The Fiery Furnaces, a New York-based brother-sister combo, kicked off their 2006 tour last Friday, Feb. 10, at Toad’s Place in New Haven.
The siblings, Eleanor (vocals) and Matt (backing and guitar) Friedberger, are using this states-side go-around to promote their new album, “Bitter Tea,” which is slated for release on April 18. That effort will constitute the band’s fifth album proper since 2003, a formidable amount of work for such a short time that is matched in impressiveness only by the high critical acclaim it has received.
For some, it is The Fiery Furnaces’ live act that proves most notable. The band received tremendous support in the UK for sets that transformed the studio offerings into seemingly distinct entities.
They routinely re-work their songs in resonance and makeup, and sometimes interchange verses and choruses. In light of this proclivity, there was a definite air of curiosity surrounding the chameleon act’s expected new sound.
In studio, The Fiery Furnaces construct their onslaught around Matt’s frenetically meandering guitar, computer-blip samples and decidedly simple, yet infectious, keyboard riffs. The songs are then buttressed by Eleanor’s sometimes sweet, but ever-austere, channeling of Patti Smith and Karen Carpenter.
Some may get lost in the crass delivery, but the lyrics themselves expertly relate tales of epic proportions, especially those from their last release. “Rehearsing My Choir” (2005) manifests as a mini-novel covering the life of the band members’ grandmother.
However, this night they assumed a more Spartan tone as they abandoned their idiosyncratic, eclectic jingles, leaving only the decidedly mundane bassist and drummer to provide support.
The Fiery Furnaces have never been lumped into the hipster category with other New York acts simply because they have thus far been impossible to pigeonhole, but their new sound seems more along the lines of their banal counterparts. For those expecting a performance along the lines of the band’s past shows, this change constituted a sizeable disappointment.
From the start, it was evident that the set would be much different, not only to the audience, but also to the band itself. Accustomed to playing high energy, sold-out concerts, The Furnaces were noticeably disappointed with the turnout; the crowd was at half-capacity.
As the band quickly got some of their new songs out of the way, they were met with the unenergetic reserve of impatient ears. The reputedly taciturn balladeer Eleanor began to pick up on the seeming indifference. Before moving on into familiar territory which evenly covered selections from the past three albums, she scathed: “Maybe you’ll recognize this one.”
It seemed that the move to old material had solved the problem. The Fiery Furnaces then tore through “Chris Michaels,” a Velvet Underground-esque pleaser which worked well in the new format as the lack of keyboard changed little overall. However, the band’s penchant for mixing up their songs coupled with the new lineup and absence of the instruments used in-studio, proved too far a departure for the audience.
“The Garfield El,” a tune noted for its somber carnival-like piano, was played straight and fast, like early ’80’s CBGB punk rock. The lackluster response set the tone for the rest of the set that prompted one onlooker to remark, “I can’t believe I paid 15 bucks for this.”
It’s wasn’t a bad show, just too unrecognizable. The noteworthy Fiery Furnace energy and aptitude was still present but it was not as accessible and tangible. Shrouded in a wave of distortion and feedback, excellent songs such as “My Dog Was Lost but Now He’s Found” and “Evergreen” did not have the same impact.
After ending the main set, the Friedbergers seemed peeved and aloof. When they came back on stage for their encore, Eleanor quipped, “Thanks for staying.”
They closed out the night with one of their singles, “Single Again,” which worked well in the new format, but was not enough to save the show for most.
When released, “Bitter Tea” will certainly garner its fair share of critical attention, but if this performance is indicative of what is to come, it will be a major disappointment.
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