by David Wilikofsky
Lily Konigsberg has had a prolific year. In January, her longtime band Palberta released their fifth album Palberta5000, a breakthrough moment for the group that interpolated the band’s trademark no wave skronk into a pop music framework. She quickly followed that up with a compilation of her solo work to date as well as a collaborative release with Nate Amos under the moniker My Idea. 2021 may almost be over, but Konigsberg isn’t done yet; she’ll close the year out by releasing her debut solo album, Lily We Need to Talk Now. It is yet another gem, a breakup album that finds the humor behind the tears.
The Best of Lily Konigsberg Right Now was less a focused statement than a display of Konigsberg’s breadth, a set of tracks compiled from her officially released EP as well as Bandcamp and Soundcloud pages. It was a bit of a sonic hodgepodge, and on the surface Lily We Need to Talk Now seems similar. “That’s The Way I Like It” or closer “True” could easily be unreleased Palberta tracks, full of spindly riffs and irrepressible energy. “Don’t Be Lazy With Me” has an aqueous, atmospheric instrumental that brings to mind some of Liz Phair’s early sonic experimentation; others like “Sweat Forever” or “Proud Home” are warped takes on mid aughts pop (the latter’s lyrics sounding like a cheeky homage to “Stacy’s Mom”). Yet despite the sonic eclecticism, everything holds together. Each short track buoyantly flows into the next; a few well placed instrumentals provide breathers between the high energy of the other tracks. It’s all perfectly balanced in a way its predecessor was not.
Konigsberg describes Lily We Need to Talk Now as a breakup album, and there’s certainly plenty of sadness and regret to be found. But more than anything, what stands out to me is Konigsberg’s sense of humor; as a writer she is able to find the funny in even the deepest despair. It comes through in the histrionics of “True” (“I cannot live without you / If you die I die too“), the slightly unhinged “Bad Boy” (“I’m out of my mind / But subtly fine“), and the blunt comebacks of “That’s the Way I Like It” (“Blame me for your sadness / What am I supposed to say? / Until you recognize your wrongs / You’re gonna have a shitty day“). I’ve mentioned Phair already, but I think she’s a great comparison point; her early oeuvre sparkled with the same mix of pathos and humor Konigsberg manages here.
If you weren’t already convinced, Lily We Need to Talk Now is yet another piece of evidence that Konigsberg is a limitless talent who can effortlessly inhabit nearly any musical form. Here’s hoping we hear a lot more from her in 2022.
