DC hardcore band Battery, a touring member of The Fiery Furnaces from 2003–2005, playing bass and keyboards on world tours with the band, and a temporary bass player for Franz Ferdinand....

 both joined the band for live performances in time for their 2004 tour. Beginning with a performance at the April 2004 All Tomorrow’s Parties
All Tomorrow's Parties (music festival)
All Tomorrow's Parties is a music festival which takes place at Camber Sands holiday camp in East Sussex and Butlin's holiday camp in Minehead, Somerset, England....

 festival in Camber Sands
Camber Sands
For historical information on the area, see Camber articleCamber Sands is a beach at the village of Camber , East Sussex, England...

, England, the band's live performances took the form of hour-long, continuous sets of music featuring snippets from most of their recorded songs. Many times, several songs were melded together to create a conglomerate song that encompassed material from previously released songs, this producing similarly complicated set lists for the band to follow.

The Fiery Furnaces released their second album, Blueberry Boat
Blueberry Boat
Blueberry Boat is the second, highly conceptual album from The Fiery Furnaces, released July 13, 2004.- Track listing :# "Quay Cur" – 10:25# "Straight Street" – 5:00# "Blueberry Boat" – 9:09# "Chris Michaels" – 7:53# "Paw Paw Tree" – 4:39...

, in the summer of 2004. It is also often interpreted as a multi-layered concept album
Concept album
In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...

. "Quay Cur," the ten minute lead track on Blueberry Boat, switches from dirty, gurgling organ
Electronic organ
An electronic organ is an electronic keyboard instrument which was derived from the harmonium, pipe organ and theatre organ. Originally, it was designed to imitate the sound of pipe organs, theatre organs, band sounds, or orchestral sounds....

 to slide-guitar
Slide guitar
Slide guitar or bottleneck guitar is a particular method or technique for playing the guitar. The term slide refers to the motion of the slide against the strings, while bottleneck refers to the original material of choice for such slides: the necks of glass bottles...

-fueled ditties, pulsing electronic beats to abstract lullaby
Lullabies
Lullabies is an EP by the Scottish rock group Cocteau Twins, released on 4AD records on 1 November 1982. The EP features three non-album tracks and was released just a few months after their debut album....

 within a few minutes, highlighting the Fiery Furnaces' variety in songwriting. Some critics, however, interpreted this type of material as evidence that the album is unfocused. The epic nature of the majority of the songs made them unsuitable for radio play so the band prepared "Single Again," a take on a traditional folk song as a substitute.

This single, along with their previously released ones, was mostly only made available to the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 audience, so in January 2005 the band released a 41-minute compilation disc named EP (this confusingly being a designation
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...

 commonly reserved for shorter discs). EP featured two new songs, all of the band’s singles and b-sides (with the exception of an alternate version of "We Got Back The Plague" found on the "Tropical Ice-Land" single), and was for this reason a contrast to the epic and, according to some, inaccessible nature of Blueberry Boat.

Their following album, Rehearsing My Choir
Rehearsing My Choir
-References:...

(released in October 2005), saw the band return to an experimental sound once again. A concept album
Concept album
In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...

 featuring the Friedbergers' grandmother, Olga Sarantos, narrating stories about her life, Rehearsing My Choir was met with widely differing opinions from both the press
Mass media
Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...

 and the band's fans, being branded "difficult" even by those who rated it highly. Sarantos previously worked as choir director at a Greek Orthodox church, and her croaked reminiscences form the backbone to this peculiar, piecemeal storybook of an album. Jason Loewenstein
Jason Loewenstein
Jason Loewenstein is an American alternative rock singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist and a member of the indie-rock bands Sebadoh and The Fiery Furnaces...

 of Sebadoh
Sebadoh
Sebadoh is an American indie rock band, formed in 1986 in Westfield, Massachusetts by Eric Gaffney and Dinosaur Jr bass player Lou Barlow. Along with such bands as Pavement and Guided by Voices, Sebadoh helped pioneer lo-fi music, a style of indie rock characterized by low-fidelity recording...

 and Bob D'Amico took over band duties for the supporting tour, replacing Toshi Yano
Toshi Yano
Toshi Yano was a founding member of the DC hardcore band Battery, a touring member of The Fiery Furnaces from 2003–2005, playing bass and keyboards on world tours with the band, and a temporary bass player for Franz Ferdinand....

 and Andy Knowles
Andy Knowles
Andy Knowles is an artist and drummer.Knowles started his drumming career with Skuta, and then in 2003 formed the cult group I Love Lucy out of the Glaswegian Art rock scene...

