Eleanor Friedberger may very well be one of the most powerful vocalists in the music scene right now. With her girlish mannerisms, that full head of hair hiding her from us, and those striking postures she makes, it’s a commanding poise she holds as the front person for the band. Matthew Friedberger and Eleanor are the brother/sister tour de force of the Indie rock band The Fiery Furnaces. They played in Austin, Texas on Thursday the 27th of January at the Parish.

The Parish is not the greatest of venues but for one reason or another they have been able to bring some of the best line-ups into the Austin music scene. They can be overpriced, the set up of the venue is terrible, and the acoustics are usually off, but so long as they keep bringing in great bands like The Fiery Furnaces, people will continue to show up. That being said –the sound was great for Furnaces and they pulled off a superb show. Matthew’s ability to bend the guitar to his will can be pockmarked yet brilliant the majority of the time. His uncanny way with blending sounds is something to witness and the transitions from song to song provide something different to the performance. It’s experimentation and these guys and gal are really playing with it. Eleanor has an immense confidence with her voice, or, does a great job of giving that impression. There is this Patty Smith feel to her, though she is obviously doing her own thing, her snarling is reminiscent. They’ve been related to the White Stripes due to their raw music, and the whole duo fad, but the two bands share no real parallel and The Fiery Furnaces deserve to be held in their own regard.

Their knack for interchanging from electronic, raw garage blues, and experimental rock can be off-putting at first but give it a good listen, and you’ll start to realize the full capacity of the bands musical knowledge. The bass lines at times have an old rock and roll Buddy Holly feeling to the songs and then they go off on a tangent that revitalizes the tunes. The whole melding together of their material is worth seeing live. The lyricism shows a lot of technique and a mind for what they are doing.

The band started in 2000 in Brooklyn, New York, signing with Rough Trade in 2002. They recorded their first album that same year. They’ve managed to put out several albums now and have gained quite a following. They recently signed with a new label, Thrill Jockey, and appear to be doing well.

The Fiery Furnaces are a group trying out new effects and could easily be looked at as innovators of song. Hopefully they will continue to put out great records and maintain the quality that they’ve so far been able to. It would be in everyone’s best interest to see this band at least once if not often – to witness Matthew’s great work, the rest of the bands craftsmanship, and Eleanor’s sexy, sensational and raw presence.

By Favian Rodriguez