The result is Friedberger’s most conventional-sounding rock record, and that’s a compliment: without any high-concept noise to distract her, New View focuses on her rich voice and her remarkable ability to turn a phrase.
It’s comforting and surprising, full of trad sounds electrified by the off-kilter vision of an artist whose recognition as one of Americana’s finest voices is long overdue.
No, New View isn’t the crowning jewel in Friedberger’s catalogue, but it is a beautiful, unadorned meditation on life’s most delicate mysteries: potential, narrative, and the passage of time.
It's a perfect vocal vibe for music that can recall the very late Beatles and New Morning-era Dylan, but ultimately evokes nothing so much as what might happen if the cover art from Van Morrison's Veedon Fleece had a weekend fling with the cover art from Yo La Tengo's And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out.
Press materials for the record cite ubiquitous influences like Neil Young, George Harrison and Van Morrison, and while in most cases that might be cause for concern, New View is a lush and beautiful record that stands comfortably in such heady company.
New View is a warm and rustic listen, Friedberger dressing sharply drawn narratives in a classic folk sound that makes the album as cosy as an old jumper.
New View is best appreciated with a deep and unhurried engagement, as the full album in full fidelity offers many distinctive pleasures.
Even if New View’s overall aesthetic may pair nicely with your laziest summer Sunday morning, there’s an undercurrent of serious melancholia in Friedberger’s writing here, setting it apart tonally from her previous two records.
It’s keenly observed, totally genuine, and eminently listenable, though one can’t help but miss the choppy energy and anxious undercurrents of Personal Record.
You almost wish Friedberger would unleash more of that nervous energy that sometimes overwhelmed Personal Record, but with a record as lovingly crafted as New View, it would be wrong to ignore what remains: a songwriter with as distinct a voice as anyone in indie.
It's a more subdued record in general, with the exception of the sudden bursts of Crazy Horse-like guitar stabs. She's also less compelled towards barrages of sing-speak lyrics than she was in the past, letting her alto deliver what might be her most even album to date.
New View's warm, reassuring atmosphere is a perfect fit for Friedberger's affably rambling songwriting.
While New View may be musically somewhat muted, sonically a touch predictable and backward-looking, Friedberger still crafts utterly charming songs with brilliantly observed moments and a real sense of life’s great adventure.
New View .. is nothing less – but little more – than a continuation of the work begun over Friedberger’s first solo albums.
The album’s weaknesses aren’t unforgivable; they just too frequently sound limp and over-saturated in storied traditions. The verve and unpredictability that so frequently fueled her songs are lost and sorely missed.
The third solo album of American musician, she dated previously Britt Daniel from Spoon ;-). The favorite song is the first one - Never Is A Long Time.
1 | He Didn't Mention His Mother 4:00 | |
2 | Open Season 4:42 | |
3 | Sweetest Girl 3:01 | |
4 | Your Word 3:41 | |
5 | Because I Asked You 3:44 | |
6 | Never Is A Long Time 3:26 | |
7 | Cathy With The Curly Hair 3:26 | |
8 | Two Versions of Tomorrow 5:46 | |
9 | All Known Things 5:07 | |
10 | Does Turquoise Work? 2:28 | |
11 | A Long Walk 5:49 |