.

The band released their fifth LP, entitled Bitter Tea
Bitter Tea
Bitter Tea is the fifth full-length album by The Fiery Furnaces, released on April 18th, 2006 via Fat Possum in the U.S and Rough Trade in the UK...

, in April 2006. In interviews they stated that the album was influenced by the sound of synthpop
Synthpop
Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...

 group Devo
Devo
Devo is an American band formed in 1973 consisting of members from Kent and Akron, Ohio. The classic line-up of the band includes two sets of brothers, the Mothersbaughs and the Casales . The band had a #14 Billboard chart hit in 1980 with the single "Whip It", and has maintained a cult...

, and Eleanor Friedberger stated the album was "definitely the poppiest thing we've done."

Matthew Friedberger released Winter Women and Holy Ghost Language School
Winter Women and Holy Ghost Language School
Winter Women and Holy Ghost Language School are two albums by Matthew Friedberger of The Fiery Furnaces recorded, unlike The Fiery Furnaces records, without his sister Eleanor Friedberger. Though two separate albums, they were released together as a double album by 859 Recordings in August 2006...

in August 2006, two separate albums which were packaged as a double album
Double album
A double album is an audio album which spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically records and compact discs....

. According to a press release, Winter Women is "intended to be a summer record, full of memorable, catchy, and un-ironic pop songs," while Holy Ghost Language School is like "Faust
Faust (band)
Faust are a German krautrock band. Formed in 1971 in Wümme, the group was originally composed of Werner "Zappi" Diermaier, Hans Joachim Irmler, Arnulf Meifert, Jean-Hervé Péron, Rudolf Sosna and Gunther Wüsthoff, working with record producer Uwe Nettelbeck and engineer Kurt Graupner.-History:Faust...

, the Residents
The Residents
The Residents is an American art collective best known for avant-garde music and multimedia works. The first official release under the name of The Residents was in 1972, and the group has since released over sixty albums, numerous music videos and short films, three CD-ROM projects and ten DVDs....

, or the most 'out' moments of Brian Eno
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...

's solo records." Eleanor appeared on neither album and Matthew did not tour in support of his solo releases.

The band did a short tour in October and November 2006, supported by San Francisco experimental rock
Experimental rock
Experimental rock or avant-garde rock is a type of music based on rock which experiments with the basic elements of the genre, or which pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique....

 band, Deerhoof
Deerhoof
Deerhoof is a musical group consisting of Satomi Matsuzaki, John Dieterich, Ed Rodriguez and Greg Saunier.-Origins:In 1992, Greg Saunier, having recently graduated with a degree in music composition from Oberlin Conservatory of Music, joined a short-lived San Francisco quartet called Nitre Pit, on...

. This tour saw Matthew on keyboard, Eleanor on vocals, Jason Loewenstein
Jason Loewenstein
Jason Loewenstein is an American alternative rock singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist and a member of the indie-rock bands Sebadoh and The Fiery Furnaces...

 on wah-wah pedal
Wah-wah pedal
A wah-wah pedal is a type of guitar effects pedal that alters the tone of the signal to create a distinctive effect, mimicking the human voice...

ed guitar, Bob D'Amico on drums and the addition of Michael Goodman
Michael Goodman
Michael Goodman is an American photographer.-Work:Michael Goodman is an international construction photographer. As Chief Contributing Photographer to Engineering News Record from 1988 to 2008 Goodman has had over 135 Magazine cover photographs.With a focus on the urban and industrial landscape,...

 on percussion. The songs had a tropical/salsa
Salsa music
Salsa music is a genre of music, generally defined as a modern style of playing Cuban Son, Son Montuno, and Guaracha with touches from other genres of music...

 feel to them, and most of the tracks from Bitter Tea
Bitter Tea
Bitter Tea is the fifth full-length album by The Fiery Furnaces, released on April 18th, 2006 via Fat Possum in the U.S and Rough Trade in the UK...

were played as one long song, lasting 30 minutes—a medley format the band previously used while promoting Blueberry Boat
Blueberry Boat
Blueberry Boat is the second, highly conceptual album from The Fiery Furnaces, released July 13, 2004.- Track listing :# "Quay Cur" – 10:25# "Straight Street" – 5:00# "Blueberry Boat" – 9:09# "Chris Michaels" – 7:53# "Paw Paw Tree" – 4:39...

.

