Eleanor Friedberger | ||
| Allmusic Biography : First known as half of the kaleidoscopic brother-sister duo the Fiery Furnaces during the 2000s, singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Eleanor Friedberger established herself as a witty and sensitive solo artist once that band went on hiatus in 2011. Her own albums were nearly as eclectic as the Furnaces, ranging from the classic rock and folk-inspired warmth of 2011s Last Summer and 2016s New View to the goth-pop homages of 2018s Rebound. Friedberger grew up in a musically inclined family in Oak Park, Illinois: her grandmother was a musician and choir director at a Greek Orthodox church; her mother played piano and guitar and sang; and throughout school, her brother Matthew played standup bass. Meanwhile, Friedbergers taste in music spanned classic rockers such as the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin as well as 90s indie luminaries like Pavement, Royal Trux, and Guided by Voices. Following her graduation from the University of Texas in Austin and a year she spent in England, Eleanor and Matthew Friedberger formed the Fiery Furnaces, who released eight albums -- including 2004s breakthrough Blueberry Boat -- in as many years. The Fiery Furnaces went on hiatus in 2011, the same year Friedberger released her Merge Records debut album, Last Summer, which featured a playful but more straightforward sound than her bands work. For 2013s Personal Record, she crafted a set of songs that paid homage to the introspective pop of the 70s. She returned late in 2015 with the single "False Alphabet City," a companion piece to visual artist Sara Magenheimers film False Alphabets that was also Friedbergers Frenchkiss Records debut. Her third full-length, New View, was recorded with her backing band Icewater following a move to upstate New York. It arrived in January 2016. After touring for most of that year, Friedberger spent some time in Greece exploring her heritage and the local music scene. A late-night Greek goth nightclub, as well as the writing of poet Edna St. Vincent Millay, inspired the literate electronic pop of 2018s Rebound. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 4 Title: Last Summer Released: 2011-07-12 Tracks: 10 Duration: 39:33 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 My Mistakes (04:28) 2 Inn of the Seventh Ray (04:07) 3 Heaven (03:20) 4 Scenes From Bensonhurst (04:33) 5 Roosevelt Island (05:20) 6 Glitter Gold Year (02:47) 7 One-Month Marathon (03:36) 8 I Wont Fall Apart on You Tonight (03:39) 9 Owls Head Park (04:30) 10 Early Earthquake (03:13) |
| Last Summer : Allmusic album Review : It’s easy to think of Eleanor Friedberger as just the primary singer of the Fiery Furnaces. However, her songwriting skills were on display even on Gallowsbird’s Bark, where her song “Bright Blue Tie” was one of the lower-key standouts among the album’s musical sleights of hand. It’s not surprising, then, that Friedbergers solo debut Last Summer recalls the band’s first album and expands on that song’s lilting melody and wryly detailed lyrics. A few tracks feel like they were crowded out of the Furnaces brimming catalog, particularly “Inn of the Seventh Ray,” which boasts some jaunty pianos and travelog lyrics that are decidedly Fiery, and “Heaven,” which makes Friedbergers knack for pop melodies literal by sounding like a ‘70s soda jingle. Meanwhile, the charm that makes the Furnaces trickier moments ultimately winning shows up in spades on “My Mistakes” and “I Won’t Fall Apart on You Tonight,” perhaps the most accessible songs Friedberger has ever sung. Fortunately, though, Last Summer doesn’t trace the lines of her work with her brother too closely. Instead, she reveals a softer, more personal approach that melds singer/songwriter intimacy with her innate wit. Her voice caresses lines like “he shaved off his beard/and saw The Girl Who Played with Fire" on the lovely “Scenes from Bensonhurst,” and disparages “Glitter Gold Year”’s annus horribilus with a twist: “You said it wouldn’t be so bad/But it’s worse.” Friedberger keeps most of her stories close to home, chronicling everyday New York adventures in “Roosevelt Island” and “One-Month Marathon,” but the instrumentation she surrounds them with is far-flung. “Early Earthquake” is a potent reminder of how commanding she is with just a guitar and some percussion behind her, while “Owl’s Head Park” fuses strings, synths, saxophone, and layers of vocals into something lush, sophisticated, and miles away from Friedberger’s band. While Last Summer has enough ties to her work with the Fiery Furnaces to please fans, it gives Friedberger the time in the spotlight she deserves. | ||
 | Album: 2 of 4 Title: Personal Record Released: 2013-06-04 Tracks: 12 Duration: 46:11 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 I Don’t Want to Bother You (03:56) 2 When I Knew (03:45) 3 I’ll Never Be Happy Again (03:19) 4 Stare at the Sun (02:55) 5 Echo or Encore (04:50) 6 My Own World (03:37) 7 Tomorrow Tomorrow (03:20) 8 You’ll Never Know Me (03:24) 9 I Am the Past (03:27) 10 She’s a Mirror (03:46) 11 Other Boys (06:06) 12 Singing Time (03:46) |
