The Rhone In A Glacier Icy Dream

The Fiery Furnaces @ Webster Hall 4/9/2005
Wolf Notes / Leaky Crystal / Worry Worry / Blueberry Boat / Worry Worry / Smelling Cigarettes / My Dog Was Lost But Now He’s Found / Wolf Notes / Two Fat Feet / Straight Street / Two Fat Feet / Oregon (Mason City) / Name Game / Chief Inspector Blancheflower / Quay Cur / Tropical Iceland / Up In The North / Nabs (Mason City) / South Is Only A Home / Blueberry Boat / Bow Wow / Birdie Brain (heavy guitar version, no Matt vocals) / Asthma Attack / Don’t Dance Her Down (new guitar line)/ Oregon (Mason City) / Chris Michaels (first line) / Evergreen / Mason City / Spaniolated / Chris Michaels (subcontinent section)/ Chris Michaels (Melinda section) / Wolf Notes / Quay Cur (Inuit section) / Quay Cur / Wolf Notes // (next three Matt & Eleanor only) Police Sweater Blood Vow / Teach Me, Sweetheart / I’m Waiting To Know You /// I’m Gonna Run / Rehearsing My Choir //// Here Comes The Summer / 1917

The Fiery Furnaces “South Is Only A Home / Blueberry Boat / Bow Wow / Birdie Brain / Inca Rag (Live in Toronto, 9/12/04)” – This was an excellent Fiery Furnaces show, probably the best one that I’ve seen so far. Though I must admit that I was initially disappointed that I was getting the regular medley again instead of the oddball setlist from the North Six show, they really nailed the set (in spite of dropping my favorite section from it, the keyboardy version of “Birdie Brain” going into “Inca Rag”), and played some very exciting encores. I was thrilled to see them play the three songs debuted at the KEXP session again, particularly “Police Sweater Blood Vow,” which is quickly becoming one of my favorite songs in general. The fourth new song was “Rehearsing My Choir,” which is a very heavy song that they said will appear on the album that they recorded with their grandmother. I have a strong suspicion that this set was recorded with the intention of using parts of it for an eventual live album, which is great, though the Furnaces would be well served to just release that wonderful Toronto show from last year. I listen to that show more often than the albums at this point. (Click here to listen to the entirety of the Toronto show on JustConcerts.com.)

Lali Puna “Past Machine” – Lali Puna have an interesting way of making ennui seem somewhat compelling. Though many of their songs suffer for a lack of energy, when they come upon a suitable groove, their emotional blankness can become part of the mood or add some subtext rather act as a hindrance. Of course, this is all another way of saying that they sound like early Stereolab. I certainly don’t mind, particular when Stereolab themselves are unlikely to go back to that Transient Random Noise-Bursts sound any time soon. (Click here to pre-order it from Boomkat.)