Furnace St. is one of those long-running bands that I am amazed by every time I see them and even more amazed by the fact that they're still relatively unknown. They hail from the Cleveland, OH area and feature Adam Boose on vocals, guitar, bass, and electronic manipulation, Lisa Jorgenson on keyboards, bass, vocals, and feedback, and Brian Taylor on bass, acoustic guitar and vocals (though Taylor doesn't appear on this particular record, he appears on their latest record). Ladykiller is the band's second full-length record and was released by the late, great Steadfast Records.
"You leave me in this silence, but I don't think you know just how quiet life can be when you don't let it show." With this line in the song "Draino", the record starts with a haunting precursor of what's to come. "Draino" is a good blend of rock and electronic sounds with a catchy melody that you remember long after you've turned the cd player off. Next up is one of my favorite songs on here, entitled "I'd Rather Not". There is a nice balance of male/female vocals on this and more of an electronic feel to it. A little slower tempo than the other songs with short, but poignant lyrics, it starts off with a strong stadium-size sound and then gently fades at the end. By the end of the album you realize no song sounds alike, but all the songs blend together to make a fabulous record.
There's a good chance that you haven't heard of Furnace St. if you live anywhere besides the Midwest, although there's an equally good chance you've heard their hidden track remix of "As You Wish" by Brandtson on Brandtson's ep, "Trying to Figure Each Other Out". Overall I enjoyed the entire record, although there are a few songs at the end ("Oceanview" and "My Fated Resurrection") I tend to skip through. "Walk" (second to last song) would be a beautiful, yet melancholy way to end the record but it's followed up by a more upbeat instrumental tune ("My Fated Resurrection") that, I believe, should've taken the second to last spot.
All in all though, Ladykiller is a great record. It's a ten song cd available for $12 off their website: http://www.furnacest.com. Furnace St. does have an amazing follow-up full length entitled "Headnoise" but they are currently shopping around for a record label to release it on.
B+