| Personal Record : Allmusic album Review : Last Summer proved Eleanor Friedberger could more than carry a record outside of the context of the Fiery Furnaces, and its follow-up, Personal Record, boasts a confidence that underscores and heightens the tried-and-true feeling of its songs. As with her work with her brother Matthew Friedberger, a strong 70s vibe informs her solo albums, but where the musical and lyrical allusions to classic rock were just a part of the Furnaces wild excursions, they make up the backbone of Personal Records sound. Overflowing with slide guitars, electric pianos, and more flute solos than have been heard in decades, the albums warmth has a traditional bent, but its far from stodgy. In fact, Friedbergers pop instincts may be honed even more finely here than they were on Last Summer, particularly on "Shes a Mirror," which borrows the bouncy beat of Hall & Oates "Maneater," and "Stare at the Sun," which brings some razor-sharp hooks to its tale of suburban exile. Storytelling is another strength she develops further on Personal Record; in interviews around the time of its release, Friedberger mentioned that despite the albums title, these songs were more inspired by her relationship with music as opposed to people. Of course, it could be argued that a musicians relationship with music might be among her most personal, but Friedbergers lyrics are emotional even if theyre not snatched from her diary. On the bossa nova-tinged "Echo or Encore," shes equally affectionate and mysterious, balancing aloofness and intimacy with alluring vocals and slightly cryptic words, while "I Am the Past" is a sympathetic, creative depiction of how we relate to who we were before. As on the Fiery Furnaces albums and Last Summer, Friedberger makes the quietest songs on Personal Record sound like adventures that shes inviting listeners to join; she even manages to bring a sense of wonder to everyday things like coupons and diets on "My Own World." As engaging as these songs ultimately are, Personal Record is sometimes so unassuming that it takes a few listens for its charms to fully reveal themselves. Even if the album is more comforting than exciting, its still an enjoyable portrait of Friedbergers artistry: warm, genuine, and a little mischievous. | ||
 | Album: 3 of 4 Title: New View Released: 2016-01-22 Tracks: 11 Duration: 45:11 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 He Didnt Mention His Mother (03:58) 2 Open Season (04:42) 3 Sweetest Girl (03:01) 4 Your Word (03:41) 5 Because I Asked You (03:44) 6 Never Is a Long Time (03:26) 7 Cathy With the Curly Hair (03:26) 8 Two Versions of Tomorrow (05:46) 9 All Known Things (05:07) 10 Does Turquoise Work? (02:28) 11 A Long Walk (05:49) |
| New View : Allmusic album Review : On New View, Eleanor Friedbergers solo work remains as laid-back and straightforward as her music with the Fiery Furnaces was lively and complex. Recorded with her band Icewater after a move to upstate New York, her third album reaffirms that one of her greatest gifts as a solo artist is the fresh personality she brings to classic rock stylings that could seem stuffy in almost anyone elses hands. She plays into -- and against -- those traditions skillfully: A slight Laurel Canyon echo graces "All Known Things" ruminations, and the folky standout "Never Is a Long Time" is one of her finest and most timeless-sounding songs yet. Meanwhile, she combines lyrics like "Im opening a tree museum/Thats my new hobby" with music that sounds borrowed from the Band on "Open Season" and offers a sweet peek into a relationships give-and-take ("treat me like a tennis pro") on "Because I Asked You," both of which reaffirm that her music will always be at least a little quirky. As on Personal Record, New Views warm, reassuring atmosphere is a perfect fit for Friedbergers affably rambling songwriting; the album is even bookended by songs about long walks, and at its best, it sounds like a conversation sweetened by music. On first listen, it feels like the best kind of background music, but more engaging tracks like the psychedelic love song "Does Turquoise Work" make themselves known soon enough. When Friedberger delivers something a little more dynamic, as on "Cathy with the Curly Hair" or "Sweetest Girl," a charmingly ramshackle rocker that suggests Cate LeBon is a kindred spirit, its tempting to want more of the same. Still, when comfort sounds as good as New View does, its hard to complain. | ||
 | Album: 4 of 4 Title: Rebound Released: 2018-05-04 Tracks: 10 Duration: 40:10 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 My Jesus Phase (03:46) 2 The Letter (03:48) 3 Everything (03:51) 4 In Between Stars (03:29) 5 Make Me a Song (05:32) 6 Nice to Be Nowhere (04:51) 7 It’s Hard (03:35) 8 Are We Good? (03:52) 9 Showy Early Spring (02:55) 10 Rule of Action (04:26) |