A thousand fucking times yes. This is the first thing that came to mind. To go from, say,
this and
this, to
this and
this, in what is pretty obviously a straight up cynical cash grab, just really makes me sad. I mean that. Like literally upset. I know that's stupid, and it doesn't diminish those early records, and if the artist is happy then who cares, and whatever, but damn...
Those early recordings, Exile In Guyville and the Girlysound tapes really, still shine for me as some of most unique and generally fantastic work in 90s indie. So raw and personal and eloquent and just... I love them so much. And then the records drop off pretty quickly as she goes for the more commercial sound, and then you get to the fucking s/t record, and it is just truly awful soulless music. That fall outstrips the worst falls in musical history for me. Even on the shittiest records by like Dylan or Elvis Costello or Van Morrison or whatever songwriter with rough patches you can think of (and there are some TERRIBLE records there), there's at least this sense that they're trying, or if not, then at least it's personal to them, or was where their interests were, or just SOMETHING. But those last two Phair records, I can't even bear to listen to. It just seems like she has 100% submerged everything true about her in this purely boring, cookie cutter bland pop shit, and I really can't do it.
Ah well, off to listen to the Girlysound tapes, and none of that will matter.