• printer friendly
• mail this article
• iPod format
• digg

Photo

Over a mere four years, The Fiery Furnaces have become the indie rock equivalent of the boy who cried wolf. Between their White Stripes-referencing debut “Gallowsbird’s Bark,” the hyperactive rock theatrics of “Blueberry Boat,” and “Rehearsing My Choir,” the only recent album to feature someone’s grandmother, the Furnaces have aimed for genius and fallen short. This time the Friedberger siblings aren’t fooling around.

Like any Furnaces record, “Bitter Tea” is full of weird sounds, often in the form of backward vocals. Where before the band seemed silly for its own sake, here the idiosyncrasies have purpose. As the album develops, the layers of effects peel away; by the time “Waiting to Know You” and the impossibly catchy “Benton Harbor Blues” roll around, the Friedbergers’ devotion to ’60s pop and soul is on full display. The Friedbergers’ penchant for difficult weirdness accentuates the songs without overwhelming them, like the initial bitterness of a bag of Sour Patch Kids before the inevitable sweet reward. The truly great albums are those that require some work on the listener’s part to bridge the gap between effortless pop and cerebral avant-garde, and the Furnaces have finally found the right balance.

While it’s easy to shove the Furnaces into the waste bin of ambitious art-rockers whose reach exceeds their grasp, this album provides substance behind the sonics. Make no mistake, “Bitter Tea” is a truly great record, and easily the most subversively brilliant pop album this year.