Matthew Friedberger

Matthew Friedberger earned primary recognition through his role as the Fiery Furnaces’ principal instrumentalist and songwriter, yet he also issued independent performances and recordings under his own name. Prior to assembling the Furnaces alongside his sister Eleanor, he had performed in such groups as the Grand Vizars, Liquorette, and the Mezzanines. The same singular combination of catchy melodies, experimental passages, and densely worded lyrics—drawing from sources as disparate as Bob Dylan, Kit Lambert, and Os Mutantes—that shaped his work with the band likewise informed his solo output. During summer 2006 he unveiled the double-album debut Winter Women/Holy Ghost Language School through 859 Recordings; he characterized the first disc as “a pop record” and the second as “a noise record,” thereby illustrating the contrasting poles of his approach. Thrill Jockey later reissued the set in 2009, supplying fresh artwork together with additional tracks. Although his commitments to the Fiery Furnaces continued unabated, Friedberger inaugurated the Solos series in 2011, a project that comprised six limited-edition vinyl albums. Napoleonette, consisting exclusively of piano performances, appeared in January of that year, followed in March by Meet Me in Miramas, which concentrated on guitar-based material; the remaining installments surfaced through the balance of 2011 and into 2012. Old Regimes employed a 1907 harp, Cut It Out centered on percussion, Death-in-Life highlighted the organ, and Arrested on Charges of Unemployment was composed for double bass. Subscribers to the series additionally received the bonus discs Artemisia and Good-Bye Forever in 2012. Later that same year Friedberger completed the 45-track imaginary horror-film soundtrack Matricidal Sons of Bitches.