“I don’t wanna bother you, but there’s something to say that
I want you to hear: (it’s hard when you’re far, I forget when you’re near) I’d
rather be two inches from your face.”
At her show at The Ninth Ward, the first night of her tour, Eleanor Friedberger—who
the same day released her second album, Personal Album—looked
slender as a poem in puce high rise corduroy, a Hawaiian-inspired blouse, and
hard, shiny nubuck boots.
Friedberger, along with her brother Matthew, put out some of the most
respected weird rock in the last decade with The Fiery Furnaces, and only
recently broke off do her own thing, starting with 2011’s Last Summer. Less free jazz than The Fiery Furnaces, Friedberger’s music is warm and lively, but throws
an ocean breeze that makes you get dressed frantically—a juxtaposition she
masters through off-rhymes, a husky, masculine tone, and loner-sex-appeal
lyrics.
The show was not well attended, but the music didn’t suffer for
it. TEEN, an all-women trio that traveled with Friedberger’s band from New York,
opened the night with real force. Teeny Lieberson, singer and songwriter, has an incredible ear and plays
with her voice as if it’s a piano. The music is upbeat and clean, occasionally weighty
(dainty hand, pressing licks), and had the audience looking up.
It was fun to smoke with the bands and chit chat with them about their
upcoming tour—the following night in Toronto (which we all seriously considered
going to)—during intermission and after the show. Friedberger was busy
discussing getting paid with a Babeville representative and didn’t have much time
to get involved in the hype, but she was vaguely personable if not simply
having an introspective night. I got the impression she was stressed out—and why
wouldn’t she be: she’s a leader. That element is exactly what made her
performance so beautiful. She has a generous understanding of her bandmates’ roles, as accompaniment and
artist. The show took on a spirit akin to a new mother full of a special kind
of confidence that breeches the fear of doing something important.
It was a serious performance, as was TEENs, but not without some
laughs. I was even the butt of one of Friedberger’s improvisational jokes, and
felt good looking at the people around me who were rapt by good vibes and a
very solid appreciation for who-knows-what. We felt it was a “personal record,”
and we understood the struggle and loved the reward.
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