Azeem wrote:
>This inspired me to dig out Exit In Guyville again - what a debut! I saw her
>in London the year it was released, in a tiny venue in Camden. It was pretty
>ropey, although she was endearingly honest ("I'm sorry, I know we suck live,
>we promise to be better next time").
Liz's early shows were indeed shaky affairs, but she's steadily improved
since then. Even I had my doubts the first time I went to see her, given the
reputation she'd acquired as a live performer, but she more than met my
expectations. There were moments where she seemed surprised she was actually
pulling it off -- quite often she would have this triumphant look about her
after finishing a song -- but somehow that made it all the more endearing.
It probably helps now that she has an ace backing band (Ric Menck played
drums on several Matthew Sweet records and is a member of Velvet Crush;
Buddy Judge and Jebin Bruni are both also in Aimee Mann's touring band).
The most recent time I saw Liz was last spring, a one-off show with just
herself and Buddy Judge playing guitars. Never had I seen any performer seem
so relaxed and carefree on stage (the Liz that comes across in her lyrics
was also the Liz that was on that stage that night). She's never been one
for much stage banter, but she talked more that night than any other time
I'd seen her, at one point asked the audience to choose between songs to
determine what she'd play next, and even invited a friend of mine onstage to
sing "Flower" with her.
>What I love about this album is its complete insouciance, its (apparent)
>indifference to what people think of her foul mouth, uncertainly pitched
>singing, the don't-give-a-shit delivery and rudimentary production, often
>dispensing with bass.
I think a lot of Exile's charm comes from the fact that Liz realized she had
nothing at all to lose so she was free to make whatever album she wanted.
She never actively set about pursuing a music career and more or less fell
into it -- she had always set out to be a visual artist (sound familiar,
anyone?).
I think it's the same thing with many other truly great records, such as Big
Star's _Third/Sister Lovers_: the rare situation when the artist doesn't
have to really answer to anyone so it doesn't matter what they're doing;
either no one else cares or it seems doubtful anyone will hear it anyway, so
the artist makes the album for themself.
Liz has gone on record saying that she thought the album would maybe sell
1,500 copies, that it was supposed to be just a small indie release. She has
also said at different times that she made it to address one particular
person in her life, to let them know who she was, or that she made it to get
back at a bunch of people in her life (the indie boys she used to hang
around with and date. She's referred to that time as her "band-wife" period,
but said that no one in that scene took her opinions seriously or thought
she knew anything about music. As such, she didn't let most of them know she
wrote songs or played guitar because it would have been treated as a joke).
She said that everyone she needed to hear the record lived in a one mile
radius of the studio in which it was recorded.
The production is indeed raw, but I don't know if I'd say rudimentary. I
think it suits the songs well and really was just what they needed, although
admittedly it was also out of necessity since the record was recorded for
only $3000. But ultimately, it gives the album an intensely personal,
intimate feel and I like the sparse arrangements. There's still some nice
touches here and there: the drums at the beginning of "Stratford-on-Guy"
remind me of those on XTC's "Making Plans for Nigel" and little
embellishments like the slapped tambourine during the refrain of "F**k and
Run" lend the album a bit more of a pop sensibility than it would have
otherwise.
I think what really defines the album though is the combination of the
lyrics and the conversational tone of Liz's vocals. It was weird to hear an
album that seemed to express a lot of what I was thinking or feeling or
reminded me of other people in my life at that time. It was like hearing a
lot of what I wanted to say but couldn't put into words I wouldn't be able
to find. I don't feel as strong of a connection with the album now as I did
then, but it does remind me a lot of a certain time in my life and it was
sort of the soundtrack to my coming out and initial relationships.
Liz sequenced the album as a response to the Rolling Stones' _Exile on Main
Street_ and has said, "I thought of Exile on Main Street as a big, long love
letter -- a good love letter. Not just, 'Oh, Lord, I need you,' but living
with your wants, desires, limitations, self-destructive habits and whatever
other elements are sparked when you feel connected to a person." Well,
that's what _Exile in Guyville_ was like for me. I don't have that kind of
reaction to records very often, Joni's _Blue_ being one of the most notable
exceptions (I especially could never live without "A Case of You").
>I've got Whitechocolatespaceegg, although it hasn't made much impression on
>me on the two occasions I've listened to it. I don't have Whip Smart, but I
>do have Juvenalia, which I think is comprised of early demos and possibly
>outtakes from the first album. It's quite amusing - I seem to remember one
>song about farmers enjoying unnatural congress with farmyard animals.
_Whip-Smart_ is a great album too, although not as revelatory as _Guyville_.
The songs are more tightly structured and there are fewer meandering mood
pieces, and the production and vocals are both a little smoother but
thematically it treads much of the same ground. Of course, few artists are
able to follow up such a promising debut with an album that's as much of a
knockout.
The _Juvenilia_ EP was more or less intended as a single for "Jealousy"
(from _Whip-Smart_), along with a song from a radio session ("Animal Girl"),
a cover of "Turning Japanese" with power-pop band Material Issue, and five
songs from Liz's Girly Sound demos. My only problem with it is that it seems
to showcase Liz's goofier, "shocking" side. I do enjoy small doses of Liz in
that mode, but there are some real gems from her Girly Sound tapes that show
what a great songwriter she was to become and it's a shame none of those
were included instead. The only real essential of those that do appear on
the EP is "Easy," which has a really effective haunted quality to it, but
there are others on those tapes that are every bit as powerful as the songs
on _Guyville_.
Just rambling now,
Jase
