Originally written by Anthony Gibbons · 23 February 2004
The Fiery Furnaces
Tropical Ice-Land
Label: Rough Trade Release Date: 23/02/2004
‘Tropical Ice-Land’, taken from the 2003 album ‘Gallowsbird’s Bark’ by brother-sister duo The Fiery Furnaces, is a wonderfully kooky pop song which will brighten up even the dullest of days.
This cartoonish song of love in the frozen North, is as eccentric as anything by The Sugarcubes yet Eleanor Friedberg’s voice and indeed look - judging by the brilliant, technicolor video - is pure Karen Carpenter.
Throw in a nagging pop hook, some vaudeville piano, and a nonsensical chorus, and ‘Tropical Ice-Land’ is possibly the off-kilter indie-pop song of the year.
One listen, and like this correspondent, you'll be singing that chorus all day long. 'Tropi-cal...icy-icy’. Marvellous.
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