"I loved my life
And I hated you"
I really wish Liz Phair would release more albums. The Chicago native has unwittingly
influenced a pack of indie songstresses, many of whom went on to bigger and
better things. I'm sure Alanis Morissette's advisers saw Phair's potty mouthed
rebel girl stance back in the early 90's and decided to take it to the bank.
Phair's songwriting and charisma as a performer has always stood out though.
From early on, critics called her everything from American indie rock's Carole
King to the "wet dream of every sensitive indie rock boy". Whatever
her critics or followers say about her, the word "indie" sure gets thrown around
a lot. I'm sure some major label consultant would love to clean her up and position
her alongside mediocre femme poppers Sheryl Crow or Vanessa Carleton, but somehow
I don't think this will happen.
Phair's integrity has always remained intact, her songs hard to pin down, and
her lyrics both blunt and obtuse, often in the same song. On this record her
songs are less abstract than the ones on her first two albums, which seemed
to be the product of more open improvisation and yielded unique, unpredictable
melodies which made 1993's "Exile In Guyville" such a landmark debut and one
of the best albums of the 90's. The follow up, 1994's "Whip Smart" utilized
the same loose formula, but the reults were mixed at best.
The songs on this album are tighter, the production more delicate, but
these subtle changes are remarkable. Her songs are like lost pop gems, a little
retro 60's in feel, but still contain Phair's droll, matter-of-fact vocal style.
Rarely does her voice rise above its sometimes monotone delivery, but this is
absolutely distinctive of her style alone. I'd rather hear Phair's talk-singing
than Alanis' strangled yelp any day. Most of the controlled anger for Phair's
previous two albums is absent here, as she is content to play her Keith Richards-style
guitar riffs and sing her fabulous pop gems, complete with added looped drum
beats as in on the opening title track.
Much has been said about Phair's apparent "maturity" on this album, brought
on perhaps by her new role of mother. The album's title describes how her son's
head looked when he was a newborn. It's a cute title, but as far as Phair's
songs go, there has always been a lot going on under the surface, at least more
than the coy indie chick exterior would present to the casual listener. The
production uses the best of lo-fi and blends everything up into a slicker formula.
It's actually very accessible, more straightforward than the first two records,
and why this album did not bring Phair a larger audience is baffling.
"Big Tall Man", the second track, finds Phair fantasizing about her complete
opposite, as she would be the "tiny short girl". Breezy and light, the song
muses wonderfully about those brief moments of self-confidence all insecure
people occasionally experience. "Perfect World" is a pleasant acoustic number
and "Johnny Feelgood" has some pretty disturbing lyrics about a masochistic
girl who likes being knocked around. When I first heard it, I thought it had
all the qualities of a radio friendly single, bar the lyrics.
"Polyester Bride" is the album's best track, a glorious pop song
that muses about lost loves and has a wonderful tempo change into the chorus.
Other highlights inlcude "Only Son", which wouldn't have been out of place on
Phair's first album, and "What Makes You Happy" which Madonna could probably
cover and
turn into a club hit.
Phair releases her new album this year (2003) and I know I'm not the only
one waiting in major anticipation. As for this record, it was a solid comeback
in 1998.