SOUND OFF

ON OUR MINDS AND ON OUR PLAYLISTS

(EVAN RICHMAN/GLOBE STAFF)

We can now report that Liz Phair (right) has officially taken the last exit out of "Guyville." The one-time indie-rock queen of the '90s has adamantly shed the lo-fi aesthetic of her earlier critically acclaimed work since going mainstream pop in 2003.

Now comes the news that she'll be in an ad campaign for Banana Republic. Because hey, when you think of $275 cashmere cardigans, you think of Liz Phair, right?

It's not surprising anymore when a beloved rocker peddles high-end goods and services. After cringing through the Carnival Cruise Line commercial featuring Iggy Pop's "Lust for Life" a few years ago, we should be used to it by now. (Iggy's latest soul-crushing commercial is for Swiftcover car insurance, by the way.)

But the stakes are higher when it's an artist we perceive to be free of corporate trappings. Chan Marshall (a.k.a. Cat Power), herself a former indie "it" girl who's morphed into a velvety soul singer, is the latest example. Marshall covers (rather well) David Bowie's "Space Oddity" in a recent commercial meant to rev up interest in the new Lincoln MKS luxury car.

Fans were divided in their online reactions, with some understanding a girl's gotta work and just as many wishing she could make a living in a less compromising manner. Even more surprising: Sometimes the fans just want to enjoy the music, regardless of how it's used.

"I'd love to hear the whole song, but I can't," a reader groused on Stereogum about Marshall's Lincoln ad. "And I'm stuck with that . . . commercial for a car that only gets 19 miles a gallon."