#5
The Fiery Furnaces
Bitter Tea
This year’s proper Fiery Furnaces release features what might be the most consistent stretch of music the duo has ever put together, starting with the first track, “In My Little Thatched Hut,” moving into the superb “I’m in No Mood” and finishing up a few songs later with “Teach Me Sweetheart.” All the things that make the Furnaces so great, so original (and so despised by many listeners) are fully realized here—from Eleanor Friedberger’s jumbled, yet insistent vocal delivery to the jarring tempo and sonic changes to the bordering-on-fetishistic use of bleating analog synths, backwards vocals and tack piano and, above all, an unquenchable sense of adventure. In places, Bitter Tea comes close to equalling the band’s 2004 masterpiece, Blueberry Boat, but unfortunately, the latter half of the album loses focus. Nevertheless, it’s an impressive achievement by one of indie rock’s most truly progressive acts.
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