reat! A brother and sister band, isn't there one of those already? I wonder if Matthew and Eleanor Friedberger will wear matching outfits or physically attack members of other bands to generate publicity? Like the other famous band containing two siblings (And I don't mean The Kinks) they are also purveyors of blues inspired garage-rock. However unlike The White Stripes, the Fiery Furnaces are much more complex rhythmically; almost unnecessarily so. In fact I am starting to thank god that Meg White is such a mediocre drummer. And if she is not a mediocre drummer, then I apologize, but she does such a good impersonation of a mediocre drummer.

But the whole comparison to that other band is just a big red (and white striped) herring. I don't know if it is just me, but this record sounds just like Patti Smith, the vocals especially so. Where other reviewers proclaim this record as exciting, new and innovative, I find it derivative and overdone. How did they manage to get "Inca Rag" to sound so much like "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da"? Why is it this song makes me think of Marmalade and not The Beatles?

But, it is not all bad. Some of the songs have energy to spare. The first two tracks in particular combine guitar and piano in swirling upbeat swathes. They really build up a good head of steam, but then it slows down, track three is really annoying with its on-off monotone organ sound lurking behind the song. Track 4 is slower still with a piano melody that Coldplay would be proud of. Track five, "Inca Rag" is the worst Beatles song ever. By track six I am looking forward to not having to listen to this album again. The silly lyrics are are starting to rub, "once, twice, three time maybe, once with my mum and twice with my baby." And that is just the chorus.

"Then Don't Dance Her Down" almost redeems the whole album; this is a great pop song. The second half where the guitar feedback overlays the song is particularly fine. Track 7 makes me realize that I have been missing the bass guitar in all the other songs, but its gone soon after the intro. Track 9 sounds just like The Stones. "Bow Wow" is more sparse, using mostly just overlayed keyboards, but it starts to outstay its welcome by the end; its novelty becoming tired. "Worry Worry", is the first song that has lyrics that appear to mean anything, "he's a married man, but he would come to see me sometime". This makes me realize I might like more of this album, if I thought it were actually about something.

"Tropical Iceland" goes into jangle-pop mode, more like Felt or more recently The Tyde. The novelty bird sound noises are annoying though. "Rub Alcohol Blues", umm this is reminding me of "Nightswimming". It's mostly just vocals over piano, till the end, where it goes weird in a good way. The last track, "We Got Back the Plague", reminds me of Dylan. It's probably because its acoustic guitar driven and is full of absurd lyrics again.

Really this album could have done with much more focus, leaving off some of the weaker songs. And the stranger lyrics would have given it a good deal more impact. But some of the songs are so derivative, that they make this record unforgivable to me. Still, I bet I will be singing, "Don't dance her down boys, don't dance her down", right into next week.