I Lost my Dog, but Now He's Found....

So, I'm gonna step on Big Poppa Perpetua's toes as official Fiery Furnaces Mp3 Blog Flogger, and post a pair of cuts from their upcoming album, Blueberry Boat. First off, this album is good. DAMN Good. To quote a message board poster from elsewhere on the interweb: "Bottom Line: Blueberry Boat is a beautiful disease, and you require infection. MOTHERFUCKING PROG-BLUES ROCK OPERA IN UNDERWATER SPACE. YOU. REQUIRE. INFECTION."

About fucking right. This album obliterates. This is an massive leap forward for the Furnaces for their good, but not revolutionary debut. To put it another way, Gallowsbirds Bark is to Blueberry Boat, as Pablo Honey is to Kid A. As Surfer Rosa is to Doolittle. As Surfin USA is to Pet Sounds. As Bleach is to Nevermind. As This is Your Bloody Valentine is to Loveless. As The Clash is to London Calling.

That sort of leap forward in the space of a year. I have to wonder how much further the Furnaces are headed. This is what I expected when I heard the hype surrounding Elephant.

The Fiery Furnaces - I Lost My Dog - probably the most instantly accessible, and old-Fiery-Furnaces style song on the album, the song, an upbeat piece of ragtime blues, tells the story of a search for a lost dog. The narrative itself is nice enough, and the propulsive piano line is fantastic, but what really sells the song for me is the utterly heartbreaking final verse. Something about the delivery of the last line gets me every time.

The Fiery Furnaces - Inspector Blancheflower - one of 5(!) 8 minute plus tracks on Blueberry Boat, and probably my favorite track on the album, the song goes through several movements, shifting between the openings synthed out drone, telling the story of a challenged child, to a sudden shift and a kick up in the tempo, as Elanors vocals kick in and the song suddenly starts to move, and I find myself wanting to dance as she sings about police work. The song really starts to chine when the Furnaces kick the storytelling into overdrive at the 5 minute mark. The lyrical quality here is fantastic, and the music is perfectly appropriate to the sort of rock operatics. Many bands have been sunk in reaching for the heights of Floyd, or Tommy territory, turning the idea of the concept epic into a bloated joke. The Furnaces have managed to build a ship that floats though. No, I don't think it's a little late. I don't think so at all...

Also, Lead singer of Dwarves records song about Metrosexuals, scores minor Novelty Hit. - it is pretty funny, I must say.

See ya tomorrow, and you fuckers damned well better not touch the cargo.