Average Metacritic score is 76 (22 reviews):

by The Fiery Furnaces
I'm Going Away (Thrill Jockey)
Release Date: July 21
Metacritic Ranking: 90 (9 review)
Pitchfork: 7.8




http://www.noripcord.com/reviews/music/ ... going-away

Beware; if you were frustrated by the Friedberger’s hijinx in the past your feelings won’t change, even if this is a highly accessible album, for the Fiery Furnaces anyway. Not a 75-minute rambling epic, or a detailed narrative told by the Friedberger sibling’s grandmother, I’m Going Away consists of a dozen tidy tracks, making it the Furnaces' most listenable and user-friendly album since the ten song EP surfaced in 2005. This album is tempered and more concise, but in no way is it a cop out. Eleanor’s narratives are still long-winded and obtuse and Matthew’s musical arrangements are still that of schizo-hyperbole, simply not as much.

It’s hard to imagine the Fiery Furnaces operating in a mold so constricting and foreign as verse-chorus-verse. The opening title track begins in this controlled fashion, possibly just a fluke. But by the time the sentimental The End is Near comes around, it’s obvious that this is part of a new approach. With a jazzy piano line, dual vocals and straightforward cadences, this is the closest the band will ever come to gracing Lite-FM. Throughout I’m Going Away tame instrumentation generally abides by a single time signature. This is minimalism compared to the Furnace’s usual doctrine. Piano movements build the foundations with a few impressive guitar licks, like on the catchy standouts Keep Me in the Dark and Even in the Rain. Both of these upbeat pop perfections brim with energy and rely on more repetition than the band has ever cared to employ.

The electronic flair has been largely moved to the background and they sound like a cohesive band playing together for the first time since their bluesy debut, Gallowsbird’s Bark. Eleanor’s voice is still engaging and idiosyncratic enough to ward off any fair-weather fans. Without any of those garbled reversed vocals that littered Bitter Tea she admits in a more confessional than fanciful manner “I used to be proud to be me / but now I’m all lost at sea.” It’s finally relatable, and due to the reiteration and comprehensible lyrics, singable.

When the Fiery Furnaces unleashed Blueberry Boat on the world in 2004, it seemed obvious they would be one of the rock bands representative of the 00’s. Impatient and wile they embraced technology to create a post-modern rock opus. But The Furnaces’ formula was bound to get tiresome after a while. Imagine if they continued with one lengthy, arduous, convoluted album after the next. Embracing temperance is really the smartest thing the band could’ve done. It also fills the album with a bubbling-over effect. There are almost too many ideas to be contained in such a tight package. I’m Going Away may not be as ambitious as past projects, but it proves what fans have known all along. The Fiery Furnaces are more than capable of producing catchy three-minute pop songs. They simply waited until now to do so, resulting in one of their best albums yet.

29 July, 2009
- Brett Oronzio

this album did absolutely nothing for me the first few listens. it seemed so basic and ordinary to me that i quickly dismissed it. for some reason i kept listening and did a 180. What happened with this album is they let Eleanor write all the lyrics, probably for the first time since their debut album. the lyrics seem so feminine to me a difference from the Matthew world. also think that Matthew finally listen to the critics and just wrote basic pop songs. so what happen was they made a simple rock and roll album. it's not their best album but i have listen to it more then their last couple.

this will probably end up right around the six to eight range for the year.

I only recently acquired this (along with the album of re-recorded versions) and really like it so far. Not sure how it'll rank in the top10, but probably ~#5.

agreed with both the above. this album took me by surprise after not really caring after a couple listens. i'm totally charmed by a bit of mystery with this band. they're one of my favourite and a i have a big stiff thing for eleanor weirdly.

what's up with those rerecords???

basically, Matthew and Eleanor do the songs solo. Matthew does about five, and Eleanor does about five. A rather interesting concept--and on one listen seems good. But I'm really holding off on listening to it more until I've had more time with I'm Going Away.

I found it on eMusic (http://www.emusic.com/album/The-Fiery-F ... 41489.html). Just now tried searching Amazon and nothing came up, so it might be a digital only release.

Rivals the Dirty Projectors in the worst band ever department...

yes we know
i think your new name should be something redundant

*mental note to self: whenever F**k You, Dave/Name TBD says "worst band ever" immediately pony-up whatever cash/emusic credits it takes to acquire the album*

y'know, its just in case you missed it the first time.

I never listened to this album, but I did enjoy how Matthew Friedberger got so upset at Radiohead for doing that tribute song to the last WWI vet Harry Patch, when he mistakenly thought the song was about avant garde composer/custom musical instrument maker Harry Partch. Then Beck stuck it to him further by actually composing a song using the 43-tone scale.

hahaha--man. Is there a link or something which talks about that mix-up further? I love me some Harry Partch, and just your short little blurb had me thoroughly amused.

Never listened to this album, but I reeeeallly didn't like them live. So prob not going to listen to any album by them any time soon.