From: owner-support-system-digest@smoe.org (support-system-digest) To: support-system-digest@smoe.org Subject: support-system-digest V8 #139 Reply-To: support-system@smoe.org Sender: owner-support-system-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-support-system-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk support-system-digest Tuesday, October 18 2005 Volume 08 : Number 139 Today's Subjects: ----------------- [support-system] Somebody's Miracle review (The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette) [Kenneth Lee ] [support-system] Somebody's Miracle review (Paper Magazine) [Kenneth Lee ] [support-system] General Thoughts and 10/16 Philly show review! [mr weath] [support-system] Article "Liz Phair and Fiona Apple" [Tom Conlon ] [support-system] Stevie Wonder cover [Tyler Coates ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 16 Oct 2005 20:31:29 -0700 From: Kenneth Lee Subject: [support-system] Somebody's Miracle review (The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette) From The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette: (http://www.ardemgaz.com/ShowStoryTemplate.asp?Path=ArDemocrat/2005/10/16&ID=Ar06600&Section=Features) Liz Phair "Somebody's Miracle" Capitol A- Liz Phair's journey from rock critic saint to lost cause started with her last album, "Liz Phair", where, horror of horrors, she employed the producing team known as the Matrix, who, horror of horrors, worked with then-teen punker Avril Lavigne. Never mind that "Liz Phair" was Phair's best album, with beefed-up guitars and production sheen that matched the brazen lyrics that dealt with the sex life of a thirtysomething single mother. So those nimrods over at Pitchfork cried sellout and so the "New York Times" said Phair had "committed an embarrassing form of career suicide." They were wrong, but you had to worry if Phair would react to the criticism and retreat on her next album. Well, "Somebody's Miracle" has an even prettier, poppier sound than "Liz Phair", which ought to send the remaining hard-core indie devotees over the edge, and hooray. Those of us left can appreciate Phair's expanding sonic palette and the way her songwriting deepens at every turn. "Somebody's Miracle" is an album of regrets, elusive love and one of the most harrowing songs about alcohol addiction ever recorded ("Table for One"). Yes, we can admit that this one is not as much fun as "Liz Phair", but then thats a high bar to clear. - - WERNER TRIESCHMANN - -Ken kenmlee@ix.netcom.com MeSmErIzInG - AnOtHeR LiZ PhAiR WeBsItE http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Club/2471/ ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 16 Oct 2005 22:45:18 -0700 From: Kenneth Lee Subject: [support-system] Somebody's Miracle review (National Post) From The National Post (Canada): (http://www.canada.com/national/nationalpost/news/artslife/story.html?id=37421fa5-0cbb-4b22-b49e-b438c6cdb1bc) THE DAILY DISC Liz Phair - "Somebody's Miracle" (Capitol/EMI) Phairs flair for pop tunes is no excuse for blah lyrics There's certain nobility in Liz Phair's refusal to run back to the fringes after her bid on mainstream success was met with a shower of bullets from her indie following. Those unimpressed with her Avril make-over on 2003's self-titled album wont be anymore taken with her Sheryl Crow mimicry here, but a new talent without Phair's baggage would be praised for armour-plated melodies such as "Stars And Planets" or "Giving It All To You". Still, her talent for sugary pop hooks doesn't excuse such white-bread lyrics from someone who used to brandish her pen like a switchblade, "Count On My Love" crams so many clichis into 3-1/2 minutes it would be hysterical if it weren't so disheartening. Jordan Zivits, CanWest News Service - -Ken kenmlee@ix.netcom.com MeSmErIzInG - AnOtHeR LiZ PhAiR WeBsItE http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Club/2471/ ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 16 Oct 2005 21:24:18 -0700 From: Kenneth Lee Subject: [support-system] Somebody's Miracle review (Edmonton Journal) From The Edmonton Journal: (http://www.canada.com/edmonton/edmontonjournal/news/culture/story.html?id=013b2d62-4688-4b88-b682-0d873d9fecc5) Phair cant escape exile in turkeyville CD: "Somebodys Miracle" Artist: Liz Phair Label: Capitol Records Rating: One Star Whenever a new Liz Phair album comes out, the first thing anyone brings up is her and first and undeniably greatest album, "Exile In Guyville". Its just irresistible; I mean, look  barely two sentences into this review and its already lying there like the unmovable object of critical reverence that is. Its not really fair to do this to the Chicago native, whos put out four full-length records between 1993s "Guyville" and her latest, "Somebodys Miracle". Nothing