Aimee Mann | ||
| Allmusic Biography : During the 80s, Aimee Mann led the post-new wave pop group Til Tuesday. After releasing three albums with the group, she broke up the band and embarked on a solo career. Her first solo album, Whatever, was a more introspective, folk-tinged effort than Til Tuesdays albums, and received uniformly positive reviews upon its release in the summer of 1993. However, the album was just a small hit, spending only seven weeks on the American charts, where it peaked at 127. Nevertheless, Whatever rejuvenated her career -- after its release, critics were praising her songwriting, as were peers like Elvis Costello, Difford & Tilbrook, and Andy Partridge. Early in 1995, Mann had a modest hit with "Thats Just What You Are," a song included on the soundtrack to the television series Melrose Place. Following the success of the single, Mann was set to release her second solo album in the spring of 1995, but her record label, Imago, filed for bankruptcy before its release. She signed a contract with Reprise Records after Imago went under, but Imago prevented her from releasing any records. For most of 1995, Mann battled Imago in an attempt to free herself from the label, eventually winning her independence at the end of the year. After her dispute with Imago was settled, she signed with DGC Records. Manns second album, Im with Stupid, was released in England in the late fall of 1995 and in January of 1996 in America. Again, it was greeted with positive reviews yet weak sales. Manns career got a kick-start in early 2000, however, when she released her soundtrack for the critically acclaimed film Magnolia; the song "Save Me" was later nominated for an Academy Award. Originally available only at live dates, the solo Bachelor No. 2 received national release in the spring. In the summer of 2002, Mann returned to the forefront with the self-released Lost in Space. Late 2004 saw the release of Live at St. Anns Warehouse, a CD/DVD package recorded during her summer tour. It was followed in 2006 by the critically acclaimed Forgotten Arm, a concept album built around the return from Vietnam of a drug-addicted boxer. Mann released a collection of Christmas songs called One More Drifter in the Snow in 2006. @#%&! Smilers followed in 2008. Mann spent the next few years working on adapting The Forgotten Arm into a musical, a project that was ultimately abandoned. She remained in the spotlight through semi-regular concerts and a memorable cameo on the IFC comedy series Portlandia before finally returning in the fall of 2012 with Charmer, her first album in four years. In 2013, Mann started performing with Ted Leo in a project that was eventually named Both; the duo released an album, also called Both, in 2014. Following that, Mann turned her attention to her ninth solo album, recording the deliberately slow and sad Mental Illness with producer Paul Bryan. The album appeared in March 2017. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 13 Title: Whatever Released: 1993-05-11 Tracks: 13 Duration: 52:47 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 I Should’ve Known (04:53) 2 Fifty Years After the Fair (03:46) 3 4th of July (03:20) 4 Could’ve Been Anyone (04:23) 5 Put Me on Top (03:28) 6 Stupid Thing (04:27) 7 Say Anything (04:57) 8 Jacob Marley’s Chain (03:01) 9 Mr. Harris (04:05) 10 I Could Hurt You Now (04:17) 11 I Know There’s a Word (03:16) 12 I’ve Had It (04:42) 13 Way Back When (04:05) |
