Oh, Manchester, So Much To Answer For

Blame it on the NCAA Women's Final Four - and, more to the point, on ESPN's coverage of said event. Their commercials for the women's tourney this year prominently featured Liz Phair's "Extraordinary," and y'know what? This single is, apparently, the exception proving the rule about her eponymous '03 album (i.e., that it's way too slick and sucks). "Extraordinary" is slick, but feels more like a cousin to Exile in Guyville (or at least Whip-Smart) than to Avril fuckin' Lavigne; it's got that old Liz lyrical bite to it missing from so much of her current work. And the guitar crank sounds like so much mid-'90s alt.rock, in a good way. And those twin snare cracks heading into the chorus are ripped directly from "Smells Like Teen Spirit." The best compliment I can give "Extraordinary"? You can't tell it was produced by the Matrix. From me, that's rather high praise, trust.