FYM ON THE LIST: ELEANOR FRIEDBERGER IN L.A.

(Words. Photos. Will Sellers. Graphic. J Thomas Codling) Last week, Los Angeles was honored to have the wonderful Eleanor Friedberger play a series of shows around the Southland as she toured the west in support of her excellent debut solo album, Last Summer (Merge Records).

forYoungModerns caught her Wednesday night at Silverlake's The Satellite and again Friday at Echo park's Origami Vinyl (in between, she had played a set at Highland Park's Wombleton Records).

(Above: Detail of Last Summer's vinyl packaging) Last Summer is vibrant: each song arranged exuberantly with Friedberger's unique storytelling-style delivery pacing over the music like a kayak flying down a crystal clear river. On this tour, she accompanies her voice only with the guitar she is playing. Nonetheless, these stripped-down versions of her songs work just as well, as the performances had the feel of an author giving a reading of various short stories that just happened to be set to pleasantly quirky melodies.

(Above: Friedberger at The Satellite - Photo by Will Sellers) Highlights of her sets included the White Album-esque, would-be-a-singalong-if-the-record-was-a-few-months-older "Heaven" and brand new song "When I Knew" which wouldn't have felt out of place on the album. Last Summer is riddled with tales of intriguing Brooklyn rambunctiousness, but Friedberger decided to play as her final song during this string of LA performances the curious-mysterious "Inn of the Seventh Ray", appropriate for the venue as it mentions nearby neighborhoods South Pasadena, Highland Park, and of course, the very real Inn of the Seventh Ray.

(Above: Friedberger performing on Origami Vinyl's loft) Check out the FYM approved video below for Last Summer's "My Mistakes", one of the brightest songs of Summer 2011:

Eleanor Friedberger will return to the West Coast with a full band in September supporting The Kills:

09. 05 - Vancouver, B.C. @ Commodore Ballroom (w/ The Kills)
09. 07 - Portland, Oregon @ Crystal Ballroom (w/ The Kills)
09. 09 - Oakland, CA @ Fox Theatre (w/ The Kills)
09. 10 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern (w/ The Kills)
09. 11 - San Diego, CA @ House of Blues (w/ The Kills)