Published on Aug 11, 1998
It’s not a surprise that Liz Phair is getting a lot of attention
these days.
whitechocolatespaceegg, her latest album, has given fans a
lot to talk about and speculate on. For those who are not familiar
with the alt-rock goddess, she made a huge splash in 1993 with her
classic album,
Exile In Guyville.
It topped critics charts. Her warble voice conveyed a sense of
vulnerability with car wreck like scenarios of relationships gone
bad spoke to both men and women. Even more revelaing was her
delicious use of vulgarities. In that album, this vulnerable woman
was also, “a real cunt in spring” who would “fuck you ’til your
dick is blue”.
Then she came out with
Whip-Smart. She still had a lot of her brashness in that
album, but after the commercial disappointment of that album, Phair
got married. A baby followed. While recording
whitechocolatespaceegg, questions surrounded why the album
took so long to record. She dabbled in the services of Scott Litt
(R.E.M.) and
Guyville producer, Brad Wood. Record excecutives allegedly
sent the entire album back to her, either because the album overall
was disappointing or the album lacked a key “hit single”.
That all said,
whitechocolatespaceegg could be the career building or
career ending album for Liz Phair. One thing is for certain:this is
not a fans-only album. In fact, if you’re new to Phair and dig the
confessional singers that shined in the wake of Phair’s absence
(Alanis Morissette), start out with
whitechocolatespaceegg. Though it’s a more toned down
version of Phair, it has more than enough material to keep you
interested.
Fans expecting
Return To Guyville will be alienated with this release. But
face it, getting married, having children, easing into a
domesticated life presents a profound change to anyone. And true
fans of Phair will see the maverick sprit of
Guyville in much of
Whitechocolatespaceegg. In only 50 or so minutes, Phair
launches enough musical surprises to keep fans at bay for at least
three years.
The biggest surprise is the sound. Overproduction just doesn’t
fit Phair. Her imperfections make her such a trip to listen to. And
with two producers, you could see how those imperfections could be
glossed over. Surprisingly, many of the songs remain gloriously
imperfect. Phair’s voice still sounds edgy, on the verge of
cracking in songs like, “Perfect World” and “Go On Ahead”.
whitechocolatespaceegg seeps with variety as well. The title
track, “Polyester Bride” and “Big Tall Man” all beg to be put on
the radio. But “Baby Got Going” has a nice Elvis-like rockibilly
shuffle. Other songs thankfully don’t fit into any mold, like the
quirky, “Uncle Alvarez” or “Shitloads of Money”. R.E.M. even gets
in on the act, playing guest musicians on “Fantasize”.
The new and old topics that Liz Phair covers rarely converge on
whitechocolatespaceegg. In “Love Is Nothing”, Phair sings,
“Love is nothing like they say/ you’ve gotta pick up all the pieces
everyday.” Domestication also hits hard on “Only Son”, Phair
laments in her last stanza about packing up everything and taking
off before she loses her soul.
Her sexy, self-loathing old self comes out in two songs, “Ride”
and “Johnny Feelgood”. The latter song is a nice, borderline
R-rated tale of lust. “When me knocks me down and he orders me
around / ‘Cause it loosens me up / and I can’t get enough”. Her
fixation with nursery rhymes contines with “Ride” when she turns a
nighttime prayer ritual into a vivid tale of guilt and purgatory.
“And if I die before I wake/I hope the lord won’t hesitate / to
pluck my coffin from the ground/He need not heed the neighbors
now.”
With only three so-so numbers, “Shitloads of Money”, “Girls
Room” and “Perfect World” out of 16, it almost makes the wait for
whitechocolatespaceegg worthwhile. People who will weigh
this album against her classic album will no doubt be disappointed.
In that regard, this album would rate a C or C+. But, if you were
to weigh all of Patti Smith’s albums against her album
Horses, most of her albums would be given the same
grade.
Taken as an individual statement in today’s music,
whitechocolatespaceegg is a bracing release. Fans of Phair
or the genre (see any artist on the Lillith Fair tour) will have
this CD locked in their players long into the fall. As for
Guyville prudists, fear not,
whitechocolatespaceegg still has enough edge to scare away
listeners. Her child will always be an influence on her. And
barring a divorce, so will her marriage. As a person and an artist,
she has evolved. Deal with it.