With the recent release of her album 'New Views', Eleanor Friedberger will be returning to Australia this month including a performance as part of the Gallery Of Modern Art’s ‘Cindy Sherman Up Late’.
Little is spoken of the way environmental factors play an influence on a person’s behaviour or an artist’s work. Eleanor Friedberger has had to venture to the reception desk of the Austrian hotel she is staying in during one of her European tour stops due to a bad phone connection.
The day of the interview is Corpus Christi, a Catholic holiday in Austria; and the noise from the celebration isn’t ideal to the conversation. “I’m sorry I’m a little bit distracted,” Eleanor apologises. “I’m in a public space, and there’s a marching band, and church bells… Now there are cannons going off!”
{youtube}AMW9I8TO4qw{/youtube}
The background noises are worlds away from Eleanor’s understated new album, 'New View', but they wouldn’t be out of place on a song by her former project The Fiery Furnaces.
Eleanor first came to fame as the singer/ guitarist of indie rockers The Fiery Furnaces, a duo with her brother Matthew. They released nine albums filled with maximalist instrumentals and high-concept lyrics, including songs about fighting pirates on a sinking ship, to a tropical Iceland.
Since their 2011 hiatus, Eleanor has embarked on an acclaimed solo career, releasing three albums of pared-back rock featuring more personal lyrics than before. For ‘New View’, Eleanor had a number of changes in her life which influenced the album, including moving to upstate New York.
While the lyrics feature references to the winters of her home state, the music has a sunny feel, much like the '70s albums recorded in California by musicians such as Neil Young and Fleetwood Mac. “I think that’s fair to say,” Eleanor agrees when the comparison is mentioned.
{youtube}l9SRGMz3EbU{/youtube}
“I spent eight weeks with my band working on the arrangements for the songs in Los Angeles. It makes sense it should have that sort of vibe, which is fine by me. It’s kind of difficult to know how your environment really shapes what you’re doing, but it does. I think it gave this album a more open quality than what my previous two albums don’t have.”
Not only does Eleanor have a strong relationship with music, but she has also developed a bond with the art world. In between albums, Eleanor took part in projects such as scoring music to unseen Andy Warhol footage, and providing songs and acting in Sara Magenheimer’s video-art project ‘False Alphabets’.
{youtube}-haAAUEAfGw{/youtube}
For her return to Brisbane, Eleanor will be performing as part of a celebration of the work of Cindy Sherman, an artist who Eleanor describes as “fantastic”. When it comes to her relationship with art, Eleanor believes it is a natural occurrence of being a musician and also living in the unofficial artist hub of New York. “I’m flattered and honoured to have that connection. I think it’s not a big stretch to connect the music and art world.
“I think it’s from living in New York and being surrounded by the people I’m surrounded by. And living in New York City for so many years, I don’t know if it’s just being in close proximity to other artists, and I have a lot of friends who are artists, but it’s just a natural sort of relationship. And a lot of visual things need a good soundtrack.”
Eleanor Friedberger Tour Dates
Thu 16 Jun - Newtown Social Club (Sydney)Fri 17 Jun - Gallery Of Modern Art (Brisbane)
Sat 18 Jun - The Toff (Melbourne)
