Matador Records Liz Phairs' new album "Whitechocolatespaceegg"
: Get it
while it's HOT!
17 April 1967, New Haven, Connecticut, USA. Phair was brought up in a wealthy suburb of
Chicago, Illinois, by her adoptive father (a physician) and mother (an art teacher). It
was a perfectly happy childhood, during which she befriended the actress Julia Roberts (a
friendship later recounted in the song 'Chopsticks'). Her first love was art, but at
Oberlin College in Ohio she became involved in the local music scene, which included bands
such as Codeine, Bitch Magnet, Seam and Come. Phair also began writing songs,
and became friends with Chris Brokaw, the guitarist with Come, and after college they both
moved to San Francisco and began playing together. When Brokaw moved back east, Phair used
to send him tapes of her music, which generally consisted of 14 new songs each. Brokaw
recognized her talent and alerted others. Although Phair herself was not as confident in
the quality of these still-evolving songs, she did agree to sign with Matador Records in
the summer of 1992. Entering the studio with her drummer and co-producer Brad Wood, Phair
announced her intention to make a 'female Exile On Main Street'. Ignoring traditional song
structures, her approach allowed the low-key
production to empower her confessional and occasionally abusive lyrics. With fellow
musicians Casey Rice (guitar) and LeRoy Bach (bass) complementing her own playing (like
her UK peer, PJ Harvey, critical attention is often concentrated on her voice at the
expense of her distinctive guitar playing), Phair produced an album that was widely
acclaimed and sold an impressive 200,000 copies. Exile In Guyville lifted the last word of
its title from a lyric by Chicago friends Urge Overkill and was a sprawling and inspired
double album. Her only flaw became apparent during the live shows, when her stage fright
was increased by the presence of famous guests such as Wynona Ryder and Rosanna Arquette.
This was, perhaps, not to be expected from a woman with the confidence to write the
overtly sexual 'Flower' ('Every time I see your face, I get all wet between my legs'). It
was not simply the brash sexuality of her debut that was discarded for her second album,
but also her desire to be part of the 'Guyville' set. As she explained in
interviews, there was no reason to resent her exclusion now that she had proved herself
and moved on. Whip-Smart was a more polished set, lacking some of her previous
eccentricities. It was still, however, a genuinely exciting and turbulent album, welcomed
once again by critics and fans alike. The same reception was not given to Juvenilia, a
stop-gap collection of her early recordings.
Encyclopedia of Popular Music Copyright Muze UK Ltd.
1989 - 1998
