ms fridrich

"She comes across as a failed pop star, but not in a bad way ..."
- RockNYC

"Anxious pianos and confident vocals burst into satisfying hooks. The songs, while ostensibly pop, take more guidance from the Tom Waits school of slanted enchantment than the Brill Building...." - Sweet Tea Pumpkin Pie album reviews

First Listen, First Thoughts – Ms. Fridrich
By ben · September 30, 2011 · Post a comment

Today’s choice is…

Artist: Ms. Fridrich
Song: “The Bills” from the album You Call That Brave
Suggester: www.bandcamp.com / @oddmonstr

Intro:

Because I’m all about making the internet a part of the democracy that is First Listen, First Thoughts, I solicited Twitter again to find me something to review from the theoretically great, but in practice frustrating as shit www.bandcamp.com. The only instructions I gave people were to find cool cover art or song titles or album names. When the dust settled tonight, I ended up with Ms. Fridrich. All I’m seeing of an album cover is a woman (who I presume to be the eponymous Ms. Fridrich) sitting on a bass/kick drum and a guy who reminds me of a bartender that I talked to in Seattle one night when Roxy and I were on the big trip across the country that left us at a place called the Lava Lounge. Anyway, the Bartender has his hand draped across a piano that I mistakenly thought was a Marshall half stack at first.

Who it sounds like (in my head) before I listen to the first note:

Elizabeth Elmore/The Reputation/Sarge: One of the best discoveries the internet ever gave me was Elizabeth Elmore who fronted first Sarge and then The Reputation, and while most of the catalog is up tempo pop punk, there’s this great song by The Reputation called “The Ugliness Kicking Around” off the To Force a Fate album. It’s piano driven and may even have some strings in it. There’s a lot of smarts and attitude in it that shakes you by the collar and makes you simultaneously ask yourself, “Why am I such an asshole/bitch?” and at the same time “Why do I let other people be assholes/bitches towards me?” I kinda feel like Ms. Fridrich might be smart and feisty in a same way because she’s strong enough to say, “You know what? I’m not even going to come up with a band name. Just let them know Ms. Fridrich is taking the stage.” I think it’s important enough to point out here that the way I explain Elizabeth Elmore’s appeal should not be confused with “Oooh, she’s an angry, shouty woman!” Anybody can dress up as Avril Lavigne and pretend to be that. It’s another matter entirely to come as genuinely tough without ever saying how tough you are.

Low: Even though the band name is all focused on her (supposing her name is actually Ms. Fridrich and it’s not some clever name stolen from a movie reference or something that once appeared in a comic book) maybe the music is a 50/50 split with her and the Seattle bartender guy playing lo-fi rock with some serious vocal harmonies. There isn’t all that much piano in the Low catalog, but there are songs like “When I Go Deaf” from The Great Destroyer that show you that there is sometimes nothing more sonically powerful than a man and a woman singing together.

Rainer Maria: I saw Rainer Maria in the basement of a church what seems like 15 years ago with my friend Rachel and her friend Dee Dee (whose dad was in the Replacements), and I remember liking the show at the time, but I was in a big hip hop phase and the Rainer Maria show didn’t resonate with me the same way it would today. What you get are some sweet and maybe a tinge vulnerable vocals. If you don’t know Rainer Maria I’d suggest starting with the album Look Now Look Again. Again, there isn’t any piano that I can remember, but it’s softer than Low, and I’m trying to avoid the easy comparisons like “Oh, I bet Ms. Fridrich sounds just like Tori Amos or Fiona Apple.”

Let’s shut off the Kaia, hit the reset button, and begin!

:01 Right away we get a bold, strong, voice that takes command of the song by tone and lyric. This sounds like it’s going to be heavy on the piano and maybe not so much with the other instruments.

:13 Missed that! Here comes some high energy–here’s an odd comparison–I hear a bit of the Dresden Dolls at this point.

1:04 I’ll stand by Elizabeth Elmore guess. The vocal delivery is similar especially philosophically.

