The Fiery Furnaces, The Magic Bag, Detroit

and Matthew Friedberg are odd. Their music is odd and their interactions are odd. Rather than being awkward like sitting across from an internet date, they are awkwardly poised. They draw admiration from their crowd; a type of ferocious, animalistic admiration. Everyone knows their words. Everyone knows how to bob their heads and haircuts. They perform powerfully and minimally, tapering down their sounds and their fancy flourishes that make their strange chord progressions even stranger.

Being a magnet for diehards must be difficult, because diehards defect as soon as a band “changes” (they like to use the words “sell-out”). And, as a stage act, the Fiery Furnaces burn up their old music sheets, and smash their guitars. They make soft, sobering songs like ‘Rub-Alcohol Blues’ and ‘Up in the North’ move and rock like the 70’s; like sailors on a storm ridden sea. These folks, their supporting cast – bassist Jason Loewenstein and drummer Bob D’Amico – included, make the Fiery Furnaces live show breathe, shake, and shuffle like only a myriad of nightly drunks know how to.

Reinvention is almost a necessity in the age of oughts. Can a band survive if they play their songs as replicas of studio versions live? Can a band actually travel with enough musicians to produce the studio sound in the first place? I would wager a no, and so would the Fiery Furnaces. This show eliminates their propensity for lounge jam piano and releases their inner White Stripes. The last half of their set really embellishes the solo. ‘Ray Bouvier’ turns down Eleanor’s vocal in exchange for Matthew’s clever, smooth guitar. His guitar flutters and tricks, complimenting the vocals. Instead of being the center of the music during her vocal verse, Eleanor’s rapid fire cadence becomes an instrument, accenting her quirky lyrics in songs like ‘Evergreen’ singing “Needle prick my spruce root / Dear little Hemlock shoot.”

The Fiery Furnaces not only please sonically, but also pull out a lot of tracks from their back catalogue. Though, ‘I’m Going Away’ is the center of the set, they play a comparable amount of songs from ‘Gallowsbird’s Bark’, and pepper the set with ‘EP’ and ‘Blueberry Boat’. Thank god they have not forgotten their age-worn and dirt covered tracks and thank god they encore for five tracks so all could admire Eleanor twisting and shaking like a well oiled action figure in a silver smock and purple pants.