The Fiery Furnaces' Bitter Tea.

Okay. Who's willing to give the Fiery Furnaces a second chance? Perhaps a third chance? I'll foist this record upon you if you are. I loved Rehearsing My Choir, and though I can vehemently disagree with you, I can understand why you did not. God, though. Fucking thrilling, this new album, Bitter Tea. It reminds you of what you liked about Blueberry Boat, with the same running length, only a couple more songs, and it's somehow LEAGUES more inviting. The tunes, the dancing, the both, the neither! It's also fairly witty, and there is a huge amount of backwards singing, which is a really great idea because nobody's ever put this much backwards singing on a pop album. It's wild, it veers, it's got power as a whole and in its moments.

When this band is at its best, it reminds me of all the art-pop music I've ever loved while becoming some of that music itself. I didn't expect such an early contender for Mr. Pink's House Arrest (bold words, I know, and perhaps take them with a grain of salt) but here it is. The Fiery Furnaces are brilliant! This is their best work! Throw everybody else out the window. All you Coachella bands, take off running. These guys have officially cleared the bar.

In other news, the Isley Bros.' Between the Sheets is also very good to listen to if you skip the 6th and 7th songs.

LISTENING TO: Bitter Tea