shes done since has come close to approximating her debuts compelling mix of vulnerability and sexual appetite, the best title which we cant even print in this family-friendly newspaper. Thats as it should be; we all move on, and it would be unfair to insist that Phair stay in an emotional and musical time loop. Keep walking, folks  that Liz Phair is long gone  find somebody else to sing about your feelings of inadequacy and desire. So  weve cut this review free of all moorings, basing criticism on the album in question and not unassailably greater ancestor. Heck, we wont even drag 2003s Matrix  (Avril Lavigne) produced "Liz Phair", as complete a statement of departure from indie rock sham as you could get without killing Bright Eyes and staking his head in front of Wilcos studio. Maybe thats the point  MOR pop might be exactly what Phair is aiming for, and maybe we need to recognize this. Once its understood, everything falls into place, and "Somebodys Miracle" lopes along smoothly  easy listening for tired thirtysomethings, John Mayer in the waiting. Its all slick, digestible radio-rock, best summed by the title tracks comfy rocking jangle; youve heard it before, youre not sure where, but it sits happily in between current drive-in hits. Heck, you dont even have to listen to a song like "Count On My Love" to get the gist of it; that breathless piece of lyrical fluff can be easily summed up by its own title  all it needs is a romantic comedy to adopt it as end-credit movie music. The summer pop of "Everything To Me" is studied heartbreak facile longing and banal sentiments  well make it together, just wait and see  just waiting to be oversung on the Grammys. We insist on musical stasis for our favourite artists, and thats wrong. We also like to shake our heads at musicians who angle for the mainstream  thats wrong, too. Chance and success are good things. Wanting to by heard by as many people as possible is understandable; what committed musician would only want to be known for a series of critically acclaimed but poor-selling albums? Still, its bad to say, but at this point we can only sympathetically pat Phair on the back, brush her off and wait for the next one. Compared with her back catalogue, or heck, any Top 10 albums she hopes to compete with, "Somebodys Miracle" is a turkey of monumental proportions. Tom Murray Special to The Journal - -Ken kenmlee@ix.netcom.com MeSmErIzInG - AnOtHeR LiZ PhAiR WeBsItE http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Club/2471/ ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 17 Oct 2005 12:23:46 EDT From: NDisgize2@aol.com Subject: [support-system] Fillmore show I, too, am going to the Fillmore show (thanks for reminding me, the time is near). Does anyone from that area know what there is to do around the Fillmore? I'm taking the train up to SF (from Central Ca) and will have the day to kill before the show....thought there might be something to do. Also, does the Fillmore have a spot where you can hang out and meet the artist after the show? Like a side door or something? A lot of the smaller places I have been to have had that. Any help would be appreciated :) Cheers, Michael ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 17 Oct 2005 15:35:44 -0700 From: Kenneth Lee Subject: [support-system] Somebody's Miracle review (New York Sun) From The New York Sun: (http://www.nysun.com/article/20955) Trading Spaces BY MARTIN EDLUND There is a curious reverse-symmetry to the careers of Fiona Apple and Liz Phair, both of whom release new albums today. Both are products of the mid-1990s, a post-grunge boom era for female talent. Early on, however, they represented opposite ends of it. Apple was the made-for-MTV star with the bluesy voice, underwear-clad videos, and adorable teen angst. Phair was beloved by the indie rock crowd for her lo-fi sensibility, deadpan sexuality, and revolt against the privileged suburbs of her youth. Starting, as they did, from such different places, the two were rarely talked about in the same breath. In the intervening years, however, they've virtually switched places - or attempted to, anyway. Apple has repeatedly rebelled against her early success and the forces that gave it to her. Most (in)famous was her tantrum at the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards - at which she won the Best New Artist award - where she declared, "this world is bull-,"and, quoting Maya Angelou, instructed young women to "go with yourself." Go with herself she did. Her 1999 album "When the Pawn ..." had a 90-word poem for a title and complicated arrangements - alternately jazzy and carnival-esque, compliments of producer Jon Brion - that ensured she would be a tough sell to the teen audience that had embraced her debut. "When the Pawn ..." sold only a