The Fiery Furnaces & Lupe Fiasco Review

Brother-sister rock duo The Fiery Furnaces join Jim and Greg for a conversation and live performance. Jim and Greg also talk to Peter Bogdanovich, director of "Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Runnin' Down a Dream", and review the new album by rapper Lupe Fiasco.

Fiery Furnaces
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With 2008 ahead of us, it's time to look back at who reigned in the year that was. According to recent figures, it was The Police. The recently reunited group had the top grossing tour of 2007 with $132 million. Also making the top 10: Genesis, Van Halen and Roger Waters. While people like Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera also had successful touring years, Jim and Greg were dismayed to see how dominant aging, nostalgia acts were. It doesn't bode well for the concert industry, especially when you see that overall sales were down almost 20%. Our hosts recommend concert promoters focus more on developing younger, more diverse acts if they want to improve the numbers for next year.

Next up Jim and Greg speak with Oscar-winning director Peter Bogdanovich, whose new film Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Runnin’ Down a Dream, has been airing on the Sundance Channel and is now available on DVD. Greg notes that Bogdanovich is a director who likes to cover big subjects and big men, like Orson Welles and John Ford. And the filmmaker agrees that Tom Petty fits into that mold. He describes him as a truly "American" artist, and one that warrants a four-hour film.

The Fiery Furnaces

This week Jim and Greg also speak with Eleanor and Matthew Friedberger of The Fiery Furnaces. The Oak Park, IL natives formed their duo in Brooklyn in 2002. Their latest album, Widow City, is a favorite of both Jim and Greg's. It was an opportunity for Eleanor and Matt to indulge themselves in their 1970s upbringing. They recorded the album in a more traditional way, and used artifacts of the era like a Ouiga Board and vintage House and Garden magazines as inspiration. You can hear the classic rock influence on the tracks "Widow City," "Ex-Guru," and "Japanese Slippers."

The Cool Lupe Fiasco

Lupe Fiasco's the Cool

Rapper Lupe Fiasco has a new record out called The Cool. The Chicago native, and recent Letterman guest, got attention with his 2006 debut album Food and Liquor. With this second record, the self-professed nerd has taken a turn for the dark. His music is reflecting the serious subjects that have always been apparent in his lyrics. Greg admits that at times Fiasco borders on preachy, but he was impressed by the complexity of The Cool and gives it a Buy It. Jim was a little lost by some of the lyrics, but finds the music incredibly inventive. He thinks people who deny that rap is music should listen to this and also gives the record a Buy It.

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