There’s no fire in Eleanor Friedberger’s furnace.
Ironic, considering that the 31-year-old is the frontwoman for the Fiery Furnaces, a duo with her brother Matthew.
But Friedberger literally had no heat in her New York apartment on a recent weekday morning.
“The landlord is right downstairs,” she said. “I live over his motorcycle shop. But the building isn’t zoned for residence, so I try not to bother him too much. At least it’s cheap.”
Friedberger’s situation may not amount to more than a passing aggravation, but it’s symbolic of a larger issue: Publicity no longer sells CDs.
The Fiery Furnaces, who play Monday at Great Scott in Allston, have been the beneficiaries of considerable media attention. It used to be that if underground bands generated enough buzz, record sales got a boost. Maybe you’d even make some money.
Not anymore.
Friedberger’s apartment-turned-igloo is the same cozy-looking dwelling recently photographed for Spin magazine – a red-hot blast of publicity, but not enough to stop her teeth from chattering on this day.
Under Matthew’s musical direction, the Furnaces’ quirky, neo-psychedelic music has caused a stir on the artsy college scene for the past five years. But for an album-oriented band, selling progressive music to the singles-driven iTunes throng presents a challenge.
“It’s getting really scary, and it makes me wonder how long we’ll be able to keep doing this,” Friedberger said. “Our only source of income is from touring.”
That’s OK if you can fill medium-sized halls or arenas. But for a club-level attraction, it’s not much reassurance.
Despite this, the Furnaces’ new “Widow City,” their debut for the Chicago-based Thrill Jockey label, makes no bid for mainstream success. Supposedly fueled by a ’70s classic rock sound, the Friedbergers’ latest is as out there as ever.
“Pieces of the lyrics were taken from clips of ad copy that I found going through vintage magazines my grandmother had kept in storage,” Friedberger said. “Originally it was designed as a concept album about this woman from New York who ends up going to Alaska, but that ended up mostly getting scrapped.”
One thing is certain: The Friedbergers won’t shower you with any phony mysticism about their songwriting technique.
“Because Matthew and I don’t have a normal band per se,” Friedberger explained, “we operate under different rules. Part of that requires making a plan for each project. We definitely talk about what we’re going to do before we do it. We’re constantly devising new games to play with ourselves to stimulate creativity and get the ball rolling.
“At least Matthew made demos this time,” she said, noting that for the Furnaces’ previous release, “Bitter Tea,” she had no time to learn the songs before putting down her vocal tracks.
Pairing that tidbit with the siblings’ tension-fueled stage show, you get the impression Matthew enjoys messing with his little sister. Eleanor disagrees.
“It’s hard for me to be objective about that stuff,” she said. “I mean, I think as creative people we’re naturally frustrated.
And some days, chilled to the bone.
The Fiery Furnaces, with MGMT and Michael Goodman & The Mike, at Great Scott, Allston, Monday at 9 p.m. Tickets: $15; 617-566-9014.