 | Album: 2 of 13 Title: I’m With Stupid Released: 1995-11 Tracks: 13 Duration: 56:18 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Long Shot (03:13) 2 Choice in the Matter (03:13) 3 Sugarcoated (03:40) 4 You Could Make a Killing (03:42) 5 Superball (03:05) 6 Amateur (04:55) 7 All Over Now (04:02) 8 Par for the Course (06:01) 9 You’re With Stupid Now (03:29) 10 That’s Just What You Are (04:25) 11 Frankenstein (04:28) 12 Ray (04:49) 13 It’s Not Safe (07:12) |
 | Album: 3 of 13 Title: Bachelor No. 2 (or, The Last Remains of the Dodo) Released: 1999 Tracks: 13 Duration: 49:26 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 How Am I Different (05:03) 2 Nothing Is Good Enough (03:10) 3 Red Vines (03:44) 4 The Fall of the World’s Own Optimist (03:07) 5 Satellite (04:10) 6 Deathly (05:36) 7 Ghost World (03:30) 8 Calling It Quits (04:10) 9 Driving Sideways (03:49) 10 Just Like Anyone (01:22) 11 Susan (03:51) 12 It Takes All Kinds (04:06) 13 You Do (03:45) |
 | Album: 4 of 13 Title: Magnolia Released: 1999-12-07 Tracks: 12 Duration: 47:27 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 One (02:53) 2 Momentum (03:27) 3 Build That Wall (04:25) 4 Deathly (05:36) 5 Driving Sideways (03:49) 6 You Do (03:45) 7 Nothing Is Good Enough (instrumental) (03:10) 8 Wise Up (03:31) 9 Save Me (04:34) 10 Goodbye Stranger (05:50) 11 The Logical Song (04:10) 12 Magnolia (02:12) |
 | Album: 5 of 13 Title: Ultimate Collection Released: 2000-09-12 Tracks: 20 Duration: 1:15:54 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 That’s Just What You Are (04:25) 2 You Could Make a Killing (03:42) 3 You’re With Stupid Now (03:29) 4 Wise Up (03:28) 5 Driving With One Hand on the Wheel (02:44) 6 Long Shot (03:13) 7 Choice in the Matter (03:13) 8 Voices Carry (04:21) 9 Take It Back (02:52) 10 Say Anything (04:57) 11 Jacob Marley’s Chain (03:01) 12 Amateur (04:55) 13 All Over Now (03:40) 14 Baby Blue (03:50) 15 Everything’s Different Now (03:56) 16 Sign of Love (03:50) 17 The Other End (of the Telescope) (live) (04:16) 18 Jimmy Hoffa Jokes (02:32) 19 Stupid Thing (04:27) 20 I Should’ve Known (04:53) |
 | Album: 6 of 13 Title: Lost in Space Released: 2002-08-27 Tracks: 11 Duration: 43:24 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Humpty Dumpty (04:03) 2 High on Sunday 51 (03:18) 3 Lost in Space (03:30) 4 This Is How It Goes (03:49) 5 Guys Like Me (03:14) 6 Pavlovs Bell (04:29) 7 Real Bad News (03:55) 8 Invisible Ink (05:01) 9 Todays the Day (04:44) 10 The Moth (03:48) 11 Its Not (03:27) |
 | Album: 7 of 13 Title: The Young Snakes Released: 2004 Tracks: 14 Duration: 46:28 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Brains and Eggs (03:32) 2 Oh Nina (02:47) 3 Everything Goes Out of Control (02:40) 4 Stop It (02:34) 5 Rewind (05:13) 6 Politics Are (04:02) 7 In This World (03:48) 8 Having Fun (04:08) 9 Gang X (02:03) 10 Use Me (03:23) 11 Karl K9 (03:47) 12 Young Snakes (01:58) 13 Brains and Eggs #2 (03:36) 14 Autistic (02:50) |
 | Album: 8 of 13 Title: Live at St. Anns Warehouse Released: 2004-11-02 Tracks: 13 Duration: 58:25 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 The Moth (03:46) 2 Sugarcoated (03:57) 3 Going Through the Motions (02:53) 4 Amateur (04:41) 5 Wise Up (03:21) 6 Save Me (04:43) 7 Stupid Thing (04:14) 8 Thats Just What You Are (04:26) 9 Pavlovs Bell (04:34) 10 Long Shot (05:32) 11 4th of July (03:29) 12 King of the Jailhouse (05:41) 13 Deathly (07:03) |
 | Album: 9 of 13 Title: The Forgotten Arm Released: 2005-04-27 Tracks: 12 Duration: 47:11 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Dear John (03:07) 2 King of the Jailhouse (05:19) 3 Goodbye Caroline (03:53) 4 Going Through the Motions (02:57) 5 I Can’t Get My Head Around It (03:37) 6 She Really Wants You (03:26) 7 Video (03:35) 8 Little Bombs (03:49) 9 That’s How I Knew This Story Would Break My Heart (04:19) 10 I Can’t Help You Anymore (04:52) 11 I Was Thinking I Could Clean Up for Christmas (04:23) 12 Beautiful (03:48) |
