Advertisement Like a smack in the face, it was 1993 all over again. One of the best albums in recent memory is coming back with a 15-year reissue, complete with a DVD on the making of Liz Phair’s “Exile in Guyville.”
This low-budget, indie-rock gem is getting its reissue long before I was prepared for it to be considered old, since it remains as current as anything out there now.
The concept was billed as a track-for-track response to the Rolling Stones’ “Exile on Main Street,” but never mind that. If you’ve ever been in a relationship — or screwed one up — you’ll appreciate Phair’s raw, salty take on love, lust and moving on.
The best tracks? “Flower,” “Soap Star Joe,” “Divorce Song.” You’ve never been a waste of my time, indeed.
-Keith O’Donnell, La Crosse Tribune
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Steel drums, cowbell and keyboard riffs. Sure, that could be the makeup for a great SNL skit, but instead it’s actually just some of the unique sounds that are used in the debut album from Does It Offend You, Yeah?
For $8 from iTunes or Amazon, you can’t go wrong with the 10 catchy and crazy tracks. If you don’t want to shell out a whole $8, you can get the single “We are Rockstars” as part of Nine Inch Nails tour sampler, which is free to download from NIN.com.
Somehow their music manages to be both familiar and new at the same time. Certain songs have shades of ’80s rock to them, while others might as well be played on 95.7 The Rock.
Overall, the album — You Have No Idea What You Are Getting Yourself Into — lives up to its title. Describing this album to a friend, I’d have to use the words fun, fresh and different.
-Curt Trnka, La Crosse Tribune
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Ever wondered what your weight might translate into in terms of, say, domestic cats? Wonder no longer — just go on the Web to SensibleUnits, www.sensibleunits.com.
The site converts distances and weights into objects. You load 16 tons and what do you get? Three male African elephants or 22 cows ... or 1.2 Big Ben clock towers.
I learned I weigh 13 average domestic cats. A baker’s dozen of felines — I obviously need to work on that diet.
-Betsy Bloom, La Crosse Tribune
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Looking for a T-shirt that says “Holy crap I’m a geek” and don’t know where to turn? Try Diamondhawk.
At their site — www.diamondhawkgraphics.com — you can pick out all sorts of nerdy, cool, geeky, hot, funny, awesome and crazy shirts. Most shirts are $20, and they also have some posters for sale.