million-plus copies domestically, as compared to 3 million for "Tidal," her debut. Phair's career, meanwhile, has been marked by repeated - and ever more desperate - efforts to court the mainstream. Her most recent (and egregious) effort was her eponymous 2003 album, which included work by Avril Lavigne songsmiths the Matrix. The 30-something Phair was trying to remake herself in the image of a teen pop sensation, or so it seemed to the galled indie press that had once championed her. New albums find both Apple and Phair arriving, for better or worse, at the destinations they set out for. Apple's "Extraordinary Machine", begun six years ago, was adventurous enough to land it in major-label limbo. And it might well have remained there had not an early copy mysteriously leaked this spring, prompting a fan-driven "Free Fiona" campaign and an avalanche of admiring press. Whether or not Sony withheld it (the company now claims it would have released any album Apple deemed finished), the delay isn't all that surprising. The album - both the leaked copy produced and arranged by Brion, and the final one, produced mostly by Mike Elizondo (best known for his work with Dr. Dre and Eminem) - is by turns moody and whimsical, and challenging enough to extinguish all hopes of commercial success. It's also the best thing Apple has done - by a wide margin. Her lyrics to a new song serve as an apt description: "My method is uncertain, it's a mess but it's working." Wisely Apple has stuck with the Brion-session version of the title track, which opens the album. With its mannered strings, slinking bass, and WB cartoon woodwinds, the song will send you scouring the P2P networks for the other leaked Brion-produced tracks. Apple's lyrics are equally charming: "Be kind to me, or treat me mean / I'll make the most of it, I'm an extraordinary machine," she sings playfully. Despite her professed emotional adaptability, Apple can't disguise her broken heart after splitting with longtime beau (and "Magnolia" director) Paul Thomas Anderson; the shards are littered all through the album. On "Tymps (The Sick in the Head Song)," over tinkling marimba and clavinet, she ponders: "I'm either so sick in the head I need to be bled dry to quit / or I just really used to love him. I sure hope that's it." Her former feelings, both bitter and fond, are confirmed on "Parting Gift": "The sign said stop, but we went on wholehearted / it ended bad, but I love what we started." Phair's new album, "Somebody's Miracle", succeeds much less. It's harder to make a bid for new fans than to shed old ones. Phair's strategy is not to disown her indie past, but to try to bring it into line with her pop present. In a six-minute DVD, titled "Liz Phair: A Retrospective," included in the press kit, she explains that she'll "always be a boundary pusher, it's just what I do." We're supposed to understand her mainstreaming as just another form of rebellion. But it sounds anything but rebellious. The songs are relentlessly poppy and superficial, full of bright, country-tinged guitars and brighter sentiments, closer to Shania Twain than the Liz Phair of old. She's not pushing boundaries so much as reinstating them. The lyrics to "Count On My Love" are representative: "Blue eyes, bluer than the blue sky / shining down like sunshine, everywhere you are / for you I only want the best / you only have to ask and I'll be there for you," she beams. This from the woman who once courted men by singing, "I want to f-you like a dog / I'll take you home and make you like it." There is one relapse, and it makes for a fascinating glimpse of what might have been. "Table for One" is the tale of an alcoholic mom making only a minimal effort to keep up appearances. "I hide all the bottles in places / they find them, confront me with pain in / their eyes, and I promise that I'll make some changes," she sings. It's confessional, honest, self-disgusted, confused - a mature version of the Phair fans fell for in the first place. The retrospective DVD ends with a line eerily reminiscent of Apple's "go with yourself" credo. "The best advice I can give to anyone getting into this profession is be yourself," Phair says, "and that's all I'm trying to live up to." She sounds earnest, which is just as well, considering her current sound will please few besides herself. Just as she has the right to change, longtime listeners have the right to feel deserted and disappointed. But former Phair fans needn't lose heart entirely. They may find just what they're looking for in an artist named Fiona Apple. Liz Phair plays Irving Plaza on October 17 & 18 (17 Irving Place, at 15th Street, 212-307-7171). - -Ken kenmlee@ix.netcom.com MeSmErIzInG - AnOtHeR LiZ PhAiR WeBsItE http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Club/2471/ ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 17 Oct 2005 18:24:19 -0500 From: Tyler Coates Subject: [support-system] Table For One In several reviews that Ken Lee has posted here, critics have said that "Table For One" is about Liz's drinking problem or, most recently, "an alcoholic mom". I thought it had to do with her brother's alcoholism. Whenever I listen to the song I think that the narrator is a young man. Anyone thoughts? Tyler. - -- John Tyler Coates coatesjt@gmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 17 Oct 2005 18:54:21 -0700 From: Kenneth Lee Subject: [support-system] Somebody's Miracle review (Paper Magazine) From Paper Magazine: (http://www.papermag.com/?section=article&parid=981) LIZ PHAIR "Somebody's Miracle" (Capitol) What to do about Liz Phair? After her self-titled 2003 album, a myth-busting stab at being radio- (or at least Starbucks-) friendly, criticizing her efforts seemed unfair, but praising them seemed unjust. With "Somebody's Miracle", Phair continues her extreme career makeover. There is little here to please fans of her earlier, more confessional albums, but her new music, on its own merit, is solid and sometimes brilliant. The best news is that Phair still rocks. The ecstatic groove of "Can't Get Out of What I'm Into" is a knockout, and it backs an expert lyrical depiction of a woman who is afraid to risk her career for true happiness. (Perhaps Phair knows her soccer-mom audience too well.) "Table for One" explores the dead-end life of a middle-class alcoholic without burying the tune in sentimentality. And while Phair's cleaned-up material can make her sound like a deadpan Sheryl Crow, fans looking for more than divorce songs about fuck-and-runs will be happy with the latest Exile in Lizville. Paul L. Underwood - -Ken kenmlee@ix.netcom.com MeSmErIzInG - AnOtHeR LiZ PhAiR WeBsItE http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Club/2471/ ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 16 Oct 2005 22:10:09 -0700 (PDT) From: mr weatherbee Subject: [support-system] General Thoughts and 10/16 Philly show review! hey guys, i'm a LONG time liz fan and subscriber to the list, but have been kinda a lurker on the list for a while now...but in the wake of the new album i've found myself with a lot of thoughts on it and on liz herself. (i'll try and post my comments...a lot of them harsh..on the album in the next few days...i know someone posted a request for old fans like myself to post some reviews). but right now i just wanted to write in w/ a recap of the spectacular liz show in philly i just came back from! like i said i kinda have been lax w/ all things liz over the last year or two...not sure why that is. this is the first album since guyville i didnt buy on the day it came out...havent been reading the list much...when i finally heard the album i was extremely disappointed. and even though i knew she was coming to philly i wasn't as excited as usual..in fact i wasn't planning on going at all, for some personal reasons, and then also just cos i hadnt been feeling the album all that much. but then i started listening to the album more and finding some good things...listening to a lot of her older stuff too..and just kind of remembering why i was a fan of hers in the first place. and also what it means to be a fan...like i'm a big sports fan and always resent when people are fair weather fans and only seem to root when things are goin good for their team. and i kinda felt the same way and a lil guilty...like i should be a fan and go support my favorite singer of all time even if i'm down on one album! and also i know the last few shows i've been to in philly just seemed like the crowds weren't that big or enthusiastic..so over the last few days i decided to go to the show, just to give liz some extra support in case it was the same way...and also to just kind of rediscover everything i loved about her music . but boy was i pleasantly suprised at the show tonight at the TLA! the crowd was pretty much packed, and everyone was just so raucous, loud and into the show! :) it just really felt like at a gathering of huge liz fans (a welcome change to some of those shows w/ jason mraz a few years ago where most of the crowd coulda cared less about her), which was awesome to be a part of. i also was really glad to see that the crowd seemed noticeably younger than most of the liz headlining shows that i've been to. ha maybe those few matrix songs to target the mtv crowd actually did a better job than expected of bringing in some younger fans! :) but as for the show, it was truly a wonderful performance. this is the 6th time i've seen her live and it was definitely the best..i think finally she's come into her own as a live performer w/ a band she's comfortable with. i had a lot of problems w/ the way her voice sounds on the new album, but tonight she sounded as great as i've ever heard her live and i think her setlist kinda played to the songs her vocals sound the best on. i didnt jot down the actual setlist (i'm sure someone will have it later), but as some other people said for different shows, she started this show w/ a few acoustic songs, all of which sounded spectacular!!! i realized just how much i've MISSED the genius of her guitar playing, especially on the last two records where none of it really comes through on the album...but live, and especially acoustically i was just kinda mesmerized (no pun intended) by watching her fingers move and the chord progressions and everythign again...it was just great ! :-D she started out w/ fine again, which was awesome, and then came which is probably THE high point of ALL the liz shows i've been to...people were screaming out songs to sing..a lot of older ones and someone yelled out "black market white baby dealer" and she kinda laughed and said she wasnt sure if she remembered it, and asked dino if he did, and she was messing around starting to play some chords and singing the beginning of it...trying to remember the lyrics while people from the crowd kept yelling out lines to help her out...fucking unbelievable :) she was having fun with it and then one girl up front kept yelling out the lines and liz was like, if you know it this well you should come on stage and sing it! and she was serious and kinda imploring the girl to come up for a few mins..even mentioned how urge overkill once invited her stage at the viper room and she didnt do it and always regretted it! (talk about a guilt trip!) the crowd wanted the girl to go up but alas she didnt (ha, i woulda ran up there if it was me! :-) but liz made her way through most of the song and it actually sounded pretty darn great...it just felt really special to hear an old girlysound song live and especially to have her interact w/ the fans like that...i was beaming from ear to ear and didnt stop til the end of the show! pretty much everything sounded great...i cant remember every song but to the best of my memory here's what she sang i think. a lotta exile (6'1, mesmerizing, flower, divorce song...soap star joe and stratford on guy acoustic). i love how she kinda changes up the arrangements a little bit on the exile songs from tour to tour...flower especially had a fabulous arrangement with a long drawn out intro..the best version of it i've heard...it sounded like a rock song! :) she commented that the chorus of statford on guy (It took an hour, maybe a day But once I really listened, the noise, Just went away...) reminded of her the press (A sign she's probably taken some of the harsh reviews lately to heart!). She did supernova, chopsticks and cinco de mayo from whip smart. from wcse, a lovely version of perfect world, polyester bride and (my pick for best performance of the night) a killer version of money w/ a truly wonderful arrangement and vocals. extraordinary, why cant i, rock me, HWC (w/ a pause during the chorus to say "you cant believe i'm singing this can you?"), and one of favorite recent liz songs, my bionic eyes from liz phair. and surpisingly only 3 songs from the new album!? somebody's miracle, lazy dreamer, and everything to me...i dunno if she's just not that comfortable singing the new songs yet or maybe some are tougher to sing live? in any case, i really didnt miss her doing more from the new album in lieu of more older stuff ;-) but really i think what made this show so great was the fans, so i wanna thank anyone from philly on the list that went to the show...it was just a great vibe at the show, the tla was packed, and you could tell there were a ton of long time fans there...everyone was just having fun, singing along to everything, liz had a ton of interaction w/ the crowd and i dunno how loud the crowds have been at her other shows, but it seemed as though liz was perhaps a little suprised and genuinely appreciative of the fantastic reception she got here. it was just a great night for me and one i wont forget...in a way it felt kinda like when you've had a lil rough stretch w/ your gf or a few disagreements or whatever...then you have that one magical date that just reminds you again of EVERY single thing you love about her and why the few down stretches from time to time cant compare all the wonderful and amazing moments she gives you. i kinda felt like tonight was me rediscovering all the things i love about liz and her music and i couldnt be happier! :) matt george mrweatherbee2000@yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 17 Oct 2005 09:24:54 -0400 From: Tom Conlon Subject: [support-system] Article "Liz Phair and Fiona Apple" Not a show or music review, just an essay ... Exiles in