In June 2007, it was announced in The Chicago Reader
The Chicago Reader
The Chicago Reader is an American alternative weekly newspaper in Chicago, Illinois, noted for its literary style of journalism and coverage of the arts, particularly film and theater. It was founded in 1971 by a group of friends from Carleton College...

 that the band had signed with Chicago label Thrill Jockey
Thrill Jockey
Thrill Jockey Records is an American independent record label established in 1992 in New York City by former Atlantic Records A&R representative Bettina Richards.-History:...

 and their album Widow City
Widow City
Widow City is the sixth full length album by The Fiery Furnaces. It was released on October 9, 2007 on Chicago-based label Thrill Jockey. The album art features Eleanor Friedberger on the front and Matthew Friedberger on the back.-Title and themes:...

was later released on October 9, 2007. Unlike their two previous efforts, this album lacks a central concept and has a 70s album rock feel. The band toured in support of the album throughout the later months of 2007 and early 2008.

A live compilation album, Remember
Remember (The Fiery Furnaces album)
Remember is the first live album from indie rock band The Fiery Furnaces, released on August 19, 2008. The album includes various live performances of songs from their first six studio albums, recorded between 2005 and the tour for their 2007 album, Widow City. Some longer songs, such as...

, was released on August 16, 2008.

The band's seventh studio album I'm Going Away
I'm Going Away
I'm Going Away is The Fiery Furnaces' eighth album. It was released, on CD and LP, on July 21, 2009 in the US and August 24, 2009 in the UK.The CD version was presented in a 4 panel mini-LP style jacket....

was released in the US on July 21, 2009 on Thrill Jockey
Thrill Jockey
Thrill Jockey Records is an American independent record label established in 1992 in New York City by former Atlantic Records A&R representative Bettina Richards.-History:...

 and the UK on August 24, 2009.

A second album, Take Me Round Again
Take Me Round Again
Take Me Round Again is The Fiery Furnaces' ninth album. It was first released, in MP3 format, through Thrill Jockey Records, in November of 2009...

, which presents many of the same songs from "I'm Going Away" in a new way, was released on November 10, 2009. These tracks were made invidually by Mathew and Eleanor, resulting in some overlap. These songs have the same lyrics as "I'm Going Away", but consist of completely new instrument and vocal recordings that give a new take on the same material.

Discography

  • Gallowsbird's Bark
    Gallowsbird's Bark
    Gallowsbird's Bark is the debut album by The Fiery Furnaces released by Rough Trade Records in 2003.-Track listing:All songs by The Fiery Furnaces, except where noted.# "South Is Only a Home" – 2:42# "I'm Gonna Run" – 2:24# "Leaky Tunnel" – 3:33...

    (2003)
  • Blueberry Boat
    Blueberry Boat
    Blueberry Boat is the second, highly conceptual album from The Fiery Furnaces, released July 13, 2004.- Track listing :# "Quay Cur" – 10:25# "Straight Street" – 5:00# "Blueberry Boat" – 9:09# "Chris Michaels" – 7:53# "Paw Paw Tree" – 4:39...

    (2004)
  • EP (2005)
  • Rehearsing My Choir
    Rehearsing My Choir
    -References:...

    (2005)
  • Bitter Tea
    Bitter Tea
    Bitter Tea is the fifth full-length album by The Fiery Furnaces, released on April 18th, 2006 via Fat Possum in the U.S and Rough Trade in the UK...

    (2006)
  • Widow City
    Widow City
    Widow City is the sixth full length album by The Fiery Furnaces. It was released on October 9, 2007 on Chicago-based label Thrill Jockey. The album art features Eleanor Friedberger on the front and Matthew Friedberger on the back.-Title and themes:...

    (2007)
  • Remember
    Remember (The Fiery Furnaces album)
    Remember is the first live album from indie rock band The Fiery Furnaces, released on August 19, 2008. The album includes various live performances of songs from their first six studio albums, recorded between 2005 and the tour for their 2007 album, Widow City. Some longer songs, such as...

    (2008)
  • I'm Going Away
    I'm Going Away
    I'm Going Away is The Fiery Furnaces' eighth album. It was released, on CD and LP, on July 21, 2009 in the US and August 24, 2009 in the UK.The CD version was presented in a 4 panel mini-LP style jacket....

    (2009)
  • Take Me Round Again
    Take Me Round Again
    Take Me Round Again is The Fiery Furnaces' ninth album. It was first released, in MP3 format, through Thrill Jockey Records, in November of 2009...

    (2009)

External links

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