Pages tagged “Liz Phair”

Welcome to High Gravity, my new blog for daily nuggets of music, film and culture. I plan on using this space for quick, throughout-the-day updates on whatever comes across my desk or crosses my mind, from news about Thom Yorke making sure Prince's Coachella cover of "Creep" gets unblocked by YouTube or Liz Phair performing Exile in Guyville in its entirity (June 23rd at the Fillmore in San Francisco, 24th at The Vic Theatre in Chicago and 25th & 26th at the Hiro Ballroom in New York) to my own Top 10 lists, favorite new discoveries and, yes, beer recommendations.

My New Discovery of the Week
Johnny Flynn: Listening to 60-something entries for our Best of What's Next issue in September last week, the one that I keep going back to is Johnny Flynn. A bit Robyn Hitchcock, a bit Sixteen Horsepower, but with the exuberance of The Waterboys, this Londoner has won me as a fan. Only after visiting his MySpace page did I realize that I'd had his upcoming album sitting unlistened on my desk, courtesy of Lost Highway.

Best Sitcoms Since 1980
I don't have much of an opinion on sitcoms that predated me, so we'll go back to when I was nine. I'm curious to hear which ones you think I've overlooked, so let me know what rip-roaring laughs or laugh-tracks I've been missing. And before you say Taxi, just know that it debuted in 1978 (which is why I had to delete M*A*S*H, long may it rerun).

Diary of the month

by Jeff Elbel

Liz Phair’s newest project, Somebody’s Miracle, evinces maturity through balance. Though unlikely to shed the provocateur’s image, Phair now celebrates life’s joys (“Count On My Love”), while still airing the dirty laundry during “Why I Lie.” Like 2003’s Liz Phair, this album sports a similar mainstream-pop sheen. It’s the sound of indie-rock darling Phair becoming comfortable in her own skin. “Wind in the Mountain” recalls female pop-boundary pushers Aimee Mann and Alanis Morissette, while preaching perseverance through the tough times. “Stars and Planets” bounces like the goddaughter of The Beatles’ “Getting Better.”

Unflinching honesty is Phair’s throughline. Somebody’s Miracle looks with sad envy upon those who attempt committed relationships and make them work. Similar to poring over a friend’s diary, hearing “Everything to Me” feels almost like an invasion of privacy. The key to understanding Phair as an artist is realizing she trusts her audience with her most tender secrets. The more intimate the detail, the more universal it becomes, and the deeper the bond with those who—for better or worse—can identify all too well.

Diarrhea of the Mouth

by Andrew Earles

As if her shamelessly calculated mainstream reinvention in 2003 as “sultry mom meets fourteen-year-old mall slut” wasn’t confusing enough, whatever scarcely identifiable indie-rock cred Liz Phair may’ve once possessed has now been parlayed into the realm of … CMT countrypolitan (?!?!). OK, so given its predecessor’s lame shot at Top 40 glory, perhaps the sheer awfulness of Somebody’s Miracle isn’t really that jarring. Listening to it now, I can envision a field-traipsing video for, say, “Wind In The Mountain” or “Everything To Me” sandwiched between Montgomery Gentry’s latest jingoistic meltdown and the commercial for a Chevy extended-cab pickup truck.

The crossover has worked (commercially) for some artists, like Exile, who promptly fell into the loving arms of modern country after failing to successfully follow up their afternoon rock hit, “Kiss You All Over.” Barely offset by a radio-ready power-pop rocker or two (“Can’t Get Out Of What I’m Into”), Somebody’s Miracle further makes Phair’s past involvement with Lilith Fair and Matador Records seem downright alien in comparison. The use of hotshot producers John Alagia (Dave Matthews, John Mayer) and John Shanks (Sheryl Crow, Chris Isaak) merely underlines the album’s shameless chart-scaling aspirations.

Reader's Poll Results:

Diary of the month: 79%
Diarrhea of the Mouth: 21%

In support of her forthcoming album, Somebody’s Miracle, Liz Phair will be going out on an eight-date acoustic tour this summer. Phair will perform at Lollapalooza in Chicago on July 23 before kicking off the acoustic trek in Boston on July 26.

Somebody’s Miracle comes out October 4.

Clad in diamond-studded pumps and an off-the-shoulder sparkly dress a la Pat Benatar, Liz Phair takes the stage of the Avalon Theater in the heart of Hollywood. The recently renovated venue sits in the shadow of the Capitol Records building—the unmistakable tower that houses Phair’s current label.

The Avalon is wall-to-wall with well-heeled 20 to 30-somethings, though seats in the pricier loge are still available as the show begins. Phair opens the set, acoustic guitar in hand, belting out "Polyester Bride" with supreme confidence. She wastes no time, plugging in for the ‘May-December relationship’ anthem, "Rock Me," a track from her new self-titled release.

Liz Phair has been largely touted as an overproduced departure from the artist’s last three, slightly more organic, efforts. Sadly, the album’s electronically-enhanced vocals prove difficult for Phair to belt out live. Perhaps her well-documented stage fright is pinching her vocal chords. And as if it were only a prop, she never strums the guitar she’s holding.

Phair attempts another track from the new album, "Red Light Fever." This being her sixth song of the night, she seems to finally settle down and accept the notion that she’s standing in front of a tough, industry crowd. Asking for the house lights to be raised, she says, "I like to look at you guys. This is f---ing Los Angeles. I can do whatever I want, right?"

Riding the wave, Phair immediately crunches into a fantastic rendition of "Uncle Alvarez," marking the seventh inning stretch of her concert. Little does the audience know—they'll only get four more songs before the encore. In mid-stride, Phair shows a little spontaneity, deciding to change the set list by launching into a solo version of "My Favorite Underwear."

Just when things are getting good, she attacks another of the overproduced numbers from the new album, "Extraordinary," with poor results. Again, her shaking voice isn’t able to carry the song, even with her male back-up singers trying to bail her out. Her young bass player’s falsetto doesn’t do enough to salvage things, either. But Phair’s stellar, flawless version of "F--- and Run," makes up for the aforementioned failures, as does her performance of "Why Can't I."

It seems all sins are forgiven when she pulls out the crowd-pleasing, "Supernova." But rather than continue the set, Phair leaves the stage, finally returning for a two-song encore that wraps up the short, hour and 20 minute show with "Johnny Feel Good."

Perhaps Phair should have closed with "F--- and Run" instead—it seemed to more accurately reflect the audience member’s collective facial expressions as they poured out the door onto the Hollywood streets.