The Fiery Furnaces [ tickets ] delivered a statement of intent Thursday night (3/16) at Stubb's, a shot off the bow warning that the band isn't yet ready to relinquish its place on indie rock's buzz list.

The Chicago-based brother/sister duo of Matthew and Eleanor Friedberger, who emerged as critical darlings following their 2003 debut, "Gallowsbird's Bark," and its followup, 2004's "Blueberry Boat," seemed on the verge of a popular breakthrough only a year ago. But the release of last year's "Rehearsing My Choir," a narrative song cycle based on the memoirs of the siblings' grandmother, marked a speedbump in the band's development; critical reaction was mixed, at best, and the album's unorthodox song structures alienated many fans.

The Furnaces are back. Thursday's show packed a powerful wallop, with the Friedbergers showing off an augmented new sound that includes a full band for live performances and re-engineering many of their old songs into sleek new vehicles, ones that are more overtly rock and roll than anything the band has attempted before.

Starting off with dynamic, punchy versions of two songs from "Blueberry Boat," the band's new straightforward approach practically leaped off the stage, with singer and occasional guitarist Eleanor Friedberger pacing and snarling behind the microphone and evoking the spirit of a young Patti Smith, while brother Matthew played high-energy fuzztone guitar from the opposite side of the stage.

The band's tendency toward fairly rigid, yet playful narratives (sample lyric: "My dog was lost/And now he's found") translated surprisingly well to a more traditional rock environment. Some songs featured Matthew and Eleanor engaging in call-and-response vocalizing, which nicely highlighted the difference between the classically trained Eleanor and her more gruff-voiced brother. The sister/brother point was driven further home when Matthew mistakenly announced the wrong song and his sister immediately corrected him, leaving him a bit sheepish on his side of the stage.

The middle part of the set was dedicated to several songs from the band's upcoming new album, "Bitter Tea." Based on the few samples available Thursday, the new album should keep The Fiery Furnaces moving toward a more traditional sound while still preserving their awkward beauty and originality.