CD Odyssey Disc 42: Liz Phair

The CD gods have apparently determined that the meaning of life is Liz Phair. How do I know? Because...

Disc 42 is...Exile in Guyville

Artist: Liz Phair

Year of Release: 1993

How I Came To Know It: My longtime friend Greg bought a Liz Phair album when we lived together in the early nineties, and I really liked it. Not this album, though. "Exile In Guyville" was a recommendation of my other buddy Kelly, when he found out I liked Liz Phair.

How It Stacks Up: I have 5 Liz Phair albums (I had 6, but her last album was awful). I'd put this album #2 out of a top 3 that are all really good, and very close in quality. Most Liz Phair fans would put this album #1 and to them I say good for you. Well chosen. I'll keep it at #2.

Rating: 4 stars.

Liz Phair is a great alternative rock singer and songwriter. She broke out in the early nineties with this album ("breaking out" being a relative term when it comes to alternative music). She was immediately lumped into the grunge movement, presumably because she made music in the early nineties, was innovative and talented and had a pulse.

Like many acts of the time, she really isn't grunge at all. However, she is a great talent. Also, although unrelated to this talent, she is smoking hot. Do an image search of "Liz Phair" - go ahead - just her name. You're welcome.

Phair's almost monotone singing can seem a little weird at first, but it totally works with her simple arrangements and off-putting topics. For example, as I write this I am listening to the song "Canary" which I think is about an abused wife who one day decides to burn her sleeping husband to death in his bed. The deadpan delivery of this song makes it that much more resonant and creepy.

There are many songs that capture a very disjointed and troubled emotional life, which for all its weirdness is compelling to listen to. She also puts together song arrangements and phrasing that is very original.

I had a lot of trips in my car the last couple days for work, and this album got a bigtime workout (about 4 full listens) and it held up well. While the Odyssey allows no song skipping on Listen #1, after that it is open season, and even on the 4th listen, I didn't skip one.

This album happens to feature probably the single best break up/I hate you song ever written - "Divorce Song" and also probably the single most explicit sex song in "Flower".

I have two minor criticisms of this album.

First, it has 18 songs. Hey, Liz! Know when to say when. The material here is strong but I think 14 is pushing it. Also, she could have save 4-6 songs for her last two albums, which are a definite downturn (more on that in another post). It would be hard to cut back, but I'd've been glad to sit down with Liz over dinner or breakfast (hopefully in that order) and help her choose.

Second, the song listings on the back are written in a way that makes it hard to figure out what track is what. Just number them and put them in order - save the artwork for the cover.

As an aside, the title of this album has become an expression when Sheila and I play "Carcassonne". For those of you who don't know, Carcassonne is a tile-based game where you place your playing pieces or "men" on an evolving map, scoring points based on placement. Sometimes a great place to score shows up, but you can't take advantage of it because you've already placed all your men at that point in the game. We call that "Exile in Guyless-Ville".

This will be how you will feel if you see this album in the store, but already spent your last $14 on a Nickelback greatest hits package. In addition to regret, you'll also feel very dumb - and you will be.

Best tracks: Help Me Mary, Dance of the Seven Veils, Explain It To Me, Fuck and Run, Divorce Song, Flower,