The Fiery Furnaces
Gallowbird's Bark

Brother and sister? Husband and wife? Or maybe cousins?

No, don't worry: we're not talking about "popopopo" or "pepepepe," let alone the World Cup, nothing that might concern Meg and Jack White, the White Stripes. Instead, we're mentioning the mystery surrounding the (supposed?) kinship between Eleanor and Matt Friedberger. Yes, I know: many of you might be wondering: "But who are they?" Well, perhaps your mind will light up upon hearing these two words: Fiery Furnaces (with or without the article).

In official records, Eleanor and Matt Friedberger are brother and sister. But if the saying that music, among other functions, mirrors our soul is truly confirmed, one can choose to believe in the duo (and the state officials), or not. An adventure that began, as almost always happens, practically by chance: an odyssey that finds its beginning at the turn of the old millennium, back in 2000. The kids, born and raised in Chicago, moved to New York in 1998: the idea of playing together increasingly took hold and, from a hazy ambition, from senseless haze, it became a reality over time. People started to notice them: opening for concerts of Kills and Sleater-Kinney almost always featured Our Duo, Eleanor with bangs and a cheeky look, Matt with a fixed gaze and a wide smile. The voice, the mind: Matt composes, unifies, distorts, accompanies, invents, and then leaves the fruit of his work to his sister's crystalline and carefree voice, capable of evoking fairy-tale atmospheres as well as enlivening scorching afternoons or heavy office shifts. But one is the completion of the other: there would be no Fiery Furnaces without either Matt or Eleanor. They say it's called symbiosis.

After various appearances here and there, in 2003, the Fiery Furnaces decided to release the first album of their - for now - very prolific career (no less than five works, four albums, and an EP, in just three years), "Gallowbird's Bark". The critics exploded with joy: in all the newspapers, the mentioned compact disc is praised with gold, frankincense, and myrrh, contrary to Gaspare, Melchior, and Balthazar. In every industry daily, the Fiery Furnaces are elected the new saviors of the homeland, and their album is deemed a masterpiece. But this time, the critics' enthusiasm can be defined - even if impersonally - as cosmic: leaving aside the musical quality (which we will discuss shortly anyway), they've had the time to place the enormous number (in our times) of sixteen tracks, all excellently arranged and produced. Let's now take a closer look at what the CD offers.

"Gallowbird's Bark" opens with "South Is Only A Home": a biting introduction, in garage style, with slightly acidic riffs, xylophone in the background, and Friedberger's voice giving the piece a bluesy atmosphere, bearing evident traces of the master Bob Dylan. It continues with the country sounds of "I'm Gonna Run": a Song with a capital S, with Matt Friedberger unleashing chords perfectly dirty while his sister adapts to the context alternating spoken (chorus) and sung (verses). "Leaky Tunnel", the next track, surprises again: electronic contaminations, synths popping up like mushrooms, an eerie piano adding a dark touch to the verses sung by Eleanor. Is it perhaps an illusion? Partly yes: the chorus is much more open, with hints of old-style rock. The fourth song is "Up In The North", a chant made askew by Matt's intervention, who slightly dirties the innocent intonation of his companion with his six-string (often on the verge of explosion, obviously a misleading impression). The fifth composition, "Inca Rag/Name Game", signals another change of sound, with a slightly understated vocal intervention by Friedberger (this time seated in front of a piano, intent on composing for his beloved sister). A piece permeated with naivety and good intentions, beyond the excellent compositional craftsmanship.
"Ashtma Attack" is instead a nervous piece, with moderate speed, bringing to mind old bluesmen before the Great Conflict: again, a precious gem, placed, moreover, in a happy position (record label suggestion?). On to "Don't Dance Her Down": more electronic sampling, a greater vocal presence from Eleanor (lightly emphasized afterward), a base of inspired riffs in the style of the best Who, a piano making sporadic appearances, accompanied by some UNIs (Unidentified Noises). Then it's the turn of the first single, "Crystal Clear": a heavy atmosphere looms over the scene, lightened only by the omnipresent Eleanor's voice, accompanied once by the guitar, another time by the piano, and yet other times by sudden jingles. We return to cowboy lands with "Two Fat Feet": Matt's love for the Sixties is undeniable, and he no longer tries much to hide it. A very pleasant piece, observing an exquisite contrast between Friedberger's pure voice and her brother's devilishly rock riffs. Now there's space for "Bow Wow", a rather calm song, with the piano reigning supreme from the heights of its sound freshness and a two-part chorus in a rough-crystalline blend. And if "Bow Wow" had only reconfirmed the great chemistry between the duo without adding any particular innovations, "Gale Blow" opens with a yodel sampling, accompanied by quick and fleeting guitar and keyboard interventions. What makes a big smile appear is actually the presence of another characteristic sound of the high mountains: the cowbell, which recurs metrically in verses and chorus.
Diametrically opposed is "Worry Worry": darker atmospheres, without excessive lapses, faster riffs, more present drums. A piece that would certainly not have looked out of place in the Beatles era: and today, forty years later, it still makes a great impression. After a slight misstep by the Friedbergers ("Bright Blue Tie", a bit atypical and bland in its forced simplicity), comes one of the best pieces of the album, the oxymoron of "Tropical Iceland". And now, it's clear where bands like Spinto Band or collectives like I'm From Barcelona draw inspiration: intro in cow-like bellowing style, with a delightful guitar arpeggio accompanied by sunny chirping, wonderfully childlike development, fully sustained by Eleanor's voice and the chirping side-effects from Matt's keyboard. Midway through the song, Eleanor briefly pauses to give a brief shine again to the brilliant initial arpeggio. And the closing is worthy of a true masterpiece: after the visceral blues of "Rub/Alcohol Blues" (in my opinion, the best track of the album), comes "We Got Back The Plague", a gallop halfway between folk, country, and blues, extremely simple in structure yet brilliant in some inserts (the cracking of whips and the sound of wagon wheels on a rough road).

In conclusion: a truly great album from every point of view; originality, composition, sound quality. Successfully in every aspect, in short. And certainly not an isolated album in the career of the New York duo: after this, "Blueberry Boat" (2004) will have its turn, making room for the incredible "Rehearsing My Choir" (2005), followed by the cousin "Bitter Tea" (2006). Cousins, a bit like Eleanor and Matt Friedberger. But weren't they brother and sister? It doesn't matter: long live the Fiery Furnaces. Requiem.