Sometimes an artist’s songs are a window into his or her personal life. It’s almost a cliché now to talk about how Rated R was therapy for Rihanna after Chris Brown. In 2009, The Fiery Furnaces released a 12-inch single called “The End Is Near,” but this is one instance in which you shouldn’t read into the lyrics. Before the close of last year, the brother-sister team also released a full-length album, I’m Going Away (TMT Review), and a curious collection of covers off the former, entitled Take Me Round Again. The end is not near, and the Friedbergers are definitely not going away anytime soon — except on tour.
If you didn’t make it to any Fiery Furnaces shows last year, hopefully you saw them on one of their tour dates in the US this January. Otherwise, you can always fly out for these upcoming dates, ending with the Pavement ATP festival.
02.17.10 - Strasbourg, France - La Laiterie
02.18.10 - Paris, France - Trabendo
02.19.10 - St. Malo, France - L’Omnibus (La Route du Rock)
02.20.10 - Bordeaux, France - L’Espace Satrie
02.22.10 - Barcelona, Spain - Razz 3
02.23.10 - Madrid, Spain - Moby Dick
02.24.10 - Valencia, Spain - El Loco
02.26.10 - Lisbon, Portugal - Santiago Alquimista
02.28.10 - Istanbul, Turkey - Indigo
03.02.10 - Athens, Greece - AN Club
03.11.10 - Mexico City, Mexico - Pasaguero
03.12.10 - Monterrey, Mexico - Garage
03.13.10 - Guadalajara, Mexico - Larva
05.15-17.10 - Minehead, UK - Pavement ATP Festival
Also check out The Fiery Furnaces’ new video for “Even in the Rain” (from I’m Going Away), directed by Scott Jacobson and starring John Oliver (The Daily Show), Jon Wurster (Superchunk, The Mountain Goats, Scharpling and Wurster), Ted Travelstead, and Jason Loewenstein (The Fiery Furnaces’ bassist, Sebadoh) — plus Matt and Eleanor Friedberger. It even features Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda… sort of.
• The Fiery Furnaces: http://www.thefieryfurnaces.com
• Thrill Jockey: http://www.thrilljockey.com
