To be honest, I was never a big fan of The Fiery Furnaces before I'm Going Away. The Friedbergers' flighty, arty weirdness just seemed a little too stylized, you know? Their eighth release (?!), however, is pretty rad, mostly because they calmed the hell down and just delivered an ace suite of deceptively sunny '70s-inspired pop-rock tunes with just the right amount of the siblings' now-familiar love for cabaret influence. Sure, they're still a little weird (“Cups and Punches,” in particular, ruins itself with self-indulgence), but the songs are top-notch, with giant hooks and production by Sebadoh's Jason Lowenstein that roughs up their sophistication nicely. The piano boogies; the falsetto vocals soar and bounce; the drums shuffle along with a surprising propulsion, thanks to endlessly tasteful beater Robert D'Amico. I'm Going Away is fun without ever settling for being simple or dumb, a feat rare enough to make it something special. - Colin Kincaid