Guest Kinetic Report post Posted September 26, 2002 Liz Phair Determined to Make Worst Album Ever Will Bryant reports: Perhaps irreparably dashing optimists' hopes that she might somehow rise above the Sheryl Crow collaboration, the Gap commercial, and the professed love for the überbland alterna-schlocker Pete Yorn, Liz Phair is apparently teaming with a trendy Los Angeles-based collective called The Matrix for three tracks on her excruciatingly procrastinated major-label debut for Capitol. Now I know you're picturing a city-sized beehive of unsuspecting, soulless human drones jacked into some unholy supercomputer that will somehow synthesize Phair's return to the balls-out splendor that was Exile in Guyville, and perhaps you suspect Keanu Reeves in a leather trenchcoat is involved; I can only fervently wish that were the case. For The Matrix are actually the songwriting/production team of Scott Spock, Lauren Christy, and Graham Edwards, the soulless human drones responsible for Avril Lavigne's cutesy hits "Complicated" and "Sk8ter Boi," and whose recent clients have included Ricky Martin, Christina Aguilera, the Backstreet Boys, Nick Carter, American Idol loser A.J. McLean, and even mainstream alt-rock's noxious Phair-meets-Tori Amos hybrid, Heather Nova. If Gerard Cosloy were dead, he'd be spinning in his grave right now! Hell, Gerard, if you're reading this, give your office chair a couple of spins-- this is madness! Wherefore art thou, Brad Wood? Tae Won Yu? Can we round up enough folks for an intervention? 'Cause it's one thing for Phair to take the high road, as she apparently was last time we checked in with her-- selecting Michael Penn to produce her album, which a yellowing copy of Alternative Press in my sock drawer says was once titled An Evening with Liz Phair. At least Penn was still hot off creating the engagingly classy Bachelor No. 2 with spouse Aimee Mann. But sorry, hitching your wagon to the cheese-rock Diane Warrens of 2002 ain't gonna win you any respect in these quarters. Jeezum crow, Scott Litt is like Steve Albini next to these jokers! Man, sometimes I wish this fork had a couple extra barbs on it, cause it sure ain't fun I'd like to be poking! (Credit: Pitchforkmedia.com) ................................................................................ ................................ So, really, what the hell happened to Liz Phair between Exile in Guyville and now? Sure, Whitechocolatespaceegg sucked, but writing and producing with the minds behind Avril Lavigne? Come on! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Kotzenjunge Report post Posted September 26, 2002 Hey, if it works, go with it. I'm not that familiar with her at all myself. Just a name I've heard a lot in the more cerebral circles. Fo sheez, Kotzenjunge Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Edwin MacPhisto Report post Posted September 26, 2002 It doesn't work, though. Granted, Phair was at her best years ago, but I don't think teaming with the people who write and produce the generic pap shit that Avril, Ricky Martin, the Backstreet Boys, and so on is the best way of making a comeback. Phair's *a lot* better than generic pop. I can't see her possibly letting anyone but herself write the actual songs, and her most alluring sound isn't really conventionally poppy either. Exile In Guyville was a long time ago, but I don't think she's distilled herself down *that* much. What's the deal with my favorite rock females anyway? This comes on the heels of my hearing the first track off of Tori Amos' new album, which sounds like awful generic adult contemporary crap with slightly weirded-out lyrics. You're the best, ladies--do what you can! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Incandenza Report post Posted September 26, 2002 I've always been indifferent to Phair, so whatever. That Pete Yorn, though, he's a fella I like. (I'm serious in that last line, by the way.) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest GeneMean Report post Posted September 27, 2002 If this opens up a new audience for Liz then good for her. I agree that I really can't see her turning over too much of her songwriting to anyone else. If she does, hey that's cool with me. The first Liz song I ever heard was her cover of the "Banana Splits" theme on Saturday Morning Cartoons Greatest Hits. Then I next stumbled onto Rocket Boy (Stealing Beauty). Both are tunes co-collaborated with Material Issue I think? I was hooked and had to go out and get Exile in Guyville and Whip-Smart. Nothing on either of those albums sounded like the two songs I heard previously (except for possibly "Supernova") but so what! I was just introduced to one amazing album (exile) and one pretty good one (WS) and I've been a fan ever since. Maybe what she's doing will draw in a new crowd to her works like I was drawn in. If it just flat out sucks oh well, I've still got a copy of Exile to fall back on. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Kinetic Report post Posted September 27, 2002 I doubt that her intent in doing this collaboration is to expose more people to her older, better material. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Incandenza Report post Posted September 27, 2002 Wait...don't Avril Lavigne's defenders often list her ability to write her own songs as one of the reasons she "rocks"? