ELEANOR FRIEDBERGER

New View

One of the few positives of the untimely demise (or hiatus) of the Fiery Furnaces has been the emergence of Eleanor Friedberger as a gifted solo artist. Her two previous solo offerings — 2011’s Last Summer and 2013’s Personal Record — made a strong case for Eleanor as the go-to Friedberger sibling for post-Furnaces pop-rock. New View was apparently recorded after she relocated from her longtime home in Brooklyn to upstate New York, and there’s a pervasive feeling of wistfulness and melancholy throughout; this is a grown-up record that further sands down any Furnaces-esque experimental edges that may have lingered. The songwriting has a timeless quality, the lyrics are at turns clever, heartfelt and earnest, and the whole thing is anchored by Friedberger’s distinctive alto, which has only become more interesting with age. Immediate attention-grabbers include the first singles “He Didn’t Mention His Mother” and “Sweetest Girl,” but really, there is not a misstep to be found in the 11-song bunch. New View is a lush and beautiful record that cements her as a fine songwriter. (Frenchkiss, frenchkissrecords.com) DAVE MIX