Photos and Review By HARRIET KAPLAN
Singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Eleanor Friedberger has a cool, androgynous rocker chick vibe. The tall and lanky artist dressed in a black leather jacket and vintage red pants dominated the stage like the indie star she is.
Friedberger has a commanding yet understated presence but she has that “it” factor that is direct and immediately arresting. Every movement from simply putting her hands behind her back while intently singing into the mic or shuffling back and forth on her feet to the rhythm of music or defiantly and aggressively coaxing out power chords from her electric guitar, Eleanor Friedberger demands has your attention because she possesses a singular charisma.
‘Friedberger Wins Over Audience’
The New York resident’s vocals can be described as a cross between Patti Smith and Natalie Merchant. Flanked by her taunt and muscular backing band, Friedberger easily won her audience over and struck a memorable chord with them in the intimate room inside The Moroccan Lounge last week.
Friedberger Makes No Small Talk, Just Plays the Music
A performer clearly not one for small talk or banter, who instead let the music do the talking, Friedberger did on occasion speak and chided the crowd, maybe in half jest, for being “too fucking quiet.” She also thanked everyone for coming to her record release party. Friedberger also said from the stage, prefacing she didn’t normally say this, but she had her albums and T-shirts for sale in the club entry way and hoped to sell them all.
Check out Eleanor Friedberger’s website
On her latest and fourth solo album, Rebound, Friedberger has found new creative inspiration and is departure of musical direction discovered while on visit to Greece in 2016. She grew up singing with her family in a Greek Orthodox Church. Her ancestors were Jewish from Poland and Lithuania.
‘Rebound’ Album Named for Greek Club
The album title is named for a club in Athens. There, she developed a fondness for electronic music and incorporated it into her sound on this new album along a new different way of songwriting writing that utilizes narrative devices through her letters, photos and hazy memories. Performing over 10 eclectic songs during the satisfying set many were featured from “Rebound,” which included “My Jesus Phase,” “The Letter,” “Are We Good,” and the more accessible “In Between The Stars” which is the single garnering a lot of public attention, airplay and streaming on various platforms.
Check out Eleanor’s latest video:
With a nod to her famous past as part of the indie rock duo, “The Fiery Furnaces,” alongside her older brother Matthew Friedberger, Eleanor and her dynamic backing band encored the show with a blistering, hard rocking take on “I Wish I Was Single Again.”
This beyond exciting show, could be seen as a warm up if you can call it that, for her just announced extensive upcoming North American and U.K. tour promoting Rebound. Eleanor Friedberger maintains a relevancy in the ever-changing music industry with an expansive catalog of strong material and demonstrates why she is an brave artist because Friedberger is more than willing to take chances with her music exploring uncharted new territories.
Friedberger launches a major tour on May 23: