The Thousands

"You LOVE this album".

That’s what my boyfriend says when he comes home and I’m listening to WIDOW CITY. AGAIN. And he’s right. It rocks out like Led Zep and reads like a Kathy Acker novel. It’s got BIG drum fills, showtune hooks, NYC swagger, and quirky flourishes (oboes, organs, strings and things). It’s great, I can’t stop listening to it.** More diverse than past Fiery Furnaces albums, WIDOW tells one giant, sweeping melodrama. The juxtapositions here sound less jarring (i.e. less obnoxious) and more like Broadway musical segues. The songs are more epic, the sound more dynamic (mixed by Tortoise’s John McEntire), it’s literate, and it’s visceral. That’s right, it makes you wanna read books and fistfight. What’s not to love?