Asif Khan Inc.

It’s Not Me, It’s You – Lily Allen

Lily Allen is one pop princess who tries everything possible to break that stereotype of how a pop princess should be perceived. So instead of basking in self imposed glory of the aura of a star soaked in beauty, she goes ahead and calls herself ‘uglier than Winehouse’. She also manages to get into a drunken altercation with Elton John onstage while slurring expletives laced with copulating references. Yes, that’s what she is – thrashing her own public image in an attempt to flee from what she walks towards herself. A paradoxical cliché is probably what would sum up the situation in which she has embroiled herself. And though she may try with each such instance to distance herself from her supposed fear of fame and its accompanying accoutrements, she ends up receiving the exact opposite of what she wants. Which is all the more bizarre, because even though she acts the part of the tart, she ends up being this ‘un’-stylized priestess who possesses an elfin charm, which you might want to discipline, but can’t do so because of a high factor of adoration. Lily has a way with story telling, which was displayed well on her debut album ‘Alright, Still’ which was released to much critical (and controversial) acclaim in 2006. In much the same way, Lily has taken her narratives to another level on her second album ‘It’s Not Me, It’s You’, which is full of references which are sure to make a lot of people wag their head in contrite disapproval. For of course, not many people take very well to a precocious 23 year old telling tales of dealing in drugs, dysfunctional families and of being a hag sexpert. The lead single for the album ‘The Fear’ which was released last year has already generated quite a stir over the airwaves and the video has garnered heavy playback on most video channels as well, partly in reason due to minimal pop beat playing mid tempo which makes for easy listening, and mostly because of the manner in which she paints an abhorrent picture of a media crazed socialite. Sarcasm is Lily’s weapon, and she brandishes it with aplomb throughout the album on each successive lyrical composition, applying it to things of an everyday nature, creating the effect of an affinity which builds up in the listener in a very natural way. An empathetic feeling, which develops as she talks about how easy it is to adopt the shortcuts to fame (I’ll take my clothes off, and I will be shameless / ‘coz everyone knows that’s how you get famous), how stars need to be constantly under the greasepaint of glamour maintaining that shrink-wrapped image for eternity (But it doesn’t matter ‘coz I’m packed in plastic / and that’s what makes my life so fuckin’ fantastic) or just how people just can’t seem to get enough and the endless demand for scoop worthy incidents in her life (and I’m a weapon of massive consumption / and it’s not my fault, it’s how I’m programmed to function), ‘The Fear’ is a slap on the face of this behemoth bazaar of a never ending hunger for pop star antics. Images of growing up years figure on ‘Everyone’s at It’ where she deals with her drug addled years and the fact that this isn’t something which is meant to be shoved under the carpet rug in your drawing room, but ecstasy is something which still evades her as she talks on ‘Not Fair’ about a boyfriend who she does have a thing for when she looks at his eyes, but then he’s just not good at taking care of her needs (oh you’re supposed to care / but you never make me scream), a feeling which might find a resonant chord within the heads of a lot of girls. But it isn’t all so personal after all, because there is something in the name of social sensitivity as well, with politicians getting the boot on ‘Fuck You’, which is sung in such a caramelized tone, that it hardly looks sounds like what it says. Which is what makes it all the more lovable. Electropop, with roots lying within her rocksteady and ska origins define the sound her producer Kurstin (Bird and a Bee) developed, and it does make for aural pleasure which would go on for a good time, at least till her next, hopefully.