Exile in Guyville

I've heard good things about this from critics and music nerds. It's not very interesting sonically, just being a light guitar rock album with fairly pleasant vocals and not a whole lot of sonic bite. The lyrics are an attempt to portray an honest portrait of the female experiences with love and relationships. However, though this raw, honest statement may have been revolutionary at the time, it no longer feels so today, and all we're left with is a light, pleasant alt-rock album.

Definitely some enjoyable songs on this album, but even more just plain mid songs that didn't do anything for me. My biggest gripe is that a lot of the melodies are weak and uncompelling. A bit more refinement and fleshing out of the songs would have gone a long way to elevate things. Way she goes.

A bit long for my taste but it wasn’t terrible.

'& all the bridges blown away keep floating up.' Most people don't - can't - do attitude this well & this comfortably, but Liz Phair is a wholesome genius of the pop persuasion, & Exile In Guyville is a miracle of a record. It's very tempting to compare Phair to PJ Harvey, but comparing woman to woman can be not all that nuanced a business, & their styles are actually different enuf for the comp to be empty. More like an amalgam of Lucinda Williams & Malkmus, Phair is wise but not too wise, sensitive but not too sensitive, a punk hero, pop master, rock realist, & a conclusive vocalist. 'Explain It To Me' is simply extraordinary, one of those tracks you hear for the first time & know it'll be one for the books. Yet so much here is extraordinary. I love it.

mid

3.75 🤘🤘

Fali nešto. Više života. Više energije. Više bijesa. Ovako ispada veoma bljutavo što definitivno nije željeni utisak. I predugo traje.

Kind of all over the place but I enjoyed it

Fairly average singer-songwriting with an irritating voice delivering it. No thanks.

Jamais écouté avant.

Top : Never Said
Flop : Girls! Girls! Girls!

This felt somewhat bland but ok or good at the same time. 6/10?

ughhh the audacity of this

Pitchfork loves to drool over this one. It's fine and all, not really more than that. Like an album of the weaker Hole songs. Some interesting stuff on here, but it's all very par for the course for 90's Alternative music. I do like her voice, I like some of the instrumentation on here, but I don't really get grabbed by the lyrics and the whole thing just doesn't do that much for me.

The Good: Guyville getting a little estrogen!
The Bad: That the lady feels like she's exiled...
The Ugly: Fucking deportation from Guyville...

What?

Liz Phair... I'd heard of her back in the day... I'd not listened to her.
Now I have. I liked it.

Loads of strong lyrics that show a woman can be sexual too... then you read what she says in interviews, and that this is not her being all sexual, and all of a sudden the boobies on the album cover just don't feel the same... what?

Anyway, did enjoy the album... so good on Liz!

4*

I've listened to this album a few times before. I recall enjoying it, but this is a good way to refresh my memory on it.

I like this album, but I think I would love it if the vocals were a little more refined. It's a bit too sloppy and pitchy in a lot of places.

It sure hits the indie grunge/feminist alt scene perfectly.

At first, it's rawness seems like a downside and then it starts to rather show its strength. Almost has a early folk punk vibe

1.56

Maybe I am slighltly dissapointed here in myself as this was supposed to be groundbreaking debut album from a singer discussing feminist issues. The problem is - it is very bland, bording and just musically uniniteresting, not interesting enough to even focus on the lyrics so I am afraid no more than 2 stars.

Nice slice of angsty nineties energy

I know the name Liz Phair, but I don't think I had ever listened to her music before. It feels so very 90's, i thoroughly enjoyed it.