It's like a Mona Lisa with graffiti over it: it's a statement; it's "Art", but it has also ruined the original.

The underlying FF songs on this disc are good stuff, but having that carnival barker of a Grandmother croaking over it really just plain ruins it.

Maybe you're just being contrary, BV, whether consciously or unconsciously. I have a hard time believing that *anyone* (outside the realm of regular WIRE readers) could say they actually "like" it.

I really dug the FF's and thought they showed a lot of potential but I am not sure what they are doing on this new album and I really have no idea why they chose to play town hall and not a smaller more rock'n'roll venue.

I like it. I do not like Wire magazine. You're wrong. Believe it.

Their last one was self-indulgent enough. I shudder to ...

This song is really bad. Sorry.

As I've expressed elsewhere on this site in the comments, I can't say I enjoy their new album, but I hate it when an artist or band gets called self-indulgent when they do something that's outside the norm or totally unique as the FF's have done here. That isn't to say that it's necessarily good for that reason, but I do respect that impulse, though I'll also say that they probably knew that it would turn off a lot of people.

With that said, they have another one coming out early next year (it's already finished, I think) which is supposed to be more poppy and accessible like the material on EP (i.e. their singles), so don't give up on them yet. Everyone's entitled to a failed experiment, after all. Some of my favorite musicians of all time, like Elvis Costello and Joe Jackson for instance, have done it a bunch of times.

I forgot to add above that I listened to it on my iPod yesterday on the bus to my hometown (I came in for Yom Kippur) and it worked much better in that way (like a book on tape) than it did when I tried to listen to it at work. It's definitely not background music and it requires your full concentration, though it did get dull in certain parts.

to everyone who's listened to that album, all i have to say is, "i'm sorry."

Love these Fiery Furnaces. Thank you, thank you...

like incaraq suggests, the next one is going to be great. this is just a mostly unlistenable record by a great band.

It is listenable but not as poppy...Link me elsewhere on your site? I will do the same.

Relieved to hear (some) others confirm my instinct that this LP is unlistenable. It is just plain bad and does not merit a second listen. Should have been kept as a family treasure. Appology accepted.

Is it better or worse than Weezer - Make Believe?

:p

Indeed, I'm pretty sure I hate it. That's after about three listens. I agree that it's just a down point for an excellent band. I'm thinking of it as an admirable failure.

Their song on the Rubber Soul tribute album was also a big disappointment.

First off it's "incarag" with a "g", though as always, I can understand why someone else may think there's a "q" because of how my handle shows up at the bottom.

Anyway, I just wanted to add that I haven't heard their song on the "Rubber Soul" tribute yet, but their version of The Clash's "One More Time" is unbelievable. I still haven't heard their cover of The Fall's "Winter", either, which is odd since I'm also a huge Fall fan (like I think they're the best band ever basically) as well as a big fan of the FF (hence my handle; get it?). The song they did on the Junior Kimbrough tribute is good, too.

FYI, There's a good review of the album up at Harmonium (harmoniummusic.com), which not only claims that the album is listenable, but also vastly superior to Blueberry Boat.

FYI, I've put a review of the album up at Harmonium (harmoniummusic.com), in which I not only claim that the album is listenable, but also vastly superior to Blueberry Boat. I must be listening to a different album than everyone else. Because this thing is simply incredible. It's polarizing the fan base like nothing since Kid A.

This is a very good album.

This is a very good album. Its no Sound Team but its good. I like it. Buy it.

This CD blows Blueberry Boat out of the water and is the most ambitious American album since Mt. Eerie. It has enormous emotional impact if you listen closely. Matt Friedberger's creativity as both lyricist and sound-sculptor is astonishing. Both James Joyce AND John Lennon would have been proud to have signed this album.

If you wanna dance, see'm in concert or listen to the first record. I'm in the middle of my second listen as I type and I'm firmly in the "I like it" camp. Matt is a creative giant, he just is. Got my cd in the mail yesterday and was fully prepared to be disappointed as the album had been reviewed so harshly. Thankfully there's no accounting for taste... yours or mine. The album was instantly familiar because of many listens to "Seven Silver Curses"mp3 that had been offered for free on Insound. Prepared me more than I anticipated. Make no mistake, this isn't and at no time was it intended to be a pop album... but for chissake, what did you expect? Thank you FFs for not being average!

this bands sucks through and through. blueberry boat, rehearsing my choir, it doesn't matter, they are terrible!

I'm sure I'm right when I say that the majority of the people who voted "no" for this album didn't really give it a chance. They got turned off by Olga's voice because it's not something they're used to.

This album is fucking amazing. It's not a pop record by any means, no matter how many times the Friedbergers claim that they're making regular rock records. But it is art and you can get enjoyment out of it, if you give'r a chance.