Eleanor Friedberger

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Eleanor Friedberger
Eleanor Friedberger (2011)
Eleanor Friedberger (2011)
Background information
Born (1976-09-02) September 2, 1976 (age 47)
OriginOak Park, Illinois
GenresIndie rock
Occupation(s)Singer, songwriter, musician
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar, keyboards
Years active2000–present
LabelsMerge Records, Frenchkiss Records

Eleanor Friedberger (born September 2, 1976) is an American singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. She is best known as one half of the indie rock duo The Fiery Furnaces, alongside her older brother Matthew Friedberger.[1] In the band she contributes the majority of the vocals both on record and during their live performances.

In 2011, The Fiery Furnaces went on hiatus, with both Friedberger siblings embarking upon solo careers. To date, Friedberger has released four solo studio albums: Last Summer (2011), Personal Record (2013), New View (2016) and Rebound (2018), all four of which have peaked in the top 20 of the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart.[2]

Early life[edit]

Friedberger was born in Oak Park, Illinois, and grew up singing with her grandmother Olga Sarantos and family in a Greek Orthodox church.

Solo work[edit]

2011–2012: Last Summer[edit]

Main article: Last Summer (album)

Friedberger released her first solo album Last Summer on July 12, 2011 through Merge Records; the record was classified as "experimental pop."[3][4] The album elicited generally favorable reviews from music critics, and entered the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart, on which it ultimately attained a peak of number 20.[2][4]

2013–2015: Personal Record[edit]

Main article: Personal Record (album)

Friedberger released her second album, Personal Record, on June 4, 2013.[5] The album peaked at number 9 on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart, becoming her first top ten entry; it also peaked at number 43 on the Independent Albums chart.[2][6]

2016: New View[edit]

Main article: New View (Eleanor Friedberger album)

Following the release of Personal Record, Friedberger moved from New York City to upstate New York; the experience inspired her while she was writing and recording her third studio album.[7] Her third album, New View, was released on January 22, 2016. It is her first release on Frenchkiss Records, having released her first two albums through Merge Records.[8] The album peaked at number 16 on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart, and also became her highest-peaking entry on the US Independent Albums chart, where it attained a peak of number 34.[2][6]

2017–present: Rebound[edit]

Main article: Rebound (Eleanor Friedberger album)

In January 2017, after the results of the 2016 United States presidential election and her tour in support of New View, Friedberger took a trip to Athens, Greece, out of a desire to reconnect with her Greek heritage and to explore the Greek music scene.[9][10][11] While there, on the recommendation of a friend, she visited an '80s-themed goth nightclub called Rebound, which made an impression on her and ultimately became the namesake of her fourth studio album.[12] For Rebound, Friedberger adopted a more pop-influenced sound, recording most of the music herself and using synthesizers and drum machines as opposed to the live bands which characterized her earlier solo work.[13][14]

On February 14, 2018, Friedberger announced that Rebound would be released on May 4; in conjunction with the announcement, she released the lead single from the project, titled "In Between Stars;" several weeks later, she released an accompanying music video, which she had filmed herself with assistance from former Sonic Youth frontwoman Kim Gordon.[15][16] On April 20, 2018, "Everything" was released as the second single from the album, ahead of its release; an accompanying music video was directed by Jonah Freud.[17][18]

On May 4, 2018, Rebound was released by Frenchkiss Records. The album drew universal acclaim from music critics, who noted Friedberger's stylistic departure.[19] It became Friedberger's fourth consecutive top-twenty entry on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart, where it peaked at number 20.[2]

Personal life[edit]

Friedberger's brother Matthew dedicated his 2006 solo album, Winter Women, to her.

She has dated both Britt Daniel of Spoon and Alex Kapranos of the Scottish rock band Franz Ferdinand. The Spoon song "Anything You Want" and the Franz Ferdinand song "Eleanor Put Your Boots On" are both written about her.[20][21]

Discography[edit]

Solo albums

with The Fiery Furnaces

References[edit]

  1. ^ Phares, Heather. "Biography: The Fiery Furnaces". AMG. Retrieved May 8, 2010.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Chart History: Eleanor Friedberger - Heatseekers Albums". Billboard. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  3. ^ "Merge Records: Last Summer official album page". Merge Records. Archived from the original on April 29, 2011. Retrieved April 30, 2011.
  4. ^ a b "Last Summer by Eleanor Friedberger Reviews". MetaCritic. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  5. ^ "Official Website". Retrieved March 5, 2013.
  6. ^ a b "Eleanor Friedberger Chart History: Independent Albums". Billboard. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  7. ^ Cills, Hazel. "Eleanor Friedberger: New View album review". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  8. ^ "Eleanor Friedberger Announces New Album New View, Shares "He Didn't Mention His Mother"". Pitchfork. October 29, 2015. Retrieved October 30, 2015.
  9. ^ Gaca, Anna. "New Music: Eleanor Friedberger Announces New Album Rebound, Releases "In Between Stars"". Spin. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  10. ^ Phares, Heather. "Review: Rebound — Eleanor Friedberger". AllMusic. RhythmOne. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  11. ^ Kivel, Adam (May 3, 2018). "Eleanor Friedberger breaks down her new album, Rebound, Track by Track: Stream". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  12. ^ Johnson, Eugenie. "Album review: Rebound — Eleanor Friedberger". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on February 25, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  13. ^ Cook-Wilson, Winston. "On Rebound, a Trip to Greece Inspires Some of Eleanor Friedberger's Best Music to Date". Spin. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  14. ^ Kot, Greg (May 7, 2018). "Eleanor Friedberger takes a trip, reboots sound on 'Rebound'". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  15. ^ Roberts, Christopher. "Eleanor Friedberger Shares "In Between Stars" Video". Under the Radar. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  16. ^ Segal, Victoria (June 2018). "Roots Manoeuvre". Mojo (295): 86–87. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  17. ^ Colburn, Randall (April 20, 2018). "Eleanor Friedberger shares hooky new song, "Everything": Stream". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  18. ^ Gaca, Anna. "Eleanor Friedberger Announces Tour Dates, Releases "Everything" Video". Spin. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  19. ^ "Rebound by Eleanor Friedberger at Metacritic". Metacritic. Red Ventures. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  20. ^ "Accidents Happen: Britt Daniel on the Songs of Spoon – Pitchfork". Pitchfork. August 14, 2014. Retrieved May 7, 2018.
  21. ^ Reilly, Phoebe. "The SPIN Interview: Franz Ferdinand's Alex Kapranos". Spin. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
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