the keyboards are gone

Last night I saw the Fiery Furnaces at the Bowery Ballroom. Same lineup as the show at Town Hall last fall, but a new album to promote. Well, the album, while newly out, isn't that new (old drummer Andy played on it) and Fiery Furnaces concerts are not necessarily about promoting albums, as the songs sound quite different.

Well, this lineup works better for the newer songs than for the grandma songs. The vibrate-buzz-buzz-ring-and-beep was especially well done. But I must say I miss the keyboards. Matt F has stepped up a bit in the live performance area, I think, but that Toshi/Andy lineup is going to be my measuring stick for quite some time and this still doesn't measure up. I think the new drummer bashed somewhat less than he did at Town Hall, and Jakerock is more integrated now.

They're playing the songs as songs now, rather than as a tremendous medley. Which makes some songs really satisfying and points out that others are a bit lacking, or the live performance doesn't measure up to the recordings. But after wishing the furnaces keyboard rig on other artists (Malkmus, like on Pencil Rot), it's too bad that the Furnaces have sold their keyboards to buy guitars (makes me think of that lcd soundsystem song)


Fluxblog has a setlist, in case you're interested. Apparently they're coming back to NYC, Webster Hall in June, and I will probably be there to check it out...because it might be as good as they have been in the past, and because those new songs will be in my head until then. Vietnam opened last night's show, and they had a lot of hair between the four of them. Looks like they used to be on Vice, but got dropped or something.