Bijou Phillips – I’d Rather Eat Glass

Bijou Phillips
Artist: Bijou Phillips
Title: I’d Rather Eat Glass
Label: Almo
Rating: 6/10

I know that every critic in the world is going to say Bijou’s first release, I’d Rather Eat Glass, is simple and trite. So the album isn’t as deep thinking as Bob Dylan or as heavily constructed as Radiohead. Who cares? Do we really have to be so serious all of the time? Bijou is as easy on the ears as she is on the eyes.

Bijou is the daughter of Papa John Phillips and has inherited some of the genes that made her father’s band, The Mamas and the Papas, legendary. Bijou starts off with “Hawaii”. The song doesn’t worry about being pretentious with lyrics like “he’s her big kahuna/ with plastic lei and all/ and she is still his cheesy little dancing hula doll” and “they watch the X-files Sundays at nine”. “Polite” follows up with a deeper vibe, but the chorus is as disturbing as it is fitting: “the silence of the evening the sweetest suicide”.

“Little Dipper” is the best song on the album. It gives me goosebumps every time I hear it. I’m not sure if it is her voice, the twinkling piano, or the portrait that Bijou effortlessly paints of childhood. The song’s structure is off and her voice swerves, but imperfection never sounded so good. “Stranded” has a touch of Blondie and “I Never Shot The President” comes in with blaring guitars and Bijou’s booming presence.

The album trails off a bit at the end, but not to exhaustion. Bijou never tries to make the listener believe that her songs are anything more than the concise pop that they really are. Her voice is as sweet as honey. I don’t care to argue about whether she is a great songwriter or whether she can sing as well as Mariah or Alanis. I’d Rather Eat Glass is honest, fun, and refreshing.

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