THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, September 24, 1994 TAG: 9409230074
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E3 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Recored Reviews
LENGTH: Medium: 81 lines
Liz Phair, ``Whip-Smart'' (Matador/Atlantic). ``Chopsticks,'' the first song on this eagerly awaited follow-up to last year's ``Exile in Guyville,'' ends with Phair confessing, ``secretly I'm timid.''
Who knew? Her acclaimed debut had its moments of vulnerability, but the singer/songwriter didn't shy away from gleeful celebrations and bittersweet examinations of bedroom issues. A more complex, daring record would have been hard to imagine.
``Whip-Smart'' is a half-step away from being the classic ``Exile'' was. If she waxes explicit on ``Chopsticks'' and ``Super Nova,'' Phair also extends the boundaries of the emotional intimacies she charted so perfectly on ``Exile's'' ``Stratford-on-Guy.'' Rarely does a record as catchy as this reach such complex levels of expression.
On the title cut, Phair even outlines her hopes for a son and his future. If she raises a child half as wise, funny, tough, comforting and rocking, she'll have a lot of reasons to be proud.
- Rickey Wright
Sugar, ``File Under: Easy Listening'' (Rykodisc). Easier listening, sure, thanks to some especially nice hard-pop structures. But not necessarily more lightweight thinking.
While Bob Mould seems less troubled than on his power trio's previous CDs, ``File's'' exhilarating sound doesn't obscure a residual skepticism. ``Explode and Make Up'' charts the wreckage of bad relationships. ``Granny Cool'' sneers at burned-out hipsters, and Mould's ``Gee Angel'' and bassist David Barbe's ``Company Book'' peer at mortality within their Who-like frameworks. Even the radio-friendly ``Your Favorite Thing'' isn't the simple love song it appears to be.
The tensions make this Sugar's best album yet, and one of Mould's finest ever.
Mould's post-Husker Du, pre-Sugar solo work is somewhat cynically collated on ``Poison Years'' (Virgin). With only two studio albums to work with, the label that couldn't sell this stuff before Nirvana's ``Nevermind'' simply slapped together an uneven selection of cuts from ``Workbook'' and ``Black Sheets of Rain'' along with five live tracks.
Fans who haven't delved into such rich Huskers sets as ``Zen Arcade,'' ``New Day Rising'' and ``Candy Apple Grey'' should go there first.
- Rickey Wright
Dinosaur Jr, ``Without a Sound'' (Sire/Reprise). This blazing demonstration of J Mascis' prowess as guitarist and placidly lovelorn songwriter has been dissed for its supposed predictability. Don't believe it. Last year's ``Where You Been'' ultimately sounded a little labored, but ``Sound's'' stripped-down exercise in speaker-blowing angst makes you not worry so much about the speakers. Well, a little. You need 'em to hear this.
- Rickey Wright
Various artists, ``Phat Trax: The Best of Old School, Vols. 1-5'' (Rhino). ``Old school,'' as Rhino defines it, seems to take in anything that gets sampled a lot: Otis and Carla's ``Tramp,'' disco hits like Cheryl Lynn's ``Got to Be Real,'' even Laid Back's electro-pop crossover ``White Horse.'' These five CDs are uneven, but by concentrating on tracks long out-of-print, they do provide a real service for party-tape makers. Most welcome are Junior's galvanic sweet-soul classic ``Mama Used to Say'' and a rare 11-minute disco remix of Funkadelic's ``One Nation Under a Groove.'' If you never stopped playing ``Boogie Nights'' at your own throwdowns, this series is for you.
- Rickey Wright MEMO: To hear selections from this week's reviews, dial 640-5555. Punch in
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ILLUSTRATION: Photo by TODD V. WOLFSON
Sugar's ``File Under: Easy Listening'' is the band's best album
yet.
Photo by ATLANTIC RECORDS
Liz Phair's ``Whip-Smart'' is a half-step away from being the
classic ``Exile'' was.
by CNB