rockville *Liz Phair and Fiona Apple* BY MATT ASHARE - ------------------------------ Back in August, Liz Phair came through town on what could be described as a goodwill tour. During a two-night stand at the Paradise, she found time to meet with people like me the critics in a PR campaign designed to woo the press in advance of *Somebody's Miracle *(Capitol), her new CD. And not just the press: on stage she appeared shoeless, stripped-down both musically and literally, with just an acoustic guitar and a skirt that showed more than enough leg to make the boys up front blush. The set itself was a return to *Guyville* to many of the songs that had made her the reigning queen of indie-rock back in '93. The effect was much the same as spending an hour chatting with her at the 90 Tremont Hotel bar: she flirted with and seduced the crowd with her down-to-earth chatter, her naked songs, and just enough leg. Earlier that day, the setting may have been different, but I'd been subjected to the same charm offensive: she spoke thoughtfully about everything from motherhood to songwriting to the power of MySpace, where you can now sign up to be one of Phair's friends. I was smitten. It would have been difficult to come away from the interview or the show any other way. And smitten is what Phair needed in the wake of her failed stab at a Top 40 breakthrough with her previous album, 2003's *Liz Phair* (Capitol) a disc that longtime champions of the indie Phair of *Guyville* took to be nothing short of a stab in the back. (She'll be back this Friday, at Avalon, with a full band.) At around the same time, another drama was unfolding around another controversial artist, Fiona Apple. After a six-year absence, Apple had reunited with producer Jon Brion, the architect behind her breakthrough debut, 1996's *Tidal *(Epic), and recorded *Extraordinary Machine*, an ambitious new album. Apple, best known as the scantily clad 19-year-old waif crawling around a bathroom floor in the video for her first single ("Criminal") and then commenting "This world is bullshit" when she won an MTV VMA, never struck me as an artist with a rabid cult following. But fans came out of the woodwork to protest when word leaked that Dr. Dre's right-hand-man Mike Elizando had been hired to rework *Extraordinary Machine * especially after the disc itself, or the unmastered Brion album, was leaked online. Whether Epic, concerned about the commercial potential of *EM *, forced Apple's hand, is irrelevant. To judge from Apple's continued friendship with Brion the DualDisc *EM* includes Apple playfully performing a live acoustic set with him the ensuing demands for the release of *EM* didn't damage the Apple/Brion bond. And, on October 4, a "new" *EM*, sounding very much like the old, hit the streets. To be sure, Apple and Phair are very different artists. Apple rode the post-Tori Women-in-Rock boom of the Lilith Fair '90s to the top of the charts with the help of a video that showed more than just a little leg. Arguments about whether her angst-ridden confessions from the piano were just Tori-lite, and about whether this waifish, Kate Mossthin teen was a positive role model for young women abounded. Phair, on the other hand, was one of the great underground triumphs of the alternative '90s: her 1993 debut *Exile In Guyville *was at once an indictment of a male-centric Chicago indie scene and a song-by-song answer to the Stones's *Exile on Main St.*, though you wouldn't have known it if she hadn't told you. Rather than moving millions of units, it turned Phair into an overnight indie heroine: she injected some much-needed sex and a heavy dose of female attitude into indieville with songs like "Fuck and Run" and became a critic's darling. Her lyrics may have opened the door for artists like Alanis Morissette to sing about blow jobs and bitterness. Nobody questioned Phair's integrity; everyone seemed to wonder about Apple's. The songs were almost beside the point. Ten years after *Guyville*, having released a couple of decent albums in the interim, Phair pissed off her old fans by reinventing herself as Top 40 fodder on the slicked-up *Liz Phair*, an album that included gasp! material co-written with the song-doctoring Matrix. And, as Phair made the mainstream rounds to chat with everyone from the gals on *The View *to Leno and Letterman, every interviewer even the *Today Show *crew remembered to use words like "indie" and "mainstream." The comedy of errors reached its zenith when Bob Costas, of all people, called Phair out for "abandoning" her "indie roots." The EPK DVD that came along with advances of *Somebody's Miracle *has an amusing montage of these media encounters. The underlying message is obvious: anyone who ascribes to "Liz Phair abandoned her indie roots on *Liz Phair*" is no better