The Fiery Furnaces Sign To Thrill Jockey, Announce Album Title and Release Date

Download: The Fiery Furnaces - "Quay Cur"

From the Thrill Jockey newsletter comes the...uh, news, that the Fiery Furnaces have signed Thrill Jockey who will be putting out the Oak Park-based band's newest offering, Widow City, on October 23rd. Just in time for Halloween!

In addition, the Friedberger clan is now on tour, no doubt playing old favorites and cuts from the forthcoming City. Click here to see photos of the band's show Chicago's Empty Bottle from this past Friday (June 22nd). Below is the list of remaining dates on the tour:

Fiery Furnaces Tourdates:

Mon
Jun 25
Toronto, ON
- The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern
w/ Dios

Tue
Jun 26
Ottawa, ON
- Barrymore's
w/ The Hot Springs, The Chinese Stars

Thu
Jun 28
Philadelphia, PA
- North Star
w/ Dios

Fri
Jun 29
Boston, MA
- Paradise Rock Club
w/ Dios

Sat
Jun 30
Hoboken, NJ
- Maxwell's
w/ Kapow!, Tris McCall

Sun
Jul 1
Brooklyn, NY
- Studio B
w/ Dios

Thu
Jul 5
Washington, DC
- Black Cat
w/ Dios

Fri
Jul 6
Raleigh, NC
- Lincoln Theater
w/ Dios

Sat
Jul 7
Atlanta, GA
- The Earl
w/ Deerhunter

Sun
Jul 8
Asheville, NC
- The Orange Peel
w/ Dios

Mon
Jul 9
Charlotte, NC
- Visulite Theatre
w/ Dios

Thu
Jul 19
Salt Lake City, UT
- The Gallivan Center
w/ Yo La Tengo

Record Review: Bobby Conn, King for a Day

Bobby Conn
King For A Day (Thrill Jockey)
Grade: A-

Bobby Conn has been a fixture on the Chicago music scene for ten years now. His notoriety in the Chi-town scene is more than likely due the fact that, in past interviews, Conn made the following claims: that he is the anti-Christ; that he chopped off a finger to remove a wedding ring; and that he is the last frontier of rock-star sexuality. Conn is also notorious for his absurd, hypersexual lyrics. For example, on “Whore” (found on 2001’s The Golden Age ), he sings from the perspective of a half-toothed prostitute giving a blowjob (!).

With this information in mind, it’s easy to say that Conn’s outlandishness has overshadowed the music he has made in the past decade. However, with his last two records, 2004’s The Homeland , and the just-released King for a Day , Conn has made strides toward maturity. He’s made the sexuality in his music implicit rather than explicit, and his lyrical concerns are now more political than sexual. The Homeland was a work of political satire, but at times was too explicit with its message, too obvious in its intent.

King for a Day , on the other hand, leaves the excess strictly in the music and shifts the emphasis from satire to allegory. The result of Conn’s focused ambitions is an album that stands up on repeated listens and is compelling from beginning to end; also, it rawks like a beast!

The best part about listening to King for a Day is hearing Conn-the-ambtious-songwriter-storyteller go head-to-head with Conn-the-entertainer. It’s a battle that goes on throughout the album, and one that makes King for a Day delightfully idiosyncratic.

You’ve got songs like the 8-minute epic opener “Vanitas,” (which starts off with a quiet, Texas-style blues riff, adds prog-rock and jazz influences, then ends with a some jamming worthy of Sabbath) standing next to “When The Money’s Gone,” a song that is essentially Motown with a harpsichord. Other of King’s highlights include the grinding bass of “(I’m Through With) My Ego,” the uptempo glam-rocker “Anybody,” and the reflective, Aimee Mann-influenced ballad “Mr. Things” (sung by violinist Monica Boubou).

With King for a Day , Conn gives the listener a strong example of what can happen when an artist channels all of their ambitions and influences into one quirky, memorable, grandiose statement. The result of Conn’s efforts is his most cohesive album yet.

Also, did I mention that this album will rock you like a hurricane?

(Jonathan Graef)