Funstyle

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Funstyle
Funstylecd.jpg
Studio album by
Liz Phair
ReleasedJuly 3, 2010 (Digital)
October 19, 2010 (Physical)
Recorded2008-2010
Studio
Genre
Length40:26
LabelRocket Science Records
Producer
Liz Phair chronology
Somebody's Miracle
(2005) 		Funstyle
(2010) 		Soberish
(2021)
Singles from Funstyle
  1. "Bollywood"
    Released: July 3, 2010
  2. "And He Slayed Her"
    Released: May 21, 2012
Digital edition cover
Liz Phair - Funstyle (2010) (official digital album cover).jpg

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 peaked at #181 on the Billboard 200, Phair's lowest-charting album since her debut Exile in Guyville (1993).

Background[]

Funstyle 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[]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic51/100[3]
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic3.5/5 stars[4]
The Austin Chronicle2/5 stars[5]
The A.V. ClubD+[6]
Los Angeles TimesFavorable[7]
Pitchfork2.6/10[8]
Pop DoseFavorable[9]
PopMatters7/10[10]
SalonFavorable[11]
Slant2.5/5 stars[12]
Tiny Mix Tapes4/5 marks[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."[8] 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."[6]

Track listing[]

Funstyle (CD version)

All tracks are written by Liz Phair, except where noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)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 Griffin3:32
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 Frankfort3:31
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.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Smoke" 3:14
2."Bollywood" 2:42
3."You Should Know Me" 2:54
4."Satisfied"Phair, Doc Dauer, Evan Frankfort4:24
5."My My"Phair, Kevin Griffin3:32
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.TitleWriter(s)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 Troggs3:40
8."Love Song" 6:19
9."Don't Hold Yr Breath" 3:58
10."California" 2:41
Total length:38:57

Personnel[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Liz Phair : Funstyle (2CD)". newburycomics.com. Archived from the original on 2010-12-07. Retrieved 2010-10-04.
  2. ^ "EXCLUSIVE Premiere Of Liz Phair's New Music Video For And He Slayed Her!". PerezHilton.com. 2012-05-21. Retrieved 2012-09-15.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b "Funstyle Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More". Metacritic. 2010-12-22. Retrieved 2012-09-15.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b "Liz Phair Funstyle review". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
  5. ^ "Review: Liz Phair - Music". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 2012-09-21.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b Matos, Michaelangelo (2010-07-13). "Liz Phair: Funstyle | Music | MusicalWork Review". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 2012-09-21.
  7. ^ "Liz Phair's 'Funstyle': Interesting, even to hate - latimes.com". Latimesblogs.latimes.com. 2010-07-06. Retrieved 2012-09-21.
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b "Liz Phair: Funstyle | Album Reviews". Pitchfork. 2010-07-08. Retrieved 2012-09-21.
  9. ^ "Liz Phair's "Funstyle": Great, When It's Not Shit". Popdose. 2010-07-07. Retrieved 2012-09-21.
  10. ^ Chiola, Enio (2010-11-08). "Liz Phair: Funstyle < PopMatters". Popmatters.com. Retrieved 2012-09-21.
  11. ^ Berman, Judy (2010-07-07). "Liz Phair's hilarious novelty album". Salon.com. Retrieved 2012-09-21.
  12. ^ "Liz Phair: Funstyle | Music Review". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 2012-09-21.
  13. ^ Jump up to: a b Dorof, Jakob. "Liz Phair - Funstyle | Music Review". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved 2012-09-21.
  14. ^ ""Liz Phair" by Liz Phair". MetaCritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
  15. ^ "Liz Phair: Somebody's Miracle Album Review - Pitchfork". pitchfork.com. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
  16. ^ "Liz Phair: Liz Phair Album Review - Pitchfork". pitchfork.com. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
  17. ^ "Mesmerizing – Liz Phair Interview". Mesmerizingtoo.com. 2010-07-10. Retrieved 2010-10-04.

External links[]

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