 | Album: 10 of 13 Title: One More Drifter in the Snow Released: 2006-10-24 Tracks: 11 Duration: 37:07 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Whatever Happened to Christmas (02:52) 2 The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire) (03:20) 3 Christmastime (03:19) 4 Ill Be Home for Christmas (03:19) 5 Youre a Mean One Mr. Grinch (03:27) 6 Winter Wonderland (03:47) 7 Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (03:54) 8 God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (02:07) 9 White Christmas (02:59) 10 Calling on Mary (04:03) 11 River (04:00) |
 | Album: 11 of 13 Title: @#%&*! Smilers Released: 2008-06-03 Tracks: 13 Duration: 45:51 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Freeway (03:50) 2 Stranger Into Starman (01:31) 3 Looking for Nothing (03:46) 4 Phoenix (03:56) 5 Borrowing Time (03:12) 6 Its Over (03:58) 7 31 Today (04:52) 8 The Great Beyond (03:12) 9 Medicine Wheel (04:08) 10 Columbus Avenue (04:06) 11 Little Tornado (03:23) 12 True Believer (03:32) 13 Ballantines (02:21) |
 | Album: 12 of 13 Title: Charmer Released: 2012-09-18 Tracks: 11 Duration: 37:58 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Charmer (03:25) 2 Disappeared (03:24) 3 Labrador (03:49) 4 Crazytown (03:21) 5 Soon Enough (03:59) 6 Living a Lie (03:26) 7 Slip and Roll (04:12) 8 Gumby (02:53) 9 Gamma Ray (03:00) 10 Barfly (04:00) 11 Red Flag Diver (02:29) |
 | Album: 13 of 13 Title: Mental Illness Released: 2017-03-31 Tracks: 11 Duration: 38:31 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Goose Snow Cone (03:35) 2 Stuck in the Past (03:33) 3 You Never Loved Me (03:07) 4 Rollercoasters (03:44) 5 Lies of Summer (02:42) 6 Patient Zero (03:41) 7 Good for Me (04:09) 8 Knock It Off (03:01) 9 Philly Sinks (03:14) 10 Simple Fix (04:12) 11 Poor Judge (03:33) |
| Mental Illness : Allmusic album Review : Calling an album Mental Illness invites audiences to consider the collection confessional. Savvy singer/songwriter that she is, Aimee Mann is surely aware her compositions are often construed as autobiography, which is precisely the wrong way to view her work, especially on an album as intricate as this. Designed as the "saddest, slowest, most acoustic" record she could create, Mental Illness is a suite of character sketches and vignettes exploring all manner of melancholic maladjustment. More than chronic disease, Mann examines the bad behavior, quirks, and delusions that manifest in everyday life, particularly in the course of long relationships. Heartbreak and misanthropy run rampant over the course of the albums 38 minutes, but the remarkable thing about this self-consciously sorrowful album is that Mental Illness doesnt feel depressing. Chalk it up to the lush production from Paul Bryan and wry delivery from Mann, a combination that softens whatever sadness lies at the records core. In many ways, Mental Illness feels like a deliberate retort to the bright colors of its predecessor, 2012s Charmer. That record intended to make an immediate impact with its candied guitars, whereas Mental Illness takes its time, riding on lazy tempos and breezing by on soft gusts of strings. Which isnt to say that the album lacks hooks: each of the 11 numbers is exquisitely sculpted, with the melody carrying a sense of subdued drama as it marches from verse to chorus to bridge. These songs are crafted in the best sense of the word, with the lyrics delivering sublime twists that the music matches. As such, Mental Illness becomes something of a balm for troubled times; its an album that finds reassurance within the darkest corners. | ||