Music Review: The Fiery Furnaces new CD is affable, but they’re too smart for their own good

Music Review: The Fiery Furnaces album is affable

The Fiery Furnaces, “I’m Going Away” (Thrill Jockey)

The Fiery Furnaces’ “I’m Going Away,” for all of its quirky ballads, remains slightly hamstrung by the hipster chic. The experimental approach is fun for a while, but it gets poured on a little thick at times.

What burdens the New York-based brother-and-sister fronted act is their smarty pants deconstruction of rock ‘n’ roll. That’s fine, in theory, but quickly turns tiresome when the reconstruction goes awry.

We start out in good shape here. There’s the Delta blues influenced lyrics on “I’m Going Away,” with its fine jangle crusty electric guitar and quick shuffle of percussion.

Where Matthew and Eleanor Friedberger get in trouble is on the slow ballads. “The End is Near” moves from moody piano to soaring and dated guitar strains in the blink of an eye. The musicianship is there, but it’s an idea that should have been curtailed.

What’s absent here is honesty. The Friedbergers deliver everything with the wink and the caveat that the emotions may not be real. This all may just be an experimental homage to sounds heard elsewhere. Their songs about strained relationships might have played better with fewer lo-fi smoke and mirrors and a bit more revealing of the true soul.

CHECK OUT THIS TRACK: “Staring At The Steeple” is an unsettling song full of cymbal crashes and devilish guitar work. There’s a nervousness conveyed by the tempo and the lyrics, but it all melds well in the end.