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest godthedog Report post Posted September 29, 2002 this shit, along with seeing liz phair on vh1 with highlighted hair comment on the 'sexiest artists of all time', just makes me want to cry. This comes on the heels of my hearing the first track off of Tori Amos' new album, which sounds like awful generic adult contemporary crap with slightly weirded-out lyrics. You're the best, ladies--do what you can! i hope to god you're not referring to her cover of 'new age'. that's the second-best track on the record (cause '97 bonnie and clyde' pretty much kicks it's ass). starts out nice and sparse, and builds to a full-band crescendo, and her delivery is wonderful. and lou reed wrote WAY weirder shit than that, like "now who's that knocking, could it be the police? they come to take me for a ride ride/oh, but i haven't got the time time/too busy sucking on a ding dong/she's busy sucking on my ding dong/she does it just like sister ray says..." Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Agent of Oblivion Report post Posted September 29, 2002 I heard Tori Amos and Maynard from Tool were really good friends. Legend has it that sometimes when she can't sleep, she calls up Keenan and he sings her lullabys. Can't remember where the interview came from when she said that though, so add the appropriate grain of salt, I guess. Sounds reasonable though. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Edwin MacPhisto Report post Posted September 29, 2002 i hope to god you're not referring to her cover of 'new age'. No, no, not her latest released album. I rather like Strange Little Girls. I'm referring to "A Sorta Fairytale," off her album Scarlet's Walk, set to be released in October. It's...uh...astonishingly dull. Woo. I heard Tori Amos and Maynard from Tool were really good friends. Legend has it that sometimes when she can't sleep, she calls up Keenan and he sings her lullabys. Can't remember where the interview came from when she said that though, so add the appropriate grain of salt, I guess. Sounds reasonable though. Two weird musicians who are pals...I can buy it as well. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest godthedog Report post Posted September 29, 2002 wow, i didn't know she was getting ready to put out a new album already. tori's been spreading herself rather thin the last couple years, and she seems to know it. 2000 she doesn't have enough good material for a real album so she puts it on a double-disc set with a live album (which i listen to all the time). only a year later she makes another album, but doesn't commit enough to write songs for it, just makes a glorified cover "concept" album that falls completely flat. where oh where is the tori from 'under the pink' and 'boys for pele' and 'from the choirgirl hotel' that i adored? did motherhood take away her songwriting ability? hey...didn't liz phair start sucking after she had a kid? i think i'm on to something. if beth gibbons ever has a kid, i'm fucked. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Kinetic Report post Posted September 30, 2002 It's like Kim Deal said: Motherhood means mental freeze. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest godthedog Report post Posted September 30, 2002 so i can assume kim deal had a kid before 'title tk'? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest shlidgn90 Report post Posted October 1, 2002 liz phair co wrote complicated. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest starvenger Report post Posted October 1, 2002 Wait...don't Avril Lavigne's defenders often list her ability to write her own songs as one of the reasons she "rocks"? Good point. I pretty much assumed that Avril wrote the basic lyrics, and other people cleaned that up and added the music tracks. But then, I assume that with most of the newer, younger artists there are people co-writing and helping out with the process. That, or the producers hired some Swedish guys to create bubblegum pop songs. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest converge241 Report post Posted October 1, 2002 exile was tops whip smart was kinda eh after that she was infinitly more worthwhile for her looks than the music Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest godthedog Report post Posted October 2, 2002 liz phair co wrote complicated. WHAT??? AAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH!!!!!! i must go forget this travesty by staring deeply into the nipple on my copy of 'exile in guyville'. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Incandenza Report post Posted October 2, 2002 liz phair co wrote complicated. Where did you read that? Phair hired the Matrix team for her new album, but she was never affiliated with them prior to that. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest gthureson Report post Posted October 2, 2002 As long as Liz Phair's new album has 'Love-Hate Transmission' on it, I'm buying it. I have two live versions of that song, and it kicks ass. 'Whitechocalatespaceegg' was not a bad album. Had some weak tracks, yes, but all in all a solid album. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest subliminal_animal Report post Posted October 2, 2002 Wait...don't Avril Lavigne's defenders often list her ability to write her own songs as one of the reasons she "rocks"? She "co-writes" all the songs. I'm sure that just means "I tell them what I want the song to be about." As a matter of fact, she should be more respected for not having being completely responsible for those awful songs. Or less respected because she needs people to come up with them for her...it depends how you look at it. In other news, she also looks like she smells bad, especially near the nethers. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
