The Fiery Furnaces at The Space - 1/19

The Fiery Furnaces put on a great show at The Space. Before going on, Portland indie rock band Phantom Buffalo opened up, and it was an unexpected treat. I had been wanting to see Phantom Buffalo after I had to leave their Strange Maine show before they came on, so I'm glad to have finally catch them live.

Photo by Stephanie MacDonald

I had been told that they were kind of like The Beach Boys meet The Shins, but they were more than just that. I loved the subtlety of their guitars and the voice of vocalist Jon Balzano-Brookes. Jon's voice is very warm and soft, and the instrumentation blends in to make a great surreal texture of sound.

I don't think Phantom Buffalo could have prepared me for The Fiery Furnaces' intense performance. Despite having listening to some of their music prior, their live show was really loud and bass-heavy. Though being not what I expected, they still put on a great set.

Photo by Stephanie MacDonald

I really dug Matt Friedberger's crazy combination of funk keyboard and organ synth. His sister Eleanor gave the music a great kick with her speak-style vocals. The bass and drums were utilized very well during each song, making heavy, pounding vibrations into the ground of The Space.

Photo by Stephanie MacDonald

Even though I've previously described The Fiery Furnaces psychedelic/electronic pop, they are much more than that. They also comprise of 70's funk, hard rock, and punk elements. After comprehending the complexity of their musical style, I really want to see them again and see what else I can get out of their music.

If you're interested (and you should be!), check out their Myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/thefieryfurnaces