than Bob Costas and probably has no business writing music criticism. When I interviewed Phair back in August, she was more politic. *Liz Phair*, she contends,* *was an experiment an opportunity for her to rub shoulders with pop stars and get a feel for that side of the biz just another step in her evolution as an artist. "I'm not the Liz Phair of *Guyville *anymore," she explained. "I don't want to disown that album; it was great. But I was in a totally different place when I wrote those songs. And I'm not the kind of person who's happy staying in one place. I need to explore." As unlikely as it may seem, "explore" is a better fit for Apple's new album than Phair's, which sounds like a retrenchment for a singer-songwriter who simply wants to be accepted for who she is a strong, smart, talented artist with a penchant for straightforward guitar pop endowed with catchy choruses, a quirky hook or two, and confessional lyrics drawn from introspection and experience. When, in the opening track, she sings "I saw John/He looked so sad/I want you to know that I feel bad/For not making our dream come true/We had so many dreams me and you," you know there's a John out there somewhere. As in so many of Phair's best songs, a driving backbeat, ringing guitars, and a sunny vocal melody set up a dark punch line in "Leap of Innocence" "I had so many friends in rehab/A couple who practically died" is one line that interrupts the good, clean vibe of a song that might otherwise be too sentimental. That, in a nutshell, is *Somebody's Miracle*. It's not the return to *Guyville* some may have hoped for. But Phair's a single mom living in California, not a struggling Chicago songwriter. "We all shine, shine, shine" may not sound right coming from the same woman who wrote "Fuck and Run," but there's a dark side to "Stars and Planets." Yeah, there probably isn't a song here that the producers of *The O.C. *or *Veronica Mars* wouldn't kill for. Strip away the production, though, and there are more than a couple of tracks "Got My Own Thing" and the Stonesy "Why I Lie" that would be right at home in *Guyville*. *The O.C.*'s not going have much luck with Fiona Apple. She's matured into something resembling a jazz singer. Her voice has deepened and the adventurous arrangements on *Extraordinary Machine *make the most of her growing vocal talents. The disc opens with spare orchestral backing (no drums or guitar, just pizzicato strings and a bell that rings from time to time) that leaves lots of room for that voice to roam. Drums and piano finally kick in on track two, without a trace of the hip-hop Elizando might have brought to the proceedings. There are electronic drums on "Tymps," but mostly Elizando has streamlined the arrangements in a way that accentuates Apple's quirks. If Epic thought he'd pry a more commercial album out of her, they were mistaken. But, then, that's what Apple shares with Phair an urge to explore, and the confidence to make the kind of music she wants to make regardless of the implications, commercial or otherwise. They're both exiles of a sort, one cursed with having to live up to *Guyville*, another doing her best to live down the success of *Tidal*. *Liz Phair + Matt Pond PA | Avalon, 15 Lansdowne St, Boston | October 14 | 617.228.6000 | Fiona Apple | Orpheum Theatre, 1 Hamilton Pl, Boston | December 7 | on sale Saturday at 10 am | 617.931.2000.* *Issue Date: October 14 - 20, 2005* Photo captions: GOODWILL HUNTING Much of Phair's *Somebody's Miracle* could have stepped right out of *Guyville*. JUST ENOUGH LEG In the beginning, nobody questioned Phair's integrity, but everyone wondered about Apple's. [ http://www.bostonphoenix.com/boston/music/top/documents/05023524.asp ] [ http://www.providencephoenix.com/music/other_stories/documents/05024365.asp] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Remember, I'm pulling for you. We're all in this together." - Red Green ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 10 Oct 2005 14:47:12 -0500 From: "kimberly ann" Subject: [support-system] Help a desperate liz fan, mix cd Hey guys, I used to have the best liz mix cd. it was a collection of a bunch of unreleased material and it was just amazing. unfortunately, i literally played the thing out. i was wondering if anyone could help me out. if someone could either re-burn the cd for me, i'd be willing to pay you. or if someone would e-mail me mp3s of some of the songs i would really appreciate it. i also added a couple of new things to the list, since i was being wistful anyways. just hoping someone could be generous. thanks kim here's the list: 1 comeandgetit ep 2 carnivore 3 carnivore (Raw) 4 bars of the bed 5 animal girl 6 greased lightning 7 dont apologize 8 winter wonderland 9 you have no idea 10 Oh My God (0:59) 11 Hurricane (2:33) 