Frank Kogan

Is it the music that leaves you wanting more, or the words?

It's basically the words in conjunction with how smoothly the tune goes down. "Better Off" might be its opposite (in my mind, the way I hear 'em), because its breeziness almost completely belies the ambivalence that makes me listen more intently (even now that I know it very well from repeat listens). I suppose as part of an arc it's about as necessary (and, now that I think about it, serves a somewhat similar purpose as) "In Another Life" on the second album, which is similarly wanting in the lyrics department. Although the "pieces of me" is a much more striking metaphor than "another life," which just reminds me of the worst worst worst X-Files episode (non-Mulder/Scully seasons excluded) ever ("The Field Where I Died").

"PoM" is important at track two, which is also the only place to put it and the album would suffer without it for several reasons, not least because, like you said, it's the one track I associate with major airplay and her actual popularity (as opposed to the weird nether-realm of pseudo-popularity she seems stuck in now...saw a lovely post-op summer pic in some magazine and there was zero recognition). Funny that those particular Mon/Tues/Wed lyrics, when you write them out like that, are much more anxious than they sound -- but for some reason the ticking off of those days on the album itself is too clean, too "calendar montage," it's SO pleasant that the anxiety can't quite overcome the serenity. You even get the real-life unhappy ending(s) in the album -- even when you know the real-world chronology, "Surrender" is an important late track that seems to uproot with a kind of righteous anger a lot of what's come before ("I may be sweet but I'm still on the vine/ You couldn't wait, no you had to take your bite"...makes you wonder what the hell was happening before this experience), and "Undiscovered" is elegaic -- "don't walk away" is a pretty brutal way to end an album in my book, since its how I'd probably end my autobiography, too. (And between them is "Nothing New," bitter and jaded -- maybe the most telling precursor to I Am Me? Never thought about it that way before, anyway. And then "Giving It All Away," which is more interesting/weirdly pessimistic the more I think about the incongruity of that final verse with the first trite verse).

Reading Marooned (the Stranded sequel) now and I'm thinking Autobiography might be my desert island album at this point, in part because of the myriad ways I can listen to it. When I want to think, I can think, when I want to "shut off my brain" and go for a walk (or turn it back on and go for a walk) I can do that, too. And there's so much promise in it.

Will stew s'more about yer classes, which seem like a productive spot to be putting my brain energies (hm, parties and magnets both excellent metaphors, actually, not sure why I'm still being so resistant since I've been following the column itself just fine!). Return of the slight musings on 'slebs-as-class coming up this or next month (expanded on "mini-bling"), basically arguing that the result of knee-jerk class-y reactions even within pop have led to more modest signifiers of wealth in music (my examples are somewhat lacking but the idea is interesting, and Hilary and P!nk are good for a full column on this topic, anyway), to sort of mirror the weirdly apocalyptic vibe happening at the industry level these days.