(((withoutsound)))

Lately, I’ve been thinking about what rap music would be like if white people had started it and really nurtured it. This isn’t one of those Andy Rooney type of musings; or is it? Because I don’t really think it would sound like the Beastie Boys or Third Bass, who both fit the current model well. I think it would probably sound like Eleanor and Matthew Friedberger, the sibling duo called the Fiery Furnaces.

If you’ve never heard the Fiery Furnaces, they’re probably not like anything you’ve heard before. Eleanor plays drums and sings, although it’s not really singing: it’s more like melodic talking. Matthew adds the rest of the instrumentation, which includes guitar, piano, and lots of sampling. That sorta describes rap music, doesn’t it? But the toy piano, psychedelic guitar effects, and the poetry of the songs, which is somewhere between the prose of Mark Leyner and the sing-song of Edward Lear, is oh so very hhhwhite. Matthew also produces each album, which seems to involve throwing the whole thing into a pot and stirring while the contents slowly bubble. If you’re someone who finds the boat ride in the original Willy Wonka movie to be the most comforting scene, then the Fiery Furnaces will sound very comfortable.

Even if you’re already a Furnaces fan, it still takes a few listens before you can begin to enjoy the whole thing. I love Blueberry Boat, their second album, and at first listen thought the recent Bitter Tea just didn’t hold up. But I worked at it, listening diligently, trying to figure out the difference between “Nevers” and “Nevers Again”; and then I heard the brilliance. Bitter Tea is a sophisticated morsel. Inhale the aromas. Let it mingle on your palate. I think you might also enjoy the somewhat nonsensical, pyschedelic, white-rap treat.

• Listen to “Nevers Again“
• Listen to “Benton Harbor Blues – Again“