Liz Phair - Exile In Guyville
I was a little shocked by this when it came out; a ferocious, spikey talent spitting out songs about fucking, TV, boys and girls. It was so abrupt and yet also so ‘every day’. I’m always impressed by writers who can bring a language into their lyrics that we aren’t used to hearing. The album is having a conversation with you. It is a self-contained world that you can walk into. Outside of the lyrics, the sound of this record was an education to me. At the time, I was listening to the most lo-fi, scratchy recordings, but this was something different. It was bone dry and brittle but also very well recorded; it made me realise I didn't have to think black and white in those terms of fidelity. It’s a record that I often think about when recording myself and it has given me a distrust of reverbs and echoes.