Merge

Eleanor Friedberger, best known as one half of the New York indie-rock group The Fiery Furnaces, initially ventured into a solo career on 2011’s Last Summer, a collection of classically
minded rock songs. Personal Record, the musician’s second solo effort, extends those formative tracks, veering grandly from introspective acoustic folk ( “Echo Or Encore” ) to boisterous indie pop ( “She’s A Mirror” ). It’s the sort of album that could originate from and exist in any decade, each song reflecting a notable timelessness that resonates throughout the album. “I’ll Never Be
Happy Again,” the disc’s standout, pulls seemingly vintage production into a contemporary track, with Friedberger’s smoky vocals falling somewhere between Joni Mitchell and Patti Smith. “Love is an exquisite kind of pain,” the singer moans – an ageless sentiment that seems even more so here.