Tag Archives: Aimee Mann

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Song of the Day #120: ‘Columbus Ave.’ – Aimee Mann

aimeeliveHere we are at the end of November and Aimee Mann’s @#%&*! Smilers remains comfortably atop my Best 2008 Albums list, where it has sat since its release in June. Nothing has really come close to toppling it, either. It’s not only the best album she’s ever put out but one of the best albums I’ve heard by anybody in years.

I don’t think many in the business can write sad songs as well as she can, and even fewer can sing them as sweetly. And while she has a demonstrated capacity to rock out, it’s her recent focus on acoustic guitar, piano and bass that has pushed her music to a new level.

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Song of the Day #40: ‘4th of July’ – Aimee Mann

Like Belle & Sebastian, Aimee Mann is an artist I could feature on this blog every day without running out of stellar material. Her six solo albums are jam-packed with soulful pop-rock masterpieces. And her work with ‘Til Tuesday hasn’t aged as well (production-wise, that is… it all has a definite 80s sheen) but is still quite solid.

Mann’s latest album, @#%&*! Smilers, is her best yet, a piano-driven exploration of heartbreak and loneliness that’s brilliantly listenable despite the subject matter. That’s really her gift — turning melancholy into electrifying art.

But for today’s song of the day, I’m skipping the new stuff and jumping all the way back to her first solo album, Whatever. It’s not the album of hers I reach for most, but every time I do I’m reminded of how brilliant she was right out of the gate. The song ‘4th of July,’ in particular, has always been a favorite.

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Aimee Mann – @#%&*! Smilers

A year or so ago, Amy, Dana and I played one of our elimination games to determine the best female singer-songwriter. The final matchup paired Joni Mitchell (carried there by Amy and Dana’s joint support) against Aimee Mann. Mann was a surprise finalist, not as high-profile as many of the women she bested and I was thrilled to give her my vote (though, sadly, she lost).

For my money, the pinnacle of songwriting and performing talent among the fairer sex is represented by Lucinda Williams, Fiona Apple and Aimee Mann. Tift Merritt has recently made a strong surge into that group as well, and her music is a nice complement to the variety of styles represented by that trio.

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