15. Vampire Weekend, Contra--While my esteemed contemporary at Berkeley Place felt much differently, i thought this was a nice, light hearted pop affair that holds up after multiple listens. If nothing else, it shows how to use Autotune correctly.
i'll be the first to admit, i was less than impressed with Liz Phair's two previous outings, Somebody's Miracle and Liz Phair. Sure, they each had a track or two worth listening to, but truth be told, they weren't stellar. During the most recent phase of her career, Phair seemed to go out of her way to court an audience that wasn't interested. Worse yet, it looked like she was spiting the fan base she did have to assumedly capture a bigger slice of the marketing pie. Then, when it seemed she couldn't piss off her core any further, she does a complete and total about face and drops what has been kindly described as a career killer. i'm here to say, fuck all y'all haters. Funstyle not only isn't that bad, it's actually got a couple of "return to form" moments, too.
"Smoke" kicks things off, a tongue-in-cheek knock against her former label, essentially an imagined dialogue with her various detractors. The chorus, however, with its bluesy piano, actually is pretty damn good, reminiscent of "Baby Got Going" to my ears. "Bollywood" is the track you may have heard already, a goofy rap that further decries the industry. At this point, the album seems a bit too self-aware (if this is the album that cost Phair her career, why do all the songs talk about her fall?); i have to imagine the opening tracks were written after the fact, but still. Fortunately, silly or not, they ain't bad. The album then takes a turn towards the sincere with "You Should Know Me" and "Miss September," a nice touch. "My My" comes as close to R&B style funk as i believe Liz has ever come, and quite frankly, she holds her own admirably. Maybe it's the horns and the backing singers, but i dig the sound. "Oh Bangladesh" skews closer to the sound i've come to expect from the Illinois native, and "Bang Bang" might be the best damn song she's performed in years--it's earnest, it's simple and it's good, 'nuff said. "Beat Is Up" is another one of the silly numbers, making liberal use of a guru extolling the virtues of letting go of one's past mistakes sprinkled between Phair pushing a pumping chorus and one of the best Chicago accents since Bill Swerkski's Super Fans and Da Bears. "And He Slayed Her" is a good mid-tempo number, in the same category as the album's middle tracks. "Satisfied," interestingly enough, is the only track here i didn't particularly find satisfying. "U Hate It"closes the kimono by further shitting on the industry, imagining that the album was a success and that the heads in charge of the industry are just idiots.
While i'm not arguing with the latter, it's doubtful the former will come true. This is unfortunate, because there's a lot to like here. We'll see whether or not Ms. Liz ever returns to her former glory days, but i can say this certainly is closer than she's been in quite some time. Now, i have a theory that no Liz Phair album can succeed without one totally raunchy track ("Flowers," "Chopsticks," etc.), so hopefully we can get back to that on the next one. For the time being, though, i'm pretty content.
i'm getting ready to call 2010 the Year of Porny Indie Music. Between covers like this to an ever increasing crop of nekkid music videos, seems like today's musician is all about the boobies. And i ain't mad atcha for that.
I could probably do an entire post just on what the Flaming Lips have been doing for their last few videos, but today, we'll just focus on their latest. Sure, the tingly bits are blurred, but i think we all get the idea. As if the giant vagina ball in the beginning wasn't going to tip you off in the first place.
Proving that our Spanish brethren are every bit as weird as their US counterparts, i bring to you the latest from El Guincho's Pop Negro. Entitled "Bombay," this one more than gives the Lips a run for their money. More weirdness AND more boobies!
While this next one has bathing suit clad girls in swimming pools, i'm afraid you're going to have to dial back your nudie expectations for the latest from (The) Tony Castles. Of course, this arguably is the strongest groover of the bunch, so i suppose you'll survive.
Not to harsh your buzz, but here's another non-nekkid video, yet it still speaks to the Gen Xer in me. It's an homage to some of the greatest video games of the '80s, so you know we've got a winner here. When you start off with a nod to "Elevator Action," well, i'm hooked.
Admittedly, this last one has nothing to do with music videos, nor is it particularly adult-ish beyond the very odd boob infatuation, but, damnation, i lurvs me some Japanese TV, and the Ancient Dogoo Girl might just be my new fave character on the tube, now that i think about it. i can only hope that when i eventually have kids, they'll be treated to such fare as this.
Every now and again, i got nothing. The LET inbox doesn't have anything that particularly interests me right this second and/or i've got stuff to listen to that i haven't yet and/or i'm too medicated/not medicated enough to come up with anything with which to blow wind up your proverbial and collective skirts. That's right, Jimmy, you're getting a cheese wit' nuttin' today.
