Liz Phair |
 |
Well, this is a shock.
I still stand by my review of Liz Phair, the album, every word of it, every unjustified, non-detailed, simplistic word of it. It’s the sound of someone taking their talent, sticking it in a bag with some dogshit, leaving it outside my door and setting light to it, so when I listen, I am stamping it out, getting Phairshite all over my shoes. I was deeply unhappy after listening to it, but not horribly surprised.
Whitechocolatespaceegg had glimmers of excitement, but there were too many duff moments to actually call it a good album. The nadir was reached in ‘Headache’ where she apparently couldn’t even by arsed to finish one line, so she just mumbles off, like you would in a demo, and leaves it. That, on an album of fine songs, shows confidence and can even be winning and cute. On an album of less-than-great songs, it’s just unattractive and a bit insulting, like going on a date with someone you really want to like and being constantly answered with “Er, yeah, whatever” and glances towards the exit. But you know what? She was just kidding. It appears that Liz just wanted to be the most popular girl in school for once, so told everyone what they wanted to hear, but she can still sneak into the bathroom and smoke with the cool kids when she feels like it. That Liz Phair, she’s OK, really.
While Liz Phair the album is atrophy in motion, then, it definitely looks like all is not lost for Liz Phair the artist, and no-one’s more happy about that than I am. The Come-And-Get-It EP is, while flawed, good and on three occasions, great, in a way that the fully-fledged album will never be. In these 5 songs are more ideas, wit and that old dirty Phairishness we loved from ...Guyville onwards. Some of it actually harks back to the Girlysound tapes in its subject matter and attitude, and that, dear friends, is a relief.
‘Fine Again’, ‘Conversation Overheard Between Two Bouncers’, ‘Hurricane Cindy’, and “Jeremy Engel” are just fine, good, sturdy, interesting songs. ‘Fine Again’ is simple and sincere, ‘…Bouncers” entertaining and vicious, ‘…Cindy’ sexy and sad, ‘Jeremy Engel’ lyrically engaging, even if the melody isn’t exactly riveting.
Much of this EP recalls her vicious, seedy, sexy Girlysound side but with better production. On ‘Hurricane Cindy’, “What’s that piece of ass I see/Walking over here… Don’t you want to kill her, knock her off her chair/God, I think I will if she keeps playing with her hair…” – simple, sincere, memorable, and most importantly, not bland. ‘Conversation Overheard Between…’ carries this further and is funny, sexually dubious, misanthropic, nasty, in a way ‘Hot White Cum’ from the album could never even imagine. ‘Fine Again’ is a sweet, just-this-side-of-smug piece about, well, simply being in love, but hey, when I talk about the love of my life, I get smug too. ‘Jeremy Engel’ is witty, sad, sincere, nicely skewed.
I’m revelling in these adjectives because they should have been used about her album, not this, but it’s heartening to know she still certainly has it in her. Only ’Shallow Opportunities’ fades into nothingness quickly. I can forgive this. I’m just thrilled to have glimmers of her back. I’ve not quite forgiven her for the atrocity of the album, but this goes some way to reparation. Everyone always hates the most popular girl in school anyway, and what surprises me is I would have thought Liz knew this already. Well, at least the future looks more interesting. Don’t abandon her yet.
Dermot Fitzsimons
:: back to top ::