A human super-POLL-va, a POLL-ar Superman: Liz Phair - Whip-Smart

Nashville

I think my only major criticism of the album is sonic in nature, namely...can we check the levels on those vocals, guys? Her voice gets lost every time she hits a low note, such that I still occasionally pick up on lyrics that had eluded my ears for decades.

The 'Shane'/'Nashville' 1-2 is pretty unimpeachably all-time.

We can POLL and watch TV

I did almost go with '...he POLLed me how to drive him home' but it wasn't quite as obnoxious as what I ultimately settled on.

I love this record and will defend it with every weapon at my disposal. When I ranked her catalog recently, I was struck by how haunting "Shane" and "Crater Lake" remain.

"Shane, " I said, "You've gotta watch your ass."; "and I'm starting to actually feel it seep through the slick divide"
she was on fire

I appreciate this incentive to revisit the album; it’s been a while. “Support System,” “Dogs in L.A.,” and “May Queen” stand out on my memory — but I already know I’m voting for “Jealousy,” as it’s all-time.

Alice Springs for me, short and perfect

but this whole record is great

Just have to say real quick that I did a double-take the first time I (mis)heard 'May Queen':

Where have I been?
Have I got an Ewok?

I still don’t know the line... is it, “Have I got any ones ($1’s)”?

Encountering these first two albums in my teens was very good prep work for adulthood, life experience being the key to unlocking lyrics that were once cryptic and now feel all-too-familiar.

xpost 'Have I got any what?' with implied incredulity, I believe.

tons of great deep cuts and growers but it's gotta be "jealousy"

She is one of a very select number of songwriters whose process just absolutely eludes my imagination. Like, I don't know how she does what she does. It just feels like magic to me.

Like the way 'Crater Lake' just slooooowly powers up from this laconic crawl into a hollered 'YOU BETTER ROLL ME HOME' over a driving beat within the span of a scant two minutes. What.

My thinking at this point is basically:

whitechocolatespaceegg is the best album of someone who never made the two preceding albums
Whip-Smart is the best album of someone who never made Guyville
Guyville might just be the best album, like ever, it's entirely possible

When I saw her back in September she did only did Supernova and Cinco de Mayo (you can't play in Ohio and not do that one) off this album, despite my screaming for Shane and X-Ray Man. She did do Blood Keeper, though.

Anyway, I think maybe Shane? Or Cinco de Mayo?

I let the playlist roll on into whitechocolatespaceegg and...man, does that ever make the earlier stuff sound even better. Kinda can't stand the production on that album, so dated and, I dunno, tinny? All the warmth and intimacy is gone.

I go the other way — some of the cool indie songwriting “moves” are gone, making the songs all the more direct & affecting!

agreed -- fabulous album, especially the back half

This outtake is pretty ace:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDon8T-bkEI

She wrote it with Jim Ellison of Material Issue who committed suicide pretty soon afterwards.

It's a good pop album with some ace tunes, it just isn't terribly representative of the qualities I most appreciate about the first two albums.

i treasured Whip-Smart and don't think I even made it through WCSE

Yeah, it's...not easy going atm. Aurally, all it needs is some autotune and maybe Moby sampling a couple old blues songs to cement it more firmly as a product of its very particular era.

The same is true of that slightly de-tuned Brad Wood production on the other albums, tho! It’s not a bad thing in any of these cases...

Yes but you see musical sounds that I have a sentimental attachment to are just objectively and inarguably better than all of the other sounds, hope that clears things up.

I'm listening to "Supernova" now; don't think I ever noticed her tinny little secondary vox buried in the final chorus ("Angelll!"). That's the kinda thing I'm talkin' 'bout!

"Support System" is a prime showcase of her trademark "slightly detuned gtr & vocals" combo; it's so great. Are there other examples of that particular "sound" which predate these records?

not sure but the Shrimp Boat records might have some of that, given the Brad Wood connection

When ppl say that newer artists "sound like" Liz Phair -- e.g., Snail Mail or whoever -- I feel like that sound is basically what they're talking about.

The gtr playing in "Go West" is excellent

Voted May Queen, especially for the first 20-30 seconds.

(Runner up: Shane)

WCSE demos > WCSE, though WCSE has grown on me over the years.

I wouldn’t go that far

I would, but that's probably because I spent a few summer months living with the leaked demos before WCSE came out, at which point low-fi is magic me was....very bummed. (Partly because the demo is full of great songs that didn't make the album proper and wound, much later, on EPs and movie soundtracks and Youtube in produced form.)

“Stuck on an Island” is probably my favorite ever song by her. I may have said that already on this very thread

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

i'm gonna lock my son up in a tower til he learns to let his hair down far enough to climb outside

Almost missed this!

The (relatively) weakest of her amazing 90s trilogy--even though it was somehow the one I owned first--but there are days where I think "Nashville" may be the best thing she's ever done.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

Missed it, would have voted for title track so no biggie

I can't believe "Shane" and "Support System" got no votes.

People who are accustom to living a fulfilled life tend to forget the struggles that others face and the fact that they are more common than what is it initially believed.

It's even more lo-fi than the debut.

The 'Shane'/'Nashville' 1-2 is pretty unimpeachably all-time.

well I would have voted “Shane”

"Shane" is great, but more like "this album is starting to go deep" than "I've got to hear that song again right now".

i'd still vote "Jealousy" or the title track, but every time i come back to this album, "May Queen" grows a bigger place in my heart.

I had side B on this morning and it sounded great

I was going to do a poll for this but this thread already exists!

Whip Smart doesn’t get the love its predecessor does

For good reason!

Anyway, if I’d voted in this poll I probably would’ve gone for “Shane”.