Puking And Crying

The second solo album by S -- the solo persona of former Carissa's Weird leader Jenn Champion -- has a title that reminds listeners of the riot grrrl era of female demystification, but while Puking and Crying has some unflinching lyrics about interpersonal relationships, it's much more sonically inviting than the average album by the likes of Bikini Kill or Huggy Bear. In fact, Puking and Crying sounds a lot like an Exile in Guyville for a new generation of indie girls, trading Liz Phair's lo-fi guitars (except on the abruptly-shortened solo opener "5 Dollars") for an equally homemade-sounding stew of electronics and tape manipulations and her sexually forthright lyrics for a more diffident, guarded persona. There's a similarly intimate, personal feel to this record, but songs like "The Coffin of Your True Love" and the haunting, spooky "I'm Fine...Bye Bye" are more musically akin to the electro-pop cut-ups of the Postal Service or Xiu Xiu.