12 Russian Girl (1:57) 13 Tell Me You Like Me (2:35) 14 I'm Like That (1:18) 15 Waiting For The Bird 16 bloodkeeper 17 you have no idea 18 saturn (stevie wonder) 19 mother's little helper ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 17 Oct 2005 22:59:23 -0400 From: Jase Subject: [support-system] Bounced message Date: Fri, 14 Oct 2005 10:14:14 -0700 (PDT) From: Tim Bombick Subject: 9:30 club To: owner-support-system-digest@smoe.org : : : X-Spam-Status: No, hits=0.0 required=5.0 tests=none autolearn=no version=2.63 X-Spam-Level: X-Virus-Scanned: ClamAV 0.86.1/1134/Fri Oct 14 04:07:44 2005 on smoe.org X-Virus-Status: Clean X-Greylist: Delayed for 00:06:41 by milter-greylist-2.0 (smoe.org [199.201.145.78]); Fri, 14 Oct 2005 13:21:02 -0400 (EDT) Sorry, Im a couple days late, had internet access issues. Here are my fresh-from-the-show impressions: Just got back to the hotel after the 9:30 club show, and it was better than could be expected. I was fortunate enough to have scored passes to the pre-show "lounge" hosted by the local mix station (which, to my knowledge, has yet to play Liz's new single). The pre-show itself was unimpressive, except that I got to meet Liz, both outside the venue,, and during the meet-and-greet portion. She played exactly what you would expect: Extraordinary, Everything to Me, and Why Can't I?, and she was subjected to the typical barrage of asinine "questions from the audience." I did, however, when posing with her for a picture, get in a request for Jeremy Engle, to which she was surprisingly receptive The opening act, Matt(hew?) Ponds PA, was quite good. Enough said. Liz came out in her short denim skirt with a brown top of some sort, and a sweat jacket (it was chilly). After an acoustic "Fine Again," to open the show, she announced that she was going to play a song that was requested of her earlier in the day. Oh shit, it can't be. Yep, Jeremy Fucking Engle, at my request. I nearly had a heart attack. It was simple and stripped down, with virtually no participation from Dino, but lilting and beautiful. Good way to start the night. Next were Soap Star Joe, a little banter about ghosts, and Baby Got Going closed out the acoustic opening segment of the set.. I was pleasantly surprised hen she trotted out the "drummer's choice" (it seems that it was his last night on the tour), Stars and Planets. While not my favorite from the new album, it definitely translates well live, and started to get people moving. Then Rock Me. Fuck. I knew it was coming, but was trying to purge it from my mind. But I was very pleasantly surprised. The crowd was very into it, as was Liz. She slunk around provocatively, and at the end of the song, finally remover the sweat jacket. Next was the new song Lazy Dreamer, which is one of my new favorites. Very powerful, and very well performed. And then the show really took off. 6'1" was monstrous. She had found the groove. The light show exploded, and Liz seemed at home. Cinco de Mayo was followed by Polyester Bride, and now the crowd was virtually in a frenzy, very loudly singing along. Then Mesmerizing, which had a feel very different than we had experienced on the acoustic tour. So loud and so fierce, and I was almost shell-shocked, and somehow Extraordinary was the perfect next song. Again, loud and strong. And then Divorce Song. It started off soft and easy, and slowly wove itself into panicked mayhem, slipped soft again, then exploded. Then a sweet Liz-and-Dino acoustic Everything to Me. Nice, but it sorta sucked a bit of the energy. She responded with what I guess was supposed to pick the crowd back up, HWC, but it fell flat. Bionic Eyes was next, and, while I thought it was smoking, it fell on somewhat deaf ears. Back on track: Fuck and Run closed the show, and reignited everyone. Obviously an encore was forthcoming. I think everyone saw the "new" version of Flower coming (so to speak) as the Pink-Floyd-esque churnings began to flow from the band, eventually joined by the blow job queen herself (anyone else wish she'd shelf this one for a while?). Glory was a beautiful surprise, then the none-to-surprising Why Can't I. To end the encore, she finally revisited her second album with a monstrous Supernova, which seems to be par for the course thus far this tour. It was great to meet new folks, and great to see some I haven't seen in a while. Dave, Gary, Lindsey, hope to see you soon. Take care, Tim ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 17 Oct 2005 23:55:56 -0500 From: Tyler Coates Subject: [support-system] Stevie Wonder cover Does anyone have an MP3 of the Stevie Wonder cover or know where I can find one? Thanks Tyler. - -- John Tyler Coates coatesjt@gmail.com ------------------------------ End of support-system-digest V8 #139 ************************************