It was an easy mistake to make.
Clash is sat with Eleanor Friedberger in a super-smart West London bistro. Eleanor has just hurried across town for our interview and before she can sip her cappuccino, Clash has made an utter fool of himself. Although Friedberger has been a member of The Fiery Furnaces for over a decade, and although every metabolizing cell in Clash’s body knows this fact, we immediately ask Eleanor how her solo album is different to a Friendly Fires record. Friendly Fires? Where did that come from? The sweet and charming publicist giggles nervously and the café seems to fall silent for a few seconds.
Embarrassed? You bet.
Thankfully, Eleanor is politeness personified and allows Clash to regain his composure and talk to her about her wonderful debut album ‘Last Summer’ and why her solo career is proving to be somewhat of a liberation.
‘Last Summer’ has a very different feel to a Friendly Fires album…
Eleanor Friedburger: You mean Fiery Furnaces? These songs would have been perfect for a Friendly Fires album.
No, I meant Fleet Franz Forest Foo Fire Foxes Ferdinand Fighters.
EF: I’m in Franz Ferdinand and the Foo Fighters.
Bloody hell – there are so many bands with a double ‘F’ name.
EF: We had an excuse because our last name is Friedberger. We thought Friedberger & Friedberger sounded too much like a law firm.
It does. So, that was embarrassing. But I will plough on; why was the time right for a solo album?
EF: It felt like that I am 35 years old and if I didn’t do this now I might chicken out when I am a little bit older. I don’t want to put too much emphasis on age and being a woman, but I would be stupid to deny that that doesn’t come into it. I want to feel confident and good about myself and maybe I won’t five years from now.
As someone who is five years older, I can assure you it is all downhill.
EF: I’m sure it is.
Thanks. So, did you have an idea of how you wanted the record to sound before you started writing?
EF: I had the musical reference points for every song, but in general, compared to Fiery Furnaces’ records, I wanted it to be much more emotionally direct, much simpler in its sounds palette. I say that slightly jokingly – but I wanted it to be limited and that is a reflection of my musical ability and wanting to be able to hit people very directly.
I think you succeeded; it is a very accessible record.
EF: I need to think of a better adjective, but I wanted it to sound as pleasant as possible. I think I achieved that.
How are you finding being a solo artist compared to being part of a band?
EF: It’s fun. It is actually less stressful in some ways. It’s a mixed bag – I don’t get to take a break today. I’m ushering my band mates around as we don’t have a tour manager, but I want to think about the show tonight because it is very important to me, professionally, to be playing London, yet I am sitting here doing these interviews all afternoon too. So, it is a lot to juggle on my own, but sometimes it is more stressful to be negotiating with someone else – even if it is my brother.
Have you sensed any differences in how a ‘female solo artist’ is perceived as opposed to being a woman in a band?
EF: No, I mean [long pause], so far, it has been more fun and, although I hate to say the word, liberating. Even doing interviews and meeting people I get to be more ‘in the moment’ and experience things more because it is just me and I am not relying on someone else. Everything is more heightened and more exciting.
‘Last Summer’ name checks many places in New York. I love the NYC, but obviously only ever visit as a tourist. What is your New York like?
EF: One of the best parts about living there is that you get to feel like a tourist even as a resident, because there are so many neighbourhoods and places to explore. I ride around on my bike and it is the best way to see the city. In that way, I love it and it has been fun to see it change so much over the last few years. Especially being a musician, it has been a pleasure to see all these new music venues in Brooklyn and near where I live.
How do you write songs – does the music or words tend to come first?
EF: Lyrics always come first for me.
Why do you think that is?
EF: Mostly, it is because I don’t really think of myself as a musician. I don’t play the piano – I mean I can play it, but I don’t sit down and just start playing music. So, it is very much of a construction and the words come most naturally to me.
Is songwriting an easy process for you?
EF: Well, I don’t really get struck by inspiration. I don’t understand people who say ‘I have to wait for the song to come’. To me that’s such bullshit. It is hard work, you have to sit down and work on something until it is done.
Can we expect a second solo album?
EF: Yes, and I am gonna do that before I do another Fleet Foxes record. People are gonna say I’m crazy, as Fleet Foxes are so popular. We are already playing a lot of new songs that aren’t even on ‘Last Summer’. I’m really excited to record those. The first album was a test for myself and an experiment to see if I could do it. I just didn’t know how to do something completely on my own. Now, I can’t wait to do the next one.
What are the new songs sounding like?
EF: As opposed to the first album that I mostly wrote on the piano, these new songs are guitar-based songs, which I’ve been doing because the band is a rock band and I’m trying to make things easier for myself when I present the songs live. They are love songs – maybe – and they are not about a time and place. This sounds really boring, but they are a little more generic and easily identifiable for listeners.
What does a second solo album mean for the future of The Fiery Furnaces?
EF: My brother and I have been playing together for ten years and we have made nine albums. That’s a lot. Even though we have never done the same thing twice, I think it is going to be great for both of us to take a little break from each other and the guys we play with. The beauty of being in a band with your sibling is that you don’t need to explain to anybody that you need a break.
‘Last Summer’ is out now via Merge Records.
Words by John Freeman
Photo Credit: Michael Rubenstein
