by Adelie Salagnac
photos by Joe DeNardo
Also known as ½ of rock duo The Fiery Furnaces (along with brother Matthew), Eleanor Friedberger has come a long way since the release of her first solo record in 2011. Putting out her third album, New View, in just a couple of days, Friedberger was kind enough to take the time to have a chat with me about her latest projects.
More than two years after the release of her sophomore album, Personal Records, in 2013, New View is already described as a fresh and new beginning for the songwriter. “It is a nice and interesting way to put it,” says Friedberger about it. “It is true. I had been living in New York for many years, and I just moved out of the city. That was a big change in my life. I think it is a fair way to describe what happened to me, and what is still happening to me.”
Evoking the greats of the ’70s and getting inspiration from her musical heroes, Van Morrison, Neil Young, George Harrison, and Yoko Ono, Friedberger delivers a beautiful and subtle record while staying true to herself. “I am emulating a lot of my heroes, while also trying to give my own voice, hoping that my personality comes through.” After working on her songs for quite a long time, which felt like a “nice luxury” to her, Friedberger is proud of her new record and is excited for it to finally be released.
“To me, I think that the record sounds like a very warm rock band playing,” she says. A band that Friedberger is now very proud of. After several years of experimenting on her own, she thought it was time to find a somewhat recurrent live band to work with. “I wanted to find a band that knew how to play together, which is very important,” she explained, “and to play with me, so that I could tour with them. Eventually, they agreed to continue to play with me, and they were very excited about recording with me, and then to tour after that.”
Friedberger and her musicians spent a few months in California last year to work on the songs, the arrangements, and the live representations, which felt like a 9 to 5 job to her. “I know this sounds like a very normal way to do it, but I have never done that, I have never had the chance to have a band playing with me, people who I have recorded with, and then played shows with,” she says.
Along with her live band, Friedberger surrounded herself with some of her most talented friends. Producer, musician and songwriter Clemens Knieper has been involved in the making of New View and “really shaped the sound of the album,” Friedberger says. “The reason why I wanted to work with him was because I had heard some recordings he had done of his own music. I loved the quality of the music, I loved his very warm sound. It reminded me of the music that I like the most, with that 70s vibe. I wanted him to do that for me, too.”
That goal has been 100% achieved. But that is not all that Eleanor Friedberger has been up to. Always keen to get involved in various projects, she remarkably participated in Sara Magenheimer’s film, False Alphabet, by writing songs and appearing as a New York City radio DJ. “It has been fun, and I have been doing more and more of that. To me, it is fun to have an assignment to work on, because after a while, I just get sick of writing about myself, to be honest.”
Broad and diverse, Friedberger’s talent does not limit itself to songwriting. When talking about exploring different things, such as acting, she says: “to say that I am interested in acting would be obnoxious, maybe. But yes, in whatever capacity, I am interested. Often times, in the band The Fiery Furnaces, I almost felt like an actor, singing songs that I did not write. I felt like I had to put on a new role for each song. I was playing with the characters.”
Having worked with her brother for almost her decade, there is no denying that The Fiery Furnaces still hold a special place in Friedberger’s life. With no official plan to get back together, neither in the studio nor on the road, she however does not leave out any possible future collaboration. “That’s the beauty of being in a band with your sibling,” she says, giggling. “Because we are siblings, that relationship will last forever, so I feel like the band could last forever as well. I could imagine myself making an album with my brother when I’m 60, and I can’t really imagine making an album with anyone else at that age.”
Friedberger will take her new record New View on the road next month, all across North America. “We are going to play a lot of songs from the album, and some of the older ones too. I am very excited to finally play ‘A Long Walk’ live. It is going to be a real challenge, it is a hard song to play live, but I think I am going to try and force the band to play it!”
Eleanor Friedberger will play at MilkBoy on February 19th. More dates and info can be found at http://efdebris.virb.com/shows
