Monthly Archives: November 2009

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Song of the Day #490: ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’ – Aimee Mann

drifterinthesnowHappy Thanksgiving, everyone! It’s appropriate, I suppose, that Aimee Mann’s discography positions her Christmas album, One More Drifter in the Snow, on this neighboring holiday.

Mann and Christmas might seem like an odd mix, but hearing her versions of the classics on this album it’s clear that both share an underlying mood of lovely melancholy. Songs such as ‘Christmas Song,’ ‘I’ll Be Home For Christmas’ and ‘White Christmas’ are far from merry but they’re certainly evocative of the season. And so too is this album.

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Song of the Day #489: ‘Little Bombs’ – Aimee Mann

forgottenarmWhile Lost in Space was an unofficial concept album, Aimee Mann’s next release, 2005’s The Forgotten Arm, was the real deal. Set in the 1970s, it’s the story of an alcoholic boxer and Vietnam vet, John, and the woman he loves, Caroline. The songs track their ups and downs and explore the destructive nature of alcoholism on a relationship.

The album’s packaging is particularly lovely, the song lyrics presented in chapter form alongside beautiful colored sketches of John and Caroline. And though the songs are traditionally structured, the lyrics are written out as prose. Regardless of sound, this is one of the best looking CDs in my collection.

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Song of the Day #488: ‘It’s Not’ – Aimee Mann

lostinspaceTwo years after Bachelor No. 2, Aimee Mann released her second album on her Superego label, 2002’s Lost in Space. The record is unofficially a concept album exploring self-destructive behavior of all sorts — the perfect Christmas gift for your favorite messed-up friend.

Typical lyric: “Get out while you can, baby, I’m pouring quicksand and sinking is all I had planned.” And: “You paint a lovely picture but reality intrudes with a message for you… and it’s real bad news.” And: “Nothing fuels a good flirtation like need and anger and desperation.”

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Lyle Lovett – Natural Forces

When I wrapped up my recent Lyle Lovett theme weeks, I held out hope that he would break out of the slump he’d been in for the past dozen years or so. His last album, It’s Not Big It’s Large, was a step in the right direction — a bit slight, but featuring stronger material than he’d released in years. I figured his next turn at bat would be major.

I was wrong.

Natural Forces is another stop-gap Lyle Lovett album, enjoyable enough for what it is but a shadow of the man’s best work. It contains only four original songs and most of those aren’t even as good as the covers that make up the rest of the album. It’s a pleasure, as always, to hear Lovett and his peerless band perform but it’s a fleeting pleasure when what you really want is the next Road to Ensenada or Joshua Judges Ruth.

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John Mayer – Battle Studies

I’m often intrigued by the group think exhibited by music and movie critics — not so much in their appraisal of a new work but in the angle from which they approach it. The most recent example I’ve noticed is in the commentary on John Mayer’s new album, Battle Studies, which I’ve been enjoying for about a week now.

Almost every review I’ve read has made a point to comment on the dichotomy between Mayer’s public image (including a popular Twitter account, stand-up comedy routines and frequent appearances on tabloid covers with the likes of Jennifer Aniston and Jessica Simpson) and the low-key, earnest music he records.

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