Eleanor Friedberger - New View

Eleanor Friedberger was always destined for success: a voice glowing with inner strength reminiscent of Patti Smith, the pop storytelling poignancy of Elvis Costello and an ear for elegant melodies echoing Neil Young classics. Recorded live-to-tape in an out-of-town converted barn in Germantown, upstate NY, ‘New View’ breathes vast open spaces, cool poise and easy confidence of someone comfortable in their own musical skin.

The record abounds with familiar Friedberger observations and personal, intimate details that make each narrative at once both uniquely individual and universal. “We’d muddle through ’til dusk, then we’d huddle in our coats,” she sings in the final track ‘A Long Walk’ and, suddenly, her story becomes your own story. ‘Because I Asked You’ betrays edgy frustration; yet it is a narrative of love that brings to light all that is sacred in a long-term relationship.

Friedberger’s songs come to life in nuances and witty evocative descriptions. The folk-tinged lullaby of ‘Never Is A Long Time’ is sublimely beautiful in its honest simplicity. The swirling Wurlitzer piano secret attraction story of ‘Cathy with the Curly Hair is pitched against an open, joyous declaration of new love in ‘All Known Things’; its soaring blue-sky melody is permeated with happiness and breezy bohemian charms. Despite its title, ‘Sweet Girl’ feels most untamed, bristling with frustrated energy and pain; whereas ‘Does Turquoise Work?’ has a more guarded character, first tip-toeing with caution then gradually unfolding, until finally taking flight.