Search - Azita :: Life on the Fly

Life on the Fly
Azita
Life on the Fly
Genres: Alternative Rock, Folk, Pop, Rock
 
Azita continues dodging preconceptions about her music with her third solo album, Life on the Fly. While it's along the lines of Enantiodromia's subversive mix of jazz and vocal pop, this album is sharper, poppier, and str...  more »

     
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CD Details

All Artists: Azita
Title: Life on the Fly
Members Wishing: 0
Total Copies: 0
Label: Drag City
Release Date: 4/20/2004
Genres: Alternative Rock, Folk, Pop, Rock
Style: Singer-Songwriters
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPCs: 781484026426, 4005902625678

Synopsis

Album Description
Azita continues dodging preconceptions about her music with her third solo album, Life on the Fly. While it's along the lines of Enantiodromia's subversive mix of jazz and vocal pop, this album is sharper, poppier, and stranger, with more of a rock edge -- though it's still a far cry from the angular fury of the Scissor Girls. Life on the Fly is also a more holistic work than its predecessor, with its nine loose-limbed pieces feeling more like smaller parts of a larger work instead of self-contained tracks. Songs like the opener, "Wasn't in the Bargain," a depiction of the devil coming to collect on his deal, and the title track bounce along on black humor and electric pianos, creating a deceptively smooth foil for Azita's pointed vocals and lyrics. In some ways, she might be more formidable when she tries to sing prettily (or at least more conventionally) than she was with her previous band; like the music that surrounds her, she's rough and sophisticated at the same time, mixing intensity with stylishness and an aloofness that borders on the blase. On "Life on the Fly," Azita sounds like a renegade socialite getting ready to take the scene down from the inside, and her voice adds a gravity and strangeness to even the lightest songs on the album, such as the swinging ode to a Svengali, "Miss Tony." But even in its sassiest moments, there's something eerie about Life on the Fly, a feeling that grows as the album progresses. "Another Kind of Trade," a somber, sad, more than slightly vengeful breakup ballad, is one of the most complex songs on this collection of songs that take unexpected twists and turns. Life on the Fly closes with two songs that make up the album's yin and yang: "Antarctica," despite its rolling, seemingly easygoing pianos, has a gray, muted melody; "Yours for Today," meanwhile, is downright sunny, albeit off-kilter. Even if Azita has traded her more overtly confrontational style for one that is more subtle, she's! still challenging her audience. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide

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CD Reviews

Brilliant Pop Music
Dan Wallace | Chicago, IL United States | 11/24/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)

"Azita succeeds in two areas where most songwriters fail: (1) she is an honest writer who creates challenging, sincere, beautiful, catchy music that doesn't break boundaries so much as it ignores them; (2) she manages to take freely from the best elements of the history of popular music while remaining wholly original.



The first time I heard her (Chicago, 2004), she was playing electric piano as an opening act. I went because I wanted to hear this "unique" songwriter I'd occasionally read about, although I wasn't sure of what to make of her at the show. There was something intriguing about the music and her unique vocal character, but it was so different that I was a little perplexed. The song "Yours For Today" did grab me though, and I knew I wanted to give her more listens, so I bought the CD.



"Life On the Fly" is now one of my favorite albums. It's one of those go-to CD's I can put on when I don't know what I'm in the mood for. I always love it. Most of the songs here are great, but "Yours For Today" remains my favorite, with its beautiful, lilting harmonies that ooze all over its poignant and utterly original (yet oddly classic sounding) melodies.



Her voice and music might take getting used to, but once it sinks in you'll be singing along as if it were one of those famous Beatles albums people are always talking about. Who knows if Azita will seep directly into the mainstream, but advancements in art tend to come from the work of singularly visionary individuals, and Azita is certainly of that ilk. I hope she manages to at least influence the direction Pop music takes in the next few years.



I also recommend her equally brilliant debut pop album: Enantiodromia. (Note that she has a previous life as a highly experimental no-wave front-woman for bands that I have not heard but are acclaimed in certain circles, particularly in the Chicago area.)



"
Brillant
William R. Nicholas | Mahwah, NJ USA | 02/14/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is a wonderful album. Life on the Fly sounds like a modern version of Carol King's Tapestry, with a updated, hardened rock influenced.



Among the rock numbers and ballads, Azita also does some experiments, such as weaving her vocals in between the sparest of paino lines. All the songs are extremely well written, and never rely on stock chord changes.



The backing band are Chicago Elephant 6 musicians, and really understand the music they are playing: this music is as polished as any 70s Steely Dan Album, but does not sound dated or dirivative in the least. Life On The Fly is simply a fantastic pop/rock album for our era, where most musicans have forgotten the fundimentals of good music.



Azita does not have a good singing voice, but sings with complete understanding of this. The irony of her doing a singer/songwriter album with such a flat, limited vocal range actually adds to a lot of the numbers; There is a certian discomfort to these songs, the sense that life can go wrong at any minute, and the awkwardness of her voice really enhances this. "You wont' go dancing and you won't get laid," "Is mephesto having a party," and "I plan on doing nothing, with premeditation," she sings, letting us know she is in the same trash heap with the rest of us, and we all better watch ourselves.



And with music like this, I am glad to be here with her."