Task: Sentiment Analysis
Input (English): Inconsistent. . Following up a critically acclaimed debut is probably one of the hardest things that an artist can do, and more often than not, the album falls well short of expectations, because they're so highly elevated.  "Whip-Smart" is a decent, albeit somewhat inconsistent album, but its pales in comparison to "Exile in Guyville", and that unfortunately is how it will always be thought.    Probably the most important thing about "Whip-Smart" is that its not Exile Part 2, while some songs maintain that sort of lo-fi sound/overt lyric gig that the previous record got so much mileage from ("X-Ray Man", "Crater Lake"), the album actually does best when it drifts further away from the territory of Exile-- from the noise guitar over the familiar melody of "Chopsticks" to the haunting, moody, "Shane', where the tension is almost palpable to the brilliant, chugging "Jealousy".  Like Exile, it excels when the tension is at its highest, unlike Exile, its a lot brighter sounding.    Still, for all the good stuff on here, it sounds like Phair wasn't quite ready to issue a followup.  Several experiments in different veins sound incomplete ("Alice Springs"), fall apart ("Support System", "Go West") or are plain irritating ("Cinco de Mayo", "May Queen").    Its got its moments, but "Whip-Smart" is largely disposable-- start with Phair's debut, "Exile in Guyville", its everything its regarded as
Output (English): NEG