ARTiST --------------- > Liz Phair
ALBUM ---------------- > Come and Get it
LABEL ---------------- > Capitol
GENRE ---------------- > Indie
RELEASE -------------- > 09/27/2005
STREET --------------- > xx/xx/2003
ENCODER -------------- > LAME 3.903
QUALiTY -------------- > --aps 44.1kHz/joint
PLAYTiME ------------- > 14:06 min
# NAME TiME
01. Jeremy Engle 03:07
02. Bouncer's Conversation 03:20
03. Fine Again 02:43
04. Huricane Cindy 02:20
05. Shallow Opportunities 02:36
Well, this is a shock.
I still stand by my review
of Liz Phair, the album,
every word of it, every
unjustified, non-detailed,
simplistic word of it. ItÆs
the sound of someone taking
their talent, sticking it in
a bag with some dogshit,
leaving it outside my door
and setting light to it, so
when I listen, I am stamping
it out, getting Phairshite
all over my shoes. I was
deeply unhappy after
listening to it, but not
horribly surprised.
Whitechocolatespaceegg had
glimmers of excitement, but
there were too many duff
moments to actually call it
a good album. The nadir was
reached in æHeadacheÆ where
she apparently couldnÆt even
by arsed to finish one line,
so she just mumbles off,
like you would in a demo,
and leaves it. That, on an
album of fine songs, shows
confidence and can even be
winning and cute. On an
album of less-than-great
songs, itÆs just
unattractive and a bit
insulting, like going on a
date with someone you really
want to like and being
constantly answered with
ôEr, yeah, whateverö and
glances towards the exit.
But you know what? She was
just kidding. It appears
that Liz just wanted to be
the most popular girl in
school for once, so told
everyone what they wanted to
hear, but she can still
sneak into the bathroom and
smoke with the cool kids
when she feels like it. That
Liz Phair, sheÆs OK, really.
While Liz Phair the album is
atrophy in motion, then, it
definitely looks like all is
not lost for Liz Phair the
artist, and no-oneÆs more
happy about that than I am.
The Come-And-Get-It EP is,
while flawed, good and on
three occasions, great, in a
way that the fully-fledged
album will never be. In
these 5 songs are more
ideas, wit and that old
dirty Phairishness we loved
from ...Guyville onwards.
Some of it actually harks
back to the Girlysound tapes
in its subject matter and
attitude, and that, dear
friends, is a relief.
æFine AgainÆ, æConversation
Overheard Between Two
BouncersÆ, æHurricane
CindyÆ, and ôJeremy Engelö
are just fine, good, sturdy,
interesting songs. æFine
AgainÆ is simple and
sincere, æàBouncersö
entertaining and vicious,
æàCindyÆ sexy and sad,
æJeremy EngelÆ lyrically
engaging, even if the melody
isnÆt exactly riveting.
Much of this EP recalls her
vicious, seedy, sexy
Girlysound side but with
better production. On
æHurricane CindyÆ, ôWhatÆs
that piece of ass I
see/Walking over hereà DonÆt
you want to kill her, knock
her off her chair/God, I
think I will if she keeps
playing with her hairàö û
simple, sincere, memorable,
and most importantly, not
bland. æConversation
Overheard BetweenàÆ carries
this further and is funny,
sexually dubious,
misanthropic, nasty, in a
way æHot White CumÆ from the
album could never even
imagine. æFine AgainÆ is a
sweet,s
just-this-side-of-smug piece
about, well, simply being in
love, but hey, when I talk
about the love of my life, I
get smug too. æJeremy EngelÆ
is witty, sad, sincere,
nicely skewed.
IÆm revelling in these
adjectives because they
should have been used about
her album, not this, but
itÆs heartening to know she
still certainly has it in
her. Only ÆShallow
OpportunitiesÆ fades into
nothingness quickly. I can
forgive this. IÆm just
thrilled to have glimmers of
her back. IÆve not quite
forgiven her for the
atrocity of the album, but
this goes some way to
reparation. Everyone always
hates the most popular girl
in school anyway, and what
surprises me is I would have
thought Liz knew this
already. Well, at least the
future looks more
interesting. DonÆt abandon
her yet.