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Zero 7
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
Winter Women / Holy Ghost Language School
EMAILPRINTby Matthew Friedberger
Generally favorable reviews
Based on 18 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 5 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album >
Album Info
Label: 859
Release Date: 08 August 2006
Discs: 2 discs
Genre(s): Indie, Rock
Summary
This double album marks the first solo release for the "brother" half of the brother-sister duo Fiery Furnaces. While the 'Holy Ghost' disc is as bizarre and experimental as recent Furnaces releases, 'Winter Women' marks a detour into more accessible pop.
Also On Metacritic
MUSIC: Fiery Furnaces: Bitter Tea Fiery Furnaces: Blueberry Boat Fiery Furnaces: Gallowsbird's Bark Fiery Furnaces: Rehearsing My Choir
Also On The Web: Official Fiery Furnaces Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Entertainment Weekly
The chaos that ensues is catchier than you might expect. [11 Aug 2006, p.67]
All Music Guide
As a whole, Winter Women/Holy Ghost Language School is a lot to process at once, but untangling the mysteries of Friedberger's music feels like more fun than it has in a while.
Read Full Review >Paste Magazine
They're both excellent, similarly imaginative, fully realized efforts. [Sep 2006, p.75]
Spin
Holy Ghost is something of a wash... Winter Women, though, boasts some of [his] best material. [Sep 2006, p.111]
NOW Magazine
Bizarre lyrics, wooze-inducing dissonance and overly elaborate embellishments maintain Friedberger's genius-of-pretension title.
Read Full Review >PopMatters
As charming as Friedberger can be, he’s at least as often a little too precocious for his own good, and it makes the overall listening experience simultaneously cloying and fascinating.
Read Full Review >Rolling Stone
Both albums could have been trimmed... but there's enough good stuff to recommend to Furnaces fans. [24 Aug 2006, p.95]
Under The Radar
All in all, the two albums prove that even Friedberger’s secondary musical thoughts are worthy of attention. [Summer 2006]
Prefix Magazine
Here, Friedberger has once again proven his capabilities. At times they impress, but too often they confound, and it's beginning to seem as if he's too comfortable in his distance.
Read Full Review >Urb
It's clear that we have a gifted songwriter on our hands. [Jul/Aug 2006, p.117]
Slant Magazine
A bracing, willfully odd delight that rewards the patient and frustrates the short-fused.
Read Full Review >The Onion (A.V. Club)
Holy Ghost Language School is something of an endurance test... Winter Women is more rewarding by design; it only suffers from excessive length and Friedberger's continued insistence on slathering songs with random waves of noise and self-conscious dissonance.
Read Full Review >cokemachineglow
This is as fully realized an example of the Friedberger vision that exists, which is why it’s so frustrating that Winter Women never really gets off the ground, or that Holy Ghost wallows in its creator’s own pique.
Read Full Review >Blender
Matt's solo joints continue to advance his kooky, obscurantist aesthetic, though they miss the distracted smolder of his comely foil. [Sep 2006, p.140]
Village Voice
Without Sis, Matthew still does just fine, but let's be honest: You know the style by now.
Read Full Review >Pitchfork
One might suppose that solo album(s) from the chief Furnaces songwriter Matthew Friedberger would magnify his flaws/assets, and in the case of Winter Women and Holy Ghost Language School, one would be correct.
Read Full Review >Tiny Mix Tapes
No matter how you want to face it, the secret is out: pop isn't Friedberger's bag.
Read Full Review >Stylus Magazine
Give Friedberger credit for diversity, craftsmanship, and the unprecedented ability to release a double album that actually feels composed of two separate entities. The rest of it? Too much, too fast.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this album is 9.6 (out of 10) based on 5 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
spencer m. gave it a10:
Really great stuff... 'Winter Women' is up to the brim with beautiful melodies, witty lyrics, and great instrumentation, while 'Holy Ghost Language School' sounds like a drum-machine nightmare!! Brilliant!!
muckraker 11 gave it a10:
the critics went hilarious over this one. this is one of the most talented individuals in music right now. please give BOTH of these discs a chance. They are incredibly different and both incredible.
Carl M gave it an8:
Winter Women is the better half.
Malark I gave it a10:
Why the critics aren't "getting" this (and why they didn't "get" Rehearsing My Choir, I'll never know....It makes me wonder if they really enjoyed Blueberry Boat at all.
dugan gave it a10:
i can certainly see how this could be unappealing for most people. but if you loved rehearsing my choir and the vietnamese telephone ministry, holy ghost language school is perfect for you. and winter women is only slightly weirder (and perhaps even more catchy) than bitter tea and blueberry boat. and if you love matt for his lyrics, there's a veritable windfall of treasures in these two discs. great, great, great stuff.
