If someone brings up Lisa Loeb, you will likely bring up her 1994 smash “Stay (I Missed You).” She seemingly came out of nowhere, with no record label to her name, to have a hit song off of the Reality Bites soundtrack. Many probably don’t know that Loeb had been working tirelessly to craft her skills in the industry and shape a sound all her own. In a time period of rising female singer/songwriters like Ani Difranco and Sarah McLachlan, Lisa wanted to stand out.
“I didn’t want to be too reactive after the success of ‘Stay,’ but I also didn’t just want to be pushed into the ‘acoustic’ corner. I didn’t want to be seen as a folk artist at all. My music sounded like a band and I felt like the lead singer of my band; just like some of my favorite male music artists like David Bowie or Elvis Costello. However, during that period, if a female artist went by just her name, most people assumed you were a folk artist. That’s why I wanted to make sure my band name was included on everything and why I wanted to be seen and heard playing guitar. I realized early on that if you want people to know something about you, you have to show them.”
While promoting her single “Stay,” she would join Juan Patino in the studio to record new songs along with staples from her Liz and Lisa and Purple Tape days. What came out of the process would be a joyous blend of pensive indie-rock and a sweetness that only Loeb can provide. It’s a subtle sweetness, never overpowering but welcoming.
First, let’s discuss the re-recordings of older songs in Loeb’s catalog. The album opens on the slightly more folk driven “It’s Over.” Loeb takes you through the depths of turmoil and emotional destruction that have welled up through the end of a relationship. What she’s afraid of is him rising her to some impossible level, “Too many things held precious/ Too many things held dear;/ That’s what I hate/ And that’s what I fear.”
The duality of wanting to keep the relationship alive yet just barely holding on to the foundation can be heard in the lines, “From the outside/ To the inside/ I couldn’t tell you how it really was/ There has to be more on one hand/ Keep your head above water on the other, the other.” The final lines point to the death of this relationship, setting her free. Compared to the acoustic Purple Tape demo, adding electric guitars helped cut the singer/songwriter sound of the prior version.
A fantastic evolution comes from “Snow Day.” She opts for a more finger-style guitar intro that completely evokes the falling of snow. The electric guitars add brightness and warmth to the song. Lisa dives into the themes of loneliness and depression on the track. She continually calls back to someone being her medicine to this solemn mood. The depths of this sadness are fully displayed in the lines, “It’s a sinking feeling/ Pulls me through the seat of chairs/ When will you come rescue me/ Find solace, and then take me there?” There is an interesting juxtaposition of the upbeat sound of the music against the soft sadness of her lines. Because of this, the song feels like a mantra to keep moving forward as some days it's just “It’s a long ride.”
“Do You Sleep?” keeps the absolutely beautiful fade in guitar loop at the song's beginning. It maintains this dream-like feeling as you open up into this indie rock-driven world. The themes of love lost continue through Loeb’s questioning of how he’s managing since she’s gone, “Do you eat sleep do you breathe me anymore?/ Do you sleep do you count sheep anymore?/ Do you sleep anymore?/ Do you take plight on my tongue like lead?/ Do you fall gracefully into bed anymore?” Lisa is at her breaking point. She’s more than ready to cut ties and end this with this closed-off man. The song ends how it opens, now fading out on the loop. It’s like waking from this dream.
One of the best transformations is on “Hurricane.” The song absolutely blooms through the orchestral string section. She takes a more poetic license at the tale of a wolf in sheep’s clothing. This woman that appears to be a safe place will only destroy you in the end. By the song’s bridge, we go from warnings of this woman to meeting her, “‘I’ve compassion for strangers/ An affinity for danger/ Won’t you be my sacrifice?’/ ‘I’m a lightheaded wonder,’ She said.” Loeb sees through this. The song ends on this sort of crumbling mix of guitars that seem to mirror the passing of this hurricane of a woman.
One of the oldest tracks to make the album is “Garden of Delights,” which can be traced back to her Liz and Lisa days. We continue the themes of love in friction. It appears despite their tense moments, she still gets the butterflies around him, “You see my face/ You hate my words/ I hate you too/ You see my heart/ It likes the feeling/ That it gets when I’m with you.” She even alludes to a sense of martyrdom with a comparison to Jesus. In the end, even though they clash, she still sees a paradise here with him. From: https://medium.com/the-riff/tails-by-lisa-loeb-album-review-d07c3318acd5
