Aimee Mann

Bachelor No. 2

Simple, yet captivating.

Review Score:

(10/10)
When my best friend told me that he had become an Aimee Mann addict, I thought to myself "Uh-huh. 'Voices Carry' is an okay song but how good can a one-hit wonder be ten years later?" Well, my friend was absolutely justified in his addiction. I'm not even a fan of pop in general but I think "Bachelor #2" is mesmerizing. There's nothing in the music that just blows you away -- on a first listen, it sounds pretty simple and plain. However, the arrangements have subtlety and they fit the mood of her voice and lyrics very nicely.

I usually focus on music (as opposed to lyrics), but Mann's singing and words are the high point for me on this album. Her use of language allows her be plaintive and poignant without sounding pathetic. The words are frequently memorable too; not only the famous line that spawned the movie "Magnolia", but from the same song: "I'm just a problem for you to solve and / watch dissolve in the heat of your charm"; or to start "Driving Sideways": "At least you know / You were taken by a pro".

The actual singing draws it all together and is what makes this album entrancing to me. She is cool and detached but still sufficiently emotional ... it's hard to describe. The best thing I can say about the album is that after listening to it repeatedly, all the elements come together in a way that seems seamless and inevitable. (Well, okay, I don't love EVERY song on the album, but it is still consistently strong enough that I listen to the whole thing without skipping any songs. Some songs are captivating, and some are just good.)

The only disappointing thing is that some of the songs overlap with the Magnolia soundtrack, but with music this good it's better to have some songs twice than miss the original songs on one or the other. Buy it now.

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