In counting down my top 20 albums of the decade so far, I’m considering only albums that are meaningful to me. That might seem obvious, but I want to be clear that I’m not necessarily looking to capture the most important, ground-breaking or ambitious records of the past five years — just the ones I like the most.
In other words, you won’t find any Kanye West or Radiohead here.
Top Songs of 2012 – #7
Anyone familiar with Aimee Mann’s discography would be unlikely to cite her sense of humor as a standout attribute. She writes melancholy songs about people at the end of their ropes. That’s what she’s always done and probably what she’ll always do.
Sometimes she wraps that sadness in a pretty pop sheen, as she did on her most recent release, Charmer. This album is poppier than anything Mann has released in years, and it’s a refreshing change of pace. The album features slick production, bright instrumentation and catchy melodies, all in the service of the same Aimee Mann worldview.
A month ago, I focused on Aimee Mann as part of my genome project, declaring her the most melancholy of all the melancholy artists I love.
A couple of weeks later, she surprised me by releasing her poppiest, most upbeat album since her Til Tuesday days, or at least since 1995’s alt-pop I’m With Stupid.
Charmer is heavy on synths and heavier on hooks, a real triumph of pop songwriting and a great next step for Mann, who might have been accused of treading water had she released another album in the vein of her last few.
Meet Me In Montauk 