Before we get all pretentious and up-our-own-indie-rock-butts about it, know this: You do NOT need to decode anything Eleanor Friedberger says on her new record to enjoy it. I certainly don't . . . and I certainly do!

Eleanor is one of two siblings that make up indie rock melodic darlings The Fiery Furnaces. Her solo record, Last Summer, is like a Fiery Furnaces album, minus the Matthew (Friedberger). You won't find noisy samples, verses repeated in reverse or grandma-centric concept pieces (joyful though they all may be) but if you love the poppy hooks and quirky stories found on the FF records like Gallowsbird's Bark and I'm Going Away, you owe it to yourself to hear Last Summer this summer.

Last Summer does boast a few challenging waypoints for casual listeners and we're the better for it. It's more than a straight-ahead pop album; requiring your attention and rewarding your time. So much of Friedberger's charm comes not from the stories she tells but the personal way she tells them. In "The Inn Of The Seventh Ray" you can never be sure if Eleanor is relating the story to you or if in fact you're the song's subject. "Roosevelt Island" is similarly personal featuring anecdote-laden strings of consciousness:

"...like that time we took the tram down to Roosevelt Island / You made me feel like I was more like you than like me / And I liked that"

Friedberger speaks/sings as if you and she have a long history together. It's a unique approach that I've never quite put my finger on until now even after nine Fiery Furnaces albums featuring this same dynamic. It's another reason Last Summer is a joy with each listen.



The limited melancholy on the album comes during back to back songs "Glitter Gold Year" and "One-Month Marathon." They both may have you questioning whether Friedberger is displaying staunch confidence or employing an ironic smoke screen to sum up the year she penned this album. Compare that attitude to the album's opening song:

"My Mistakes"


Opinions on creative origins and meaning will always vary; with Last Summer, as with every recording I'm strongly attached, I can only drape my own experiences on the skeletal frame built by the author.

Last Summer is like a July afternoon just before a rainstorm.  Not gloomy or dour but refreshing, gentle, brimming with anticipation and freedom. 

More of The Vignettes!

Here's the full in-studio session with Memphis TN's The Vignettes. You'll find three songs not included in Off Air's main episode this week. Check it out.

Listen now:

Click to Listen

Find more about Francis and Freddi Vignette at Reverbnation including cuts from their record Teeth (posted below).

Free Downloads from Ganglians & Real Estate

Yes friends, for the Recession-Era price of your e-mail address you TOO can afford the new songs found on this week's Off Air by both these great bands! 

"Sleep" by Ganglians