I consider myself many things, but “Fiery Furnaces fan” is not among them. At best, my reaction to the Friedberger siblings could best be described as a lukewarm one. Curiously, after hearing Winter Women by one half of the Fiery Furnaces, I am now a Matthew Friedberger fan. And yeah, I’m the last person in the world to post on this release, but it’s only because I’m the last person who thought they’d be posting on it at all. This is not fan Matt got easily.
MP3: Matthew Friedberger - The Pennsylvania Rock Oil Company Resignation Letter
Winter Women kicks off with “Under the Hood At the Paradise Garage,” a tune so Flaming Lips-circa-Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots weird that I couldn’t help but look further into the album. And if that made me curious, “The Pennsylvania Rock Oil Company Resignation Letter” had me hooked. I say this as far from a Matthew Friedberger expert, but it seems to me that he’s at his best when he stays somewhat close to a writing a traditional pop song. No, there’s not really a traditional chorus (”Up The River” is the best example of that), but he’s reigned in his weird side long enough to deliver something beautiful and curious. If nothing else, at least it’s not boring.
