It’s Not About Being Pretty

Eleanor Friedberger “Make Me A Song”

Eleanor Friedberger’s fourth album Rebound is the first of her solo records to feel completely removed from the singular aesthetic of The Fiery Furnaces. The esoteric humor, the odd approach to narrative, the strange cadences and restless tempos, the impulse to pack songs with as many ideas as possible – that’s all gone. The Eleanor of 2018 favors a more relaxed vibe and significantly more straightforward lyrics. The songs have a more spacious, airy sound, and her voice – always so certain and decisive in tone – now conveys the humble curiosity of a spiritual seeker.

This is a dramatic creative shift, and I know some of my friends who were never huge Furnaces fans have connected with this record. And that makes sense: Anything that could have ever annoyed people about her old material is missing from what she’s doing now, and it’s pretty easy to like the mellow, groovy vibe of this record. But for me, it’s a bit more complicated. I appreciate and enjoy where she’s at with this music, but I can’t help but focus on the lack of the aspects of her work that I find the most exciting and intriguing.

She’s still great with melody. “Make Me A Song” is a gentle, jaunty number with an understated hook – “I could love you more” – that’s sweet but slightly ambiguous in context. This is essentially a song reflecting on other people’s faith and passions, and searching for a similar inspiration. And though she seems to lack direction, the music itself conveys a sense of peace and self-acceptance that suggest she doesn’t have to look far to find what she might already have.

Buy it from Amazon.