Funstyle is the sixth album by Liz Phair, independently released on her official website on July 3, 2010. A CD version was released on October 19, 2010 on Rocket Science Records. It includes a bonus disc containing ten songs from her Girly-Sound tapes.[1]
| Funstyle | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | July 3, 2010 | |||
| Recorded | 2008–2010 | |||
| Studio |
| |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 40:26 | |||
| Label | Rocket Science Records | |||
| Producer |
| |||
| Liz Phair chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Funstyle | ||||
| ||||
| Digital edition cover | ||||
_(official_digital_album_cover).jpg) | ||||
Background
editFunstyle was Phair's first album after leaving Capitol Records. Phair posted the following message on her website:
You were never supposed to hear these songs. These songs lost me my management, my record deal and a lot of nights of sleep.
Yes, I rapped one of them. I'm as surprised as you are. But here is the thing you need to know about these songs and the ones coming next: These are all me. Love them, or hate them, but don't mistake them for anything other than an entirely personal, un-tethered-from-the-machine, free for all view of the world, refracted through my own crazy lens.
This is my journey. I'll keep sending you postcards.
The lyrics that appear on Phair's arm on the album cover are partial lyrics to the songs "Satisfied", "Bang! Bang!", "Miss September", and "Bollywood".
A music video was made for "And He Slayed Her", and premiered on May 21, 2012.[2]
Reception
edit| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 51/100[3] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [4] |
| American Songwriter | [5] |
| The Austin Chronicle | [6] |
| The A.V. Club | D+[7] |
| Beats Per Minute | 41%[8] |
| Consequence of Sound | D[9] |
| Pitchfork | 2.6/10[10] |
| PopMatters | 7/10[11] |
| Slant | [12] |
| Tiny Mix Tapes |   [13] |
On the review aggregator website Metacritic, Funstyle has a score of 51 out of 100, which indicates "mixed or average reviews".[3] Though the album's reviews were not generally positive, it was better-received than her self-titled 2003 release.[14]
Some reviews of the album were complimentary. AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine awarded the album 3 and a half out of 5 stars, remarking "it’s actually terribly refreshing to hear Phair so loose," and stating the album shows that Liz Phair "is on her way to once again being a compelling artist unafraid to take risks."[4] Likewise, a review by Tiny Mix Tapes praised the album and stated: "she has crafted above all else an experience, and one that is entertaining and rewarding in ways that few records can be."[13]
Other reviewers were far more critical of the album, however. Pitchfork awarded the album 2.6 out of 10, called it "baffling," and stated that the album was ultimately "a shrewd way to lower expectations".[10] Notably, however, Pitchfork gave Funstyle a higher rating than either of Liz Phair's preceding two albums.[15][16] The A.V. Club's Michaelangelo Matos was equally negative, stating that the tongue-in-cheek songs "aren't especially listenable" and "the seven straighter songs those experiments surround have just as little to recommend them."[7]
Track listing
edit- Funstyle (CD version)
All tracks are written by Liz Phair, except where noted
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Smoke" | 3:14 |
| 2. | "Bollywood" | 2:42 |
| 3. | "You Should Know Me" | 2:54 |
| 4. | "Miss September" | 4:24 |
| 5. | "My My" (Phair, Kevin Griffin) | 3:32 |
| 6. | "Oh, Bangladesh" | 4:39 |
| 7. | "Bang! Bang!" | 3:44 |
| 8. | "Beat Is Up" | 3:19 |
| 9. | "And He Slayed Her" | 3:35 |
| 10. | "Satisfied" (Phair, Doc Dauer, Evan Frankfort) | 3:31 |
| 11. | "U Hate It" | 4:58 |
| Total length: | 40:32 | |
- Funstyle (digital download version)
All tracks are written by Liz Phair, except where noted
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Smoke" | 3:14 |
| 2. | "Bollywood" | 2:42 |
| 3. | "You Should Know Me" | 2:54 |
| 4. | "Satisfied" (Phair, Doc Dauer, Evan Frankfort) | 4:24 |
| 5. | "My My" (Phair, Kevin Griffin) | 3:32 |
| 6. | "Oh, Bangladesh" | 4:39 |
| 7. | "Bang! Bang!" | 3:44 |
| 8. | "Beat Is Up" | 3:19 |
| 9. | "And He Slayed Her" | 3:35 |
| 10. | "Miss September" | 3:31 |
| 11. | "U Hate It" | 4:58 |
| Total length: | 40:32 | |
- Girlysound
All tracks are written by Liz Phair, except where noted
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Miss Mary Mack" | 4:30 |
| 2. | "White Babies" | 3:03 |
| 3. | "Elvis Song" | 4:55 |
| 4. | "Valentine" | 4:14 |
| 5. | "Speed Racer" | 1:41 |
| 6. | "In Love With Yourself" | 3:56 |
| 7. | "Wild Thing" (Phair, The Troggs) | 3:40 |
| 8. | "Love Song" | 6:19 |
| 9. | "Don't Hold Yr Breath" | 3:58 |
| 10. | "California" | 2:41 |
| Total length: | 38:57 | |
Personnel
edit- Liz Phair – vocals, guitars, bass guitar, keyboards
- Dave Matthews – guitar[17]
References
edit- ^ "Liz Phair : Funstyle (2CD)". newburycomics.com. Archived from the original on 2010-12-07. Retrieved 2010-10-04.
- ^ "EXCLUSIVE Premiere Of Liz Phair's New Music Video For And He Slayed Her!". PerezHilton.com. 2012-05-21. Retrieved 2012-09-15.
- ^ a b "Funstyle Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More". Metacritic. December 22, 2010. Retrieved September 15, 2012.
- ^ a b "Liz Phair Funstyle review". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
- ^ Popkin, Mat (3 July 2010). "Liz Phair: Funstyle". American Songwriter. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
- ^ "Review: Liz Phair – Music". The Austin Chronicle. March 18, 2011. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
- ^ a b Matos, Michaelangelo (July 13, 2010). "Liz Phair: Funstyle". The A.V. Club. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
- ^ Irby, Theron (27 August 2010). "ALBUM REVIEW: LIZ PHAIR – FUNSTYLE". Beats Per Minute. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
- ^ Halle, Karina (29 September 2023). "Album Review: Liz Phair – Funstyle/Girlysound". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
- ^ a b "Liz Phair: Funstyle | Album Reviews". Pitchfork. July 8, 2010. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
- ^ Chiola, Enio (November 8, 2010). "Liz Phair: Funstyle". Popmatters. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
- ^ "Liz Phair: Funstyle | Music Review". Slant Magazine. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
- ^ a b Dorof, Jakob. "Liz Phair – Funstyle | Music Review". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
- ^ ""Liz Phair" by Liz Phair". Metacritic. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
- ^ Phillips, Amy. "Liz Phair: Somebody's Miracle Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
- ^ LeMay, Matt. "Liz Phair: Liz Phair Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
- ^ "Mesmerizing – Liz Phair Interview". Mesmerizingtoo.com. 2010-07-10. Retrieved 2010-10-04.
