A Place To Be

Eleanor Friedberger “Heaven”

Eleanor Friedberger’s debut solo album Last Summer is packed with enough highly specific references to locations within New York City that it practically begs fans to go visit them all, or at least make an annotated Google map. “Heaven” is the exception. It’s a somewhat atypical song in the Friedberger & Friedberger canon; at least in the sense that it draws some of its power from lyrical ambiguity rather than narrative and context. Eleanor sings to someone named Lee — even at their most vague, the Friedbergers can’t help but include these sort of concrete details — but seems to lament that while this person feels lost and restless, a sort of peace exists within them. That’s a great idea, but it’s complicated by this bridge: “I mention your name / only in hell / it’s the same.” It darkens the sentiment in an interesting way; it leaves me a little unsure of the relationship at the core of a song that otherwise seems gentle and loving. Truly, this is one of the most light and relaxed recordings in the overall Friedberger discography — Matthew may have been inclined to overwork the tune and crowd it out with too many sounds, but Eleanor’s elegant arrangement frames her voice at its sweetest with subtly majestic horns and a gorgeous piano solo.

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