LIZ PHAIR – EXILE IN
GUYVILLE (MATADOR RECORDS)
The debut studio album
from Liz Phair is quite the bold and breathy effort. With a title that makes nods to both the
Rolling Stones (Exile) and Urge Overkill (Guyville) it is a work relating to
and reporting the sense of isolation felt by a lady in small-town America. Her description was of expressing a state of
mind and a place where “men are men and women are learning”. Indeed Phair was even heard as saying that
this eighteen song monster was a song-by-song reply to Exile On Main Street.
Liz Phair became part
of the Chicago
Exile In Guyville has
quite the lo-fi sound. Stripped down and
impressive these songs were laying the tracks for artists such as Cat Power and
assisting/enabling female front ladies to go it alone. Indeed she and Chan Marshall share a sense of
stage fright and enduring awkwardness.
The cover is flash,
perhaps a bit too flash for an indie record.
In her gesture it feels overtly sexual in a manner that say Juliana
Hatfield would never dare. And the
colour scheme of black and white with purple does feel very much of the time in
a mainstream manner. In other words this
artwork is something Madonna could have used.
Exile In Guyville bore
two singles in the form of “Never Said” and “Stratford-On-Guy
Elsewhere in the mix
is the fun “Fuck And Run” with a chorus that accidentally sounds like “fuck
Enron” in addition to the haunting and staid “Shatter” which draws the listener
in then draws them out. And finally of
note is the near stomp of “Johnny Sunshine” which takes an oddly angelic
direction disrupting the show.
With a subtle rumble
there are clean and restrained nods to Riot Grrrl sensibilities without
actually throwing such emotions over the cliff.
There are elements that do remind of PJ Harvey and Courtney Love but it
is very soft with that. More so her
vocal delivery reminds/sounds much like Mary Timony of Helium. You suspect in despatch there was a
demographic consciously being purposely include and not alienated in approach.
Ultimately its all
very accomplished and solidly put together manning a number of subjects not necessarily
or usually addressed, Liz was not shy in saying shocking things. However it is all a bit passive and laidback
in execution when really what wanted was more bite. It is just too much Chrissy and not enough Courtney.
Thesaurus moment:
dispassionate.
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