Albums to watch

Last Summer

Eleanor Friedberger

Last Summer

First solo album by the vocalist from brother-sister indie pop duo Fiery Furnaces

ADM rating[?]

7.5

Label
Merge
UK Release date
12/07/2011
US Release date
12/07/2011
  1. 9.0 |   God Is In The TV

    Blends the quirky experimental elements of the Furnaces to a more conventional, if not friendly, format; full of endearing charm and intellectually acute promise
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  2. 8.3 |   A.V. Club

    Few indie-pop songs this year are going to surpass the album’s two highpoints, “Heaven” and the winsome autobiography “My Mistakes”
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  3. 8.2 |   Paste Magazine

    About as straight-forward and pretty as anything she’s ever released
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  4. 8.0 |   Uncut

    Weather-beaten piano, wry sax, and her bluesy vocal recall Laura Nero. Print edition only

  5. 8.0 |   Blurt

    Anyone who wishes the Fiery Furnaces continued with the straight forward quirk of their debut album should devour this
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  6. 8.0 |   Spin

    This is as straightforwardly evocative as abstract pop gets, with the hazy beauty and fractured narratives of a vintage Polaroid slide show
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  7. 8.0 |   Consequence Of Sound

    Combining the experimental pop of The Fiery Furnaces with Friedberger’s soaring vocals, Last Summer is an enchanting, intimate look into a season in the city
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  8. 8.0 |   No Ripcord

    This is a charming record with so many standout tracks
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  9. 8.0 |   PopMatters

    Provides this summer with one of its most satisfying releases
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  10. 8.0 |   NME

    One of the most heart-lassoing ’70s radio-pop records since the death of flares
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  11. 8.0 |   Mojo

    Wonky, wordy, connective - a Tapestry for the Williamsburg set. Print edition only

  12. 8.0 |   Uncut

    One of art pop's greatest singers making warm, sensual and beautifully arranged music. Print edition only

  13. 8.0 |   musicOMH

    Last Summer pulls off the impressive feat of being luxuriantly listenable while retaining Friedberger's avant-garde roots
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  14. 8.0 |   The Fly

    Friedberger has crafted an album that will sit comfortably in the wrinkled, leftfield pop niche carved by her band’s back catalogue
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  15. 8.0 |   The Guardian

    An almost straightforward pop delight: the pace is relaxed, the rhythms are tidy, the melodies are unabashed, and any kinks and wonky bits (she is a Friedberger, after all) are firmly controlled
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  16. 8.0 |   The Line Of Best Fit

    An at times glorious album of joyous quirk-pop
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  17. 8.0 |   Bowlegs

    An album of pop-warming, acoustic and synth-fuelled sunshine, yet opts for a few obscure shortcuts along the way
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  18. 7.9 |   Pitchfork

    From an artist whose mind and appetites have always ranged so freely, such a cohesive, uncluttered document is doubly revealing
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  19. 7.0 |   Slant Magazine

    Last Summer eventually develops into the kind of quiet concept album the [Fiery Furnaces] always struggled to make, firmly rooted in season and place, without drawing too much attention to its themes
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  20. 7.0 |   BBC

    A collection of fragmented memories made wistful by warm production
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  21. 7.0 |   Drowned In Sound

    By no means is Last Summer a perfect record. Its incoherence might prove a bit frustrating, but Eleanor has proved that she can do perfectly well away from her sibling
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  22. 7.0 |   The Digital Fix

    Shows much promise and isn't as demanding of the listener as some of her contemporaries
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  23. 7.0 |   Sputnik Music (staff)

    It straddles that difficult line between accessible and adventurous, making for a fine stopgap between Fiery Furnaces records and an excellent summer album
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  24. 7.0 |   Tiny Mix Tapes

    Last Summer sounds good; next summer could be even better
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  25. 7.0 |   Beats Per Minute

    If the melodies sometimes feel too restrained for their own good, at least the lyrics are quintessentially Furnaces-esque
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  26. 7.0 |   Under The Radar

    For fans clamoring for fresh Fiery Furnaces material, they could do a lot worse than Last Summer, an appealing seasonal affair that’s as inviting as a cool breeze
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  27. 6.0 |   The Irish Times

    You couldn’t call it predictable, but it’s certainly more accessible than much of her previous output
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  28. 4.0 |   Q

    A curate's egg of a record. Print edition only


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Eleanor Friedberger: Last Summer

  • Download full album for just £7.99
  • 1. My Mistakes £0.99
  • 2. Inn of the Seventh Ray £0.99
  • 3. Heaven £0.99
  • 4. Scenes from Bensonhurst £0.99
  • 5. Roosevelt Island £0.99
  • 6. Glitter Gold Year £0.99
  • 7. One-Month Marathon £0.99
  • 8. I Won't Fall Apart on You Tonight £0.99
  • 9. Owl's Head Park £0.99
  • 10. Early Earthquake £0.99
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