1:22 We’ve got layered vocals and that makes me a happy boy. I’m really digging this. It’s got a good edge to it. Pardon my French, but this song is decidedly not fucking around. It is to the point and driving.

1:27 I’m also a sucker for Seattle Bartender’s drumming. He’s really in the pocket, but not boring, bashy 1,2,3,4. There’s some finesse there. Pretty fantastic.

1:43 Really cool breakdown. Yeah, I’m buying this. This is great.

2:17 These two are really in sync and recorded well.

Final Thoughts:

I’m now listening to my second song from Ms. Fridrich and I know that I’m going to love this album. I don’t even want to finish writing this review I just want to go buy it.

This isn’t Low. It’s not Rainer Maria. I could see Elizabeth Elmore and Ms. Fridrich on the same mixtape. I could see Fiona Apple on the same mixtape. This is unique without being needlessly experimental and forced. I heart this immensely. If you don’t like it, tell me - Amphetazine

[In this interview we hear] a sample of Sarah Fridrich’s new album, You Call That Brave, featuring the unlikely blend of a grand piano and a rock-and-roll drum kit. -Baltimore’s WYPR: The Signal’s Aaron Henkin interviewed Ms. Fridrich at the station. - Baltimore’s WYPR: The Signal (NPR radio station in Baltimore)

If you’d prefer to avoid the swelter indoors, local musician Sarah Fridrich takes to the stage at Northwest Washington’s Black Cat tonight as one half of Ms. Fridrich. She plays the keys and belts out the ballads while drummer Dan Marcellus provides a one-man rhythm section. The two are trained in the fine art of jazz, but are suckers for emotion-laden pop songs.”
-Sean Rameswaram, on July 25, 2011 airing of WAMU’s ArtBeat (background music for segment is “Rodeo” by Ms. Fridrich) (LISTEN) - WAMU: ArtBeat (D.C.'s NPR radio station)

“A D.C. singer-songwriter who gives superlatives a workout: sultry, unhurried, stirring and alluring … lyrically descriptive, sincere, emollient and vocally enchanting”
- AIMSEL L. PONTI, Portland Press Herald - Portland Press Herald

Inspired by Amanda Palmer, Tom Waits and Fiona Apple, Sarah pulls from everything: burlesque, indie rock, and pop. Her voice and songwriting are charismatic, heartfelt, and clever, and while her songs definitely lean towards pop elements (in all the best possible moments) there is a tinge of avant with delicate nods to Philip Glass and Laurie Anderson. Dan’s monstrous drum sound and slightly jazzy feel is a force to be reckoned with. He’s the perfect yang to Sarah’s yin.
- Mat Leffler-Schulman, Mobtown Studios

Inspired by Amanda Palmer, Tom Waits and Fiona Apple, Sarah pulls from everything: burlesque, indie rock, and pop. Her voice and songwriting are charismatic, heartfelt, and clever, and while her songs definitely lean towards pop elements (in all the best possible moments) there is a tinge of avant with delicate nods to Philip Glass and Laurie Anderson. Dan’s monstrous drum sound and slightly jazzy feel is a force to be reckoned with. He’s the perfect yang to Sarah’s yin.
- Mat Leffler-Schulman, Mobtown Studios

"...earbuds just don’t do these expansive arrangements justice."

“There isn’t a bum track out of the ten, but a few especially stand out: “Hearts Intact” is a burst of infectious, Sara Bareilles-ish pop, and album closer “Borrow Love”—which features some guest guitar work from Gary Prince—shows off both Sarah Fridrich’s pipes and jazz background."

"This collection of piano pop-rock immediately brings to mind moody chanteuses like Fiona Apple and Amanda Palmer thanks to Fridrich’s expressive voice and insane proficiency on the keys (she’s a trained jazz pianist). The other half of the duo known as Ms. Fridrich, Dan Marcellus, contributes facebreaking drums; at their best, the two have a sound that fills every corner of the room."

Juli Thanki - District Noise
- District Noise