Clearly influenced by acid and The Velvet Underground, the harmonic sibling coupling of Eleanor and Matt Friedberger, along with Andy Knowles on drums and Toshi Yano on bass and synth, results in an unravelled, demented and, initially, slightly difficult-to-grasp jamboree. After a demanding first listen, Bitter Tea becomes an addictive beverage, well worth repeated brewings. Think upbeat Syd Barrett-influenced nursery rhymes skewered on synths and psychedelica. Often hectic in the extreme, subsequent listens are rewarded in this disjointed collection of contemporary media-mixed music, with a fond retrospective glance to the pioneers of all things musically hallucinogenic. The kaleidoscopic nature of the album, their fourth and most accomplished, is heightened by spiky organ and punctuated with acoustic guitar in the oddest of places (My Little Thatched Hutch).Even when playing around with their inventive sound (particularly on the second half of the album and specifically on Nevers and Benton Harbor Blues) they provide some charming and downright beautiful ballads (Teach Me Sweetheart, Waiting To Know You), assiduous though they may be. Yes, Bitter Tea can be hard to swallow (and downright grating in places - The Vietnamese Telephone Ministry takes some getting used to) but for the most part it is minty fresh chewing gum in the unclean mouth of modern music. In fact, The Fiery Furnaces are a positive repertory for sound, and almost avant-garde.
