Sibling duo rocks boat

By Jordan Blum

Sick and tired of music without mystery? Is the current state of the auditory empire a boring pile of expectations too easily filled? If so, give the album Blueberry Boat by the Fiery Furnaces a try.

This is a CD that may be claimed “garbage” after one listen and “genius” for all subsequent ones, which are required. At first, the music and lyrics contained here are so abstract, unique and brilliant that they are impossible to grasp immediately. To put it simply, Blueberry Boat is an amazingly original and unexpected sound that is truly nothing short of genius.

The Fiery Furnaces comprises Matthew and Eleanor Friedberger, a brother-sister team with immeasurable talent. Formed in Oak Park, Ill., circa 2000, the duo is clearly influenced by the work of Frank Zappa and The Who, putting quirky melody and constant progression into its music. On Blueberry Boat, the duo easily proves that it doesn’t need to simplify what you do because there are only two members.

The cover resembles untraditional puzzle pieces or optical illusions, which give an idea of the music’s sound. The Fiery Furnaces put several different parts into a song and mess with repeating melodies. The music on Blueberry Boat is essentially a huge puzzle that has its pieces scattered all around. Melodies are not only repeated in the same song, but throughout the album. The lyrics are simple but still witty and funny. Think of this as good pop music fused with Frank Zappa. It goes from catchy melody to a sudden change of weird sounds and time signatures, only to return to another catchy melody. Within that appears music previously heard but played on a different instrument or at a different speed.

An album this original and unexpected will have its downsides hidden. The only complaint that can be made about Blueberry Boat is how bizarre and inaccessible it is at first listen. It is so brilliantly conceptualized that it will completely baffle a mind that’s used to hearing the music presented on the radio or MTV.

There is a famous quote that says “Talking about music is like dancing about architecture.” That basically means that it is nearly impossible to talk about music and have people know what the music will sound like. Blueberry Boat is a perfect example of that. It is impossible to describe it well enough that any reader or listener will know what it sounds like. Even so, this is the type of album that should forever be given the title of “genius.”