Boards

I really like it. Prefer it to gallowsbirds so far I reckon. Longer, more interesting songs is the obvious difference. Quay Cur is divine. I only actually own Widow City. That is a magnificent LP indeed.

But is is very good and well worth checking out. You might hate it, it's that sort of album, but it's worth a punt. The EP is closest in sound to Gallowsbirds Bark.

are great but there is a lot of stuff that is just too weird, like every other FF record really. I would suggest the EP too, is a bit more straight foward, then you can work your way into the more 'out there' material.

Between the long fucked up bits on BB and the simplicity of Gallowsbird.
I didn't like Rehearsing my Choir, Bitter Tea is pretty decent, but i'm not massive on all the reversed singing.

Is Widow City worth a listen?

It's got some really beautiful moments. Bitter Tea is worth a look as well. It's a bit underrated.

I have to say Blueberry Boat is the best place to start.
Gallowsbird's Bark is the most listener-friendly but it doesn't quite reveal the type of band they'd go on to become yet (although they were bubbling away with those later styles on the singles' b sides).
EP is also fantastic point of call and is really cheap usually. There's nothing really deep on there but it is a wonderful collection of the singles and b sides. I had all the singles individually but still got it as it sequences them perfectly and adds a few vinyl b sides I missed and a great new song.
My favourite, and possibly the record I class as the most underrated masterpiece of the last decade, is Rehearsing My Choir.
Sure, bringing in your 80+ year old grandmother to do an album with you is a risky move and her vocals do need a lot of getting used to but this ties in with the record as it's her life story and she used to be a (probably excellent) singer. As it's mostly an autobiography (although fictionalised slightly by Matthew) you rarely get an album that has so much heart and meaning. It's not even that inaccessible as it has some brilliant melodies in it and, unlike many of their other records, the lyrics and story are instantly gettable. The final moment at the graveyard and funeral has to be one of the best ever closing tracks for a concept album. I can't stress enough how much everyone who likes the band should visit or re-visit Rehearsing My Choir.
Bitter Tea (meant as a double album with RMC but separated) is pretty consistent and has some great melodies but the backwards parts and too much going on generally makes it quite inaccessible at first. The last few tracks are some of the best things the band has ever done though and what I can make out of the story is quite fun.
Widow City is the first album that really sounded like their live sets (even more so than their live album released last year). Some bits stretch on for too long but the lyrics are fantastic all the way through. My Egyptian Grammar is probably in my top 3 FF songs.
Last year's double live album (collected from their whole touring career and cut up and pasted all over the place) and Matthew Friedberger's double solo album are both a bit too much for even a big fan. There are easily some songs on the solo album(s) that could be great, poppy singles, but there are far too many synths going on at the same time to be able to pick out the melodies easily.

They've got another album in July and another 3 they're working on. Even though they can sometimes be a bit hit or miss, they are easily one of the most interesting bands around at the moment.

I like it, but I don't think I've ever gotten through it all in one sitting.

I happen to think the backwards parts are done brilliantly.
Thanks to Filip and his wonderful synopsis, I'll investigate further.

Has really made me want to have their back catalogue on my iPod