And so it begins.

There's certainly lots to argue with here, mainly the idea that the way in which she thinks the album's enjoyable--as a subject to examine--isn't as legitimate or immediate a source of enjoyment as anything else, but I don't know if it's worth it. I do notice that both Amanda and The Modern Age consider it somehow necessary to have a clear idea of the narrative of Choir to enjoy it, which I fear may be my fault in some way; certainly this is leagues more transparent, narrative-wise, than Blueberry Boat, but because of the way that album's come to be perceived, maybe it's now impossible to regard any Fiery Furnaces album as superficially straightforward with a complex underpinning, which I think is the way Blueberry Boat was consumed. I just got into that album for fun, for more fun, and I think the songs still worked whether or not you really had any idea what was going on. The lyrics sounded good, and they sound good on Choir, too. I have absolutely no impulse to seize on the chronological through-line here, because each track is a great example of the kind of rambling, self-contained anecdotes grandparents are so good at. I think we may have gotten the wrong idea here. Don't stress the comprehension too much; it's a good enough album to be enjoyable no matter how much attention you're paying to it.
posted by Mike B. at 1:00 PM 0 comments