So here's the Greatest Nothing Mix You Ever Will Hear. It's bellisimo, magnifique and bonne all in one.
Ed. Note: i will be the first to admit this mix is sorely lacking for one main reason--to quote the Bard, it ain't got no Prince. However, as His Royal Badness is well known for litigating the bejesus out of blogs that post his stuff, we sadly will not be posting any of his music here. Yes, this should have "Darlin' Nikki," "Jack U Off," and "Sugar Walls," amongst others, but it doesn't. So we'll just have to get over it. Le sigh.
When i was i think a sophomore in college, i took a class entitled "Psychology of Human Sexuality." Got a C+ in the class, which haunts me to this day. Nobody wants to get a C+ in sex class. Teacher loved me, too, i just couldn't ace his tests.
Anywho, the first day of class, he had the entire class come up with slang terms for male and female genitalia and male and female masturbation. i remember very little of that class, other than a girl in the front of the class offering up "Jilling Off" as her part of the female masturbation portion. To this day, that phrase cracks me up.
And that's enough for me to put together The Greatest Jilling Off Mix You Will Ever Hear (Besides The One That Has Prince Tracks In It).
There's really only one Queen of the Female Masturbation Songs Song, and that would be Cyndi Lauper's "She Bop." Fortunately for you, we have three versions today--the original, a remake and a cover.
Perry Farrell throws us a curve ball in this, our only track about masturbating someone else. And seriously, can you think of a better way to spend the evening? Doubtful.
The original by the Vapors arguably is about a guy rubbing one out, but since Ms. Phair is singing this cover, let's assume it's about slippery fingers this time.
i always thought this was more of a slow jam R&B reefer track, but with lines like, "I'll always think of you/Inside of my private thoughts/I can imagine you/Touching my private parts/With just the thought of you/I can't help but touch my self/That's why I want you so bad," i clearly was wrong.
So last night i'm trying to explain what we do here at LET. I explained that, yes, we write posts that are hopefully informative, ranging from concert reviews to talking about the latest releases, but a lot of the brilliant prose i write really is just stream-of-consciousness, what-was-on-Terrible-Chris'-mind at the moment along with the soundtrack that plays in my head whilst discussing said things. It's that kind of rambling that leads us to today's post concerning Liz Phair's Girlysound tapes. i don't think we're celebrating Chick Rock Week here, but check back tomorrow to see if i'm lying or not.
For those who have no idea what i'm talking about (which is not uncommon), allow me to elucidate. Way back in Nineteen Hundred and Ninety-One, Ms. Phair produced a series of three tapes under the name "Girlysound." Said tapes essentially are the basis for damn near all of her albums to date, making up the majority of Exile in Guyville, Whip-Smart, whitechocolatespaceegg, and the Juvenila EP. Recorded in her bedroom on a four-track, rumor has it that the tapes originally were only handed out to a couple of people, but eventually made their way into the hands of the Powers That Be over at Matador Records, and the rest, as they say, is history. The original songs have since been released on a couple of different bootlegs, though the definitive source material appears to be lost, at least to the masses at large. The first two tapes, Yo Yo Buddy Yup Yup Word To Ya Muthuhand Girls Girls Girls, can be found on-line in their entirety, but the complete third tape remains a thing of mystery, with only an incomplete track listing and a handful of songs from that available.
Why the hell should you care? Hey, back off, Jack. You care about everything i write about because i'm The Shit, so 'nuff said about that. Because i'm nice and willing to give you a further explaination, though i think it's pretty interesting to listen to the process of a song's creation, from its earliest versions to final completion. And this is about as prime an example as you're going to find. So there's that.
Les Enfants Terribles is a Washington, DC music blog. It's run by a music-loving lady who answers to Megan Terrible.
Please note, if you're looking for Terrible Chris, try his new joint.
Le Obligatory Disclaimer
Hear ye, hear ye.MP3s posted here are done so with permission wherever possible. If you like the bands you hear on this site, you should without question support them. Buy their music, go see them on tour, and/or buy their merch.
PLEASE NOTE: If you're a band and no longer want your music posted on this site, or a label that does not want a band's music posted herein, please write meganterrible@gmail.com, and the ship will be righted immediately, if not sooner.
Also note, LET is all about the musical lovin. Which means, only music I love will appear here. You've been warned.
Ready for some more? The build-up is orgasmic, isn't it?
