SXSW Record Reviews
Eleanor Friedberger
New View (Frenchkiss)
Reviewed by Abby Johnston, Fri., March 18, 2016
Launching pad Fiery Furnaces still on hold, Eleanor Friedberger continues carving her own path. Third solo album since that 2011 pause, New View focuses on the Illinois native opening up to explore bigger, looser soundscapes minted by Seventies landmarks like Van Morrison. "Because I Asked You" ventures just shy of full-tilt funk, and "Never Is a Long Time" switches back just as aptly into her wheelhouse of reflective, fingerpicking ruminations. Free of the confines of the band that made her famous, Friedberger flourishes. (Fri., 11pm, Parish)