
Issue #63 - Courtney BarnettEleanor Friedberger
Rebound
Frenchkiss
May 04, 2018 Eleanor Friedberger
Rebound marks Eleanor Friedberger‘s fourth solo release since the disbandment/extended hiatus of her former band The Fiery Furnaces in 2011, a band that she was a member of alongside her brother Matthew Friedberger. Whilst she has always fallen within the remit of indie rock, Friedberger’s solo efforts have certainly shown a noticeable change in tack. On her last album, New View, she soundtracked many a 2016 sunset with elegant yet full-bodied indie rock. It wasn’t so much of an artistic departure as it was an artistic progression. On this new record, we see the remnants of such a departure and the outcome is less than satisfying, to say the least.
Inspired by Friedberger’s time in a club in Greece last summer—that just so happens to also be the name of the album—Rebound sees the full band aesthetic of New View replaced by much smoother instrumentation. Here, her ample vocals are supported by muted guitars, warm synths, and an overall feeling of restrictiveness, infiltrating the purity of her sound and leaving a lot of these tracks sounding undercooked. Nothing, from lead single “In Between Stars” to closing track “Rule of Action” feels like a fully realized version of the ideas that the tracks were all borne from.
As most music fans will tell you, it isn’t the truly awful albums that aggravate or hurt the most, but rather the disappointing albums by artists that you know are more than capable of creating great music and, whilst The Fiery Furnaces or Friedberger’s solo career haven’t led to global fame and superstardom as of yet, she is nonetheless an established name that has now had a sub par outing. The conviction that has defined her career so far is nowhere to be seen here and, whilst the reason for this change is still unclear, the result is a record of missed opportunities and inexcusable shortcomings. (www.eleanorfriedberger.com)
Author rating: 4.5/10
Average reader rating: 5/10
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