Liz Phair

Funstyle (Rocket Science Ventures)

Chicago’s pottymouthed girl has come a long way since her Exile in Guyville, and she’s lost acolytes on the road. She may not find them falling into line with this formerly Web-only release and its gleefully helter-skelter barrage of bhangra, blues, and bile toward the music industry. The old Phair is still there: Scrape the overproduced garnish off “You Should Know Me,” and it’s as sweetly laden with Beatles love as any bite from her Whitechocolatespaceegg era. Slipping her vintage Girlysound recordings into the digipak may scream “fan service,” but truth is that 1998 disc was the last time she experimented this much. Hunted by cryptomusicologists with a zeal once reserved for Zimmerman’s Basement musings and the Pixies’ purple phase, this addition is alluring. (Sat., TBD, ACL Live at Moody Theater)

**

This article appears in March 18 • 2011.

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The Chronicle's first Culture Desk editor, Richard has reported on Austin's growing film production and appreciation scene for over a decade. A graduate of the universities of York, Stirling, and UT-Austin, a Rotten Tomatoes certified critic, and eight-time Best of Austin winner, he's currently at work on two books and a play.