Fiery Furnaces sans sis: Matthew Friedberger's Winter Women/Holy Ghost Language School

i can't think of anyone who isn't already hugely overdiscussed here that i prefer - c. finn, o.pallett, j.newsom, etc. the paper chase.

the critics thing: partly the need for "responsible criticism" (i.e. why-you-should-or-shouldn't-buy-this-record) mebbe is working against these records - in that really someone trying to get at them would have to come from a fan's perspective already, discuss them from that. i mean, these are records that are getting two paragraph reviews, and once you've summarised the thing you're three quarters there, there's a lot to explain.

and i think totally part of the thing here is the weird aesthetic sphere indie rock occupies, where the best work being done in some ways can't ever be the most progressive, or the most popular, although popular is a loaded question when you consider real people tastes with pitchfork tastes ... that there's a lack of places for meaningful work to be discussed in a meaningful way. that the most retrograde acts are going to be the most popular and most discussed, which makes a tedious vicious cycle of the whole thing.

(that i can't be bothered getting wound up about it because hey it's indie rock what you gonna do.)

x-post with eppy, who also brings up the status of "indie rock" here and all.

(aside: i actually really like the backwards stuff, although it's not my favorite gimmick of theirs. it's not that it's novel or anything, but it has a cool texture. and matt f. has noted that he was trying to be fake-scary rather than earnestly psychedelic.)

If you think of it real simply, like "I like this record by so-and-so and there are so many people who like it as well," then you think, "OK, I'm going to make a record inspired by that," but it's not going to sound the same, so you have to make a whole bunch of decisions in making your record, and each time you make a decision half the people who liked the original record won't agree with you, they'll want you to make the decision the other way. So you get a record at the end of it that 1 out of 16 people who liked that original record will like."

http://www.citypaper.com/music/story.asp?id=12126

"Mr Fried Burger, I Resume" has 27 Google results, 0 reviews and is also available as an app.

The guy's dived so far under the radar it feels like discovering a wonderful & completely unknown new artist, not the principal songwriter behind one of the most hyped indie bands of the previous decade.

Oh, and because he no longer gives one fuck what people think of him, he's taken to only releasing mad (certifiably insane) synth-rock operas. Coz, like, that's what he's always wanted to do (and has always done, except now they're even weirder)

It's one of the best albums of the year but I also fully expect to be the only person on ILX who thinks this

You can hear 3 tracks here: https://mfriedberger.bandcamp.com/releases but I bought the whole thing and found this to be an excellent choice.

And to think I only found this after being overtaken by a spontaneous pang of missing the Fieries and idly wondering what the old devil was up to...

I'd say this project alone pretty definitively killed any mainstream-indie interest https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solos

Wow- never even heard about that "Solos" thing. I like those "Mr Fried Burger" tracks on Bandcamp. May have to pull the trigger and buy it.

i enjoyed parts of 'solos'

Saqqara Mastabas is the new band comprised of Matthew Friedberger of Fiery Furnaces and Bob D’Amico of Sebadoh. They’ll release their debut album Libras on June 3 via Joyful Noise Recordings.

Libras Track List:
1. Walking Through The False Door
2. Fixed By The Tiny Talons Of The Future Goddess
3. No Escape For The Serfs On The Surf
4. Uto On The Upswing
5. Parade Of The Prisoner Priests On Parade
6. Smoking On The Mountain, Embalming In The Valley
7. The Failure (Of The Fencing Of The Underground Apart From The Apartment’s Part)
8. Unknown Term For Butcher
9. The Cosmetician’s Knife

"Parade Of The Prisoner Priests On Parade" is very "Birmingham School of Business School"

omg yay

I did end up buying the Mr. Fried Burger album and found it pretty enjoyable, both the mini-operetta at the beginning, and the more rock-oriented tracks after.

yeah you and i are responsible for 1/3 of its rym ratings lol

preview track off the saqqara mastabas album is great btw :)

It's oooooouuuuttttttt

And it's only half an hour long! So I've just listened to it.

It's the oldest music in the world, you know. A charm of instrumentals from before anyone knew singing could exist