Photo: Amy Giunta
And speaking of divas, I have another who may not be on your radar but certainly should be. Enter alt-princess Eleanor Friedberger (above, right), one half of the fantastic indie rock duo The Fiery Furnaces. Along with her brother, Matthew, Friedberger is making some of the wackiest, most intricate music around.
I was lucky enough to hit up the Furnaces' live performance at Maxwell's in Hoboken, N.J., last week and was floored by her stage presence. Rather than gush, I'll simply enumerate the reasons why she must be one our new leading ladies:
> 1. She rocks the fashion. With her shag haircut, hip huggers, and puffy-sleaved blouses, she looks a lot like an edgy '70s goddess. Think Patti Smith -- but prettier. Or John Travolta -- but less girly.
> 2. She's far from boring. Friedberger and the Fiery Furnace players change tempos about as much as we gays change boyfriends.
> 3. She's a total drama queen, spewing out mouthfuls of metaphors, emotions, and complicated anecdotes, all the while keeping her poker face. She told me she doesn't know where the heck she comes up with all her oddball lyrics, but whatever. Quiet hysteria is so chic.
> 4. You can’t tell me her name doesn’t conjure up images of some old-school, theater-going, high-class heiress (or drag queen).
> 5. You gotta give props to a gal who confidently sings the line "I wore the exact same clothes for five days" -- and actually makes you wanna try it.
If you're still not convinced, check out this funky little video for "Ex-Guru," a wonky single from the Furnaces' latest album, Widow City, where Eleanor sports shimmering eye shadow and plays with freaky masks. Oh, and is it me, or do the noses on those trees look awfully phallic?
-- JASON LAMPHIER
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