The Fiery Furnaces - Bitter Tea

[someguy]

I got this today since it got leaked. I love the Furnaces and this is definitely proves that they haven't lost anything because of Rehearsing My Choir.

The album is full of different genres mixing together and it's filled with their typical weirdness. Don't expect another EP here, I would call this a mellower Blueberry Boat. The longest song here is just over 7 minutes and the album is over 70 minutes long with the two bonus tracks.

Standouts here are In My Little Thatched Hut, Borneo, Nevers and Benton Harbor Blues. The album is filled with backward vocals too which get kind of grating at parts, but I would consider this like Gallowsbird Bark after the first few listens. A lot of strong tracks but nothing that elevates it to being great.

[The Heart Collector]

I don't get this band. AT ALL.

[someguy]

Surprising post by Heart Collector

[The Heart Collector]

What I don't like is that the songs never seem to 'get in a groove'. They just go all over the place all the time. I liked 'Straight Street' because it mantained some form of cohesion. Is this album more like that, or is just a bunch of little suites tied together as 'songs'?

[someguy]

Heart Collector, have you listened to the Fiery Furnaces' EP? It's probably their most accessible album and their best.

[Sigur509]

I'd have to agree with Heart Collector here. But I will check out their EP, I've yet to see whats so great about them.

[someguy]

Blueberry Boat was all over the place (although that's what I loved about it), but that's definitely their weirdest of all.

Gallowsbird Bark, their first album, gets comparisons to The White Stripes sometimes. They then released Blueberry Boat less than a year later and that just fucked people up with how weird it was. Their EP is by far their best work, it's a collection of their B-sides and other tracks that never made it on their albums. There isn't a single weak track in there at all, and it's more of a full album than an EP (10 tracks long and over 40 minutes). Rehearsing My Choir was just them probably trying to take their experimental side and getting it out of them. It definitely has a split reaction. Bitter Tea is basically a more controlled Blueberry Boat. The songs don't venture off into a bunch of other territories much but they still have that warped electronic/rock noise to it. If you do want to try them out again I would recommend listening to the EP first, then Blueberry Boat, Gallowsbird Bark, Bitter Tea and Rehearsing My Choir last.

[someguy]

Also, This isn't a link to Bitter Tea I SWEAR TO YOU (http://rapidshare.de/files/13855313/bittertea.zip.html)

[beastieben21]

/

[someguy]

The songs have the weirdness of Blueberry Boat with the music but don't switch to different melodies out of nowhere and don't border on 10 minutes in length (most of the songs are 4 or 5 minutes long).

[The Heart Collector]

I've heard the title track so far, and it kinda sucked. Lemme check the rest.

Actually, its not so much that it sucked as it is that the synths caught me offguard. Lemme get used to it first.

[someguy]

Originally posted by someguy
The songs have the weirdness of Blueberry Boat with the music but don't switch to different melodies out of nowhere and don't border on 10 minutes in length (most of the songs are 4 or 5 minutes long).

Bitter Tea is basically a more controlled Blueberry Boat. The songs don't venture off into a bunch of other territories much but they still have that warped electronic/rock noise to it.

Originally posted by Heart Collector
synths caught me offguard

. . .

[The Heart Collector]

THE USE OF SYNTHS IS WEIRDER HERE

[someguy]

OIC


the title track wasn't good to me at first, but it got better after a few listens

[The Heart Collector]

I liked Oh Sweet Woods. It's strangely danceable.

[The Heart Collector]

I listened to some of it yesterday and it put me to sleep. But like, in a good way. LIke I just lied in bed listening to it and it was very relaxing and dreamlike. I'm diggin' it thus far. WHO KNEW?

[someguy]

I would consider this one of the best albums this year, it gets better and better with more listens.