GearCrave Week In Music: Aimee Mann Releases New Album and Kicks Off U.S. Tour…Radiohead Greatest Hits…Weezer’s New Album Hits Stores
Aimee Mann is back. The seasoned indie artist known for her biting wit, hyper-literate songwriting and sublime approach to pop melody, released her 7th solo studio album today. The album, sardonically titled “@#%&! Smilers,” was released on Mann’s own label SuperEgo Records and is the followup to her 2005 concept album, “The Forgotten Arm,” a not-so-awesomely-received, perhaps too literary concept album. In 1999, Mann struck a major chord with her widest audience to date with her grammy-winning “Save Me” from the Magnolia soundtrack. But her previous two outings, 1993’s Whatever and 1995’s I’m With Stupid deserved similar attention. Smilers finds Mann back to the lyrical fluency that made her those records so quietly stellar and boasts some of her more lush instrumentation in recent memory.
Continue reading for more on Aimee Mann’s latest, plus the news on Weezer and Radiohead’s Best of!
Freed of the yarn-spinning hangups of Forgotten Arm, Mann really lets it all hang out musically on Smilers. The album’s production was handled by Paul Bryan this time around, who had big shoes to fill considering Mann’s past production partners included the likes of Joe Henry (produced Solomon Burke’s Don’t Give Up On Me, Ani DiFranco’s Knuckle Down) and Jon Brion. Smilers has a deceptively big sound, largely due to an approach that’s markedly more keyboard-driven than Mann’s previous work, adding a welcome extra layer of mood and texture to her already meticulously pretty guitar work. The combination really shines on songs like “31 Today” and “True Believer.” On the solemn, world-weary “Little Tornado” and the swinging “Ballantines” (featuring Sean Hayes on vocals), Mann and Bryan unleash the full arsenal: lonesome strings and downbeat tympani drums on the former, barroom piano and jukebox trombones on the latter. The result doesn’t feel at all forced or overwrought but, instead, feels just like Mann’s previous records– familiar in the best possible way. The same goes for the lyrics. Here, as ever, they’re poignant and humorous, almost rustic in their approach, fitting her firmly in the tradition of classic American rock/folk songwriting.
Mann achieves the difficult trick of being simultaneously earnest and cynical, while consistently taking time out to poke fun at herself. Almost magically, she’s remained safely out-of-range of the industry’s two favorite boxes for female singer singer/songwriters: (1) the super-serious, tormented ‘feminist’ and (2) the super-cutesy, borderline-nonsensical quirk machine. Aimee Mann is box-proof. You can buy “@#%&! Smilers,” at Amazon for $9.99 or download it from iTunes.
Check her out as she tours this summer in support of Smilers. The trek kicked off yesterday in L.A. a ends in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, hitting a ton of cities in-between. Peek at here for the full schedule. And, watch some videos:
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Video: Aimee Mann, “Freeway,” the first single off of “@#%&! Smilers,”
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Video: Aimee Mann “31 Today”
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As you might (or might not) know Aimee Mann has a penchant for the funny and lives in L.A. So, it’s no surprise that she has alot of celebrity friends and acquaintances of the comedic variety. Back in ‘06, she enlisted a bevy of them for this mad-funny three-part promotional video for her Christmas cover album One More Drifter in the Snow and it’s accompanying performance special. This is the third act–my favorite. You can watch all three parts here.
Radiohead Gets The Best Of Treatment
As Gearcravers should already know, Radiohead hits compilation, The Best of Radiohead hits stores today. The release comes with a bit of controversy, as the 2-CD project was orchestrated by the band’s (now on XL Recordings) recent ex-label EMI without their consent. Thom Yorke has been very public in condemning about the label’s actions, but seems willing to let it be, telling The Word, “The work is really public property now anyway, in my head at least.” But, for real, don’t let a few sour grapes and some shady industry ethics keep you from missing out on a great chance to snap up a great little fun pack of iconic songs from a more-than-iconic band. Or if you prefer to win your music rather than pay for it, enter GearCraves Radiohead Giveaway right here.
Buy: $19.99
Weezer Hopes Your Hungry.
Weezer’sself-titled 6th album, nicknamed The Red Album became available for purchase today sometime in the morning, I presume. the album’s first single, “Pork and Beans” no doubt has, for weeks now, had old-school Weezer fans salivating over what seems to be a riff-heavy, tongue-in-cheek return to form for the band that made it cool to be too nerdy for punk and too emo for pop. Personally, after 2005’s kinda terrible Make Believe, I was ready to stop listening to anything in their catalogue after ‘96. But, contrary to my worst reservations, “Pork And Beans” is a dope song. And, If you haven’t already, peep the music video for the song below. (Also, you clearly haven’t been watching a healthy amount of TV.) Like the song, it’s a predictable concept executed so well it’s shockingly a enjoyable. Weezer looks like their having fun again. I’m sure they’d like you to join them.
Buy: $5.99
