#9 on the 2017 Bacon Top 31

Mental Illness by Aimee Mann

I’ve been enjoying Aimee Mann’s work for a long time (ever since she wrote some original songs for one of my favorite films ever, P. T. Anderson’s Magnolia, way back in 1999¹), but her albums of the last decade haven’t hooked me. That is, until her ninth album, Mental Illness, came out this past March.

Mann’s music is always easy to listen to in the background, but as soon as you move it to the foreground you start to notice the dark undertones of her lyrics. It’s this balance of folky darkness that draws you in, and that effect is especially evident on Mental Illness (as if the title wasn’t enough of a hint).

Another great thing about Aimee Mann is that she seemingly knows everybody. She’s married to Michael Penn. She’s in a side-project band with Ted Leo called The Both. And for this album she teamed up with Jonathan Coulton, who co-wrote “Patient Zero,” “Good For Me,” and “Rollercoasters” and John Roderick, who co-wrote “Poor Judge.” That list of names might as well be the start of my nonexistent Top 10 Male Songwriters of the 2000s list.

Mental Illness is a great album, and Aimee Mann is a great singer/songwriter. The orchestration throughout this album puts it over the top. I can’t recommend it enough — go get it now!

^{1. Magnolia climaxes with the all-star cast halting in their various storylines and lip syncing Mann’s song “Wise Up,” which is such an odd experience but a perfect release for the pressure that builds up over the length of the movie. Check out this amazing music video, for another song from the movie, called “Save Me.” The video was filmed by director P. T. Anderson on the movie sets at the end of each day of shooting, with the actors in the movie sitting motionless in their various scenes. Aimee Mann had Tom Cruise (et al) in her music video; I’m guessing that’s something that nobody else can claim.↩}

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10. The Wild by The Rural Alberta Advantage
11. american dream by LCD Soundsystem
12. Crack-Up by Fleet Foxes
13. Famous Last Words by The True Loves
14. Cry Cry Cry by Wolf Parade
15. Pure Comedy by Father John Misty
16. Shake the Shudder by !!!
17. La La Land (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) by La La Land
18. The Underside of Power by Algiers
19. What Now by Sylvan Esso
20. 50 Song Memoir by The Magnetic Fields
21. Plunge by Fever Ray
22. DAMN. by Kendrick Lamar
23. Capacity by Big Thief
24. The Tourist by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
25. CCFX EP by CCFX
26. Woodstock by Portugal. The Man
27. MASSEDUCTION by St. Vincent
28. On the Spot by Hot 8 Brass Band
29. A Deeper Understanding by The War on Drugs
30. Planetarium by Sufjan Stevens, Nico Muhly, Bryce Dessner, & James McAlister
31. A Moment Apart by Odesza

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Kathleen Edwards is one of those artists that is always one degree away of my active listening. I’ve heard good things about her from reputable sources. I’ve enjoyed songs in which she has had a less-than full part in. I was even supposed to see her perform, if the plumbing at the Triple Door hadn’t gone busto during the sound check.

All that is to say that the video above, for her song “Chameleon/Comedian,” from last year’s Voyageur, may be the first song I have heard and can now identify as a Kathleen Edwards song. The supremely whacked-out video was directed by Noah Pink, who made his debut appearance on this blog just two weeks ago.

Simply watching this video has given me much more reason to like Kathleen Edwards, showing some deep interest in creating something other than just the norm. Now to start the listening in earnest.

By my count, “twitter famous” John Roderick, with his ever-shifting band the Long Winters, have released a total of two new (non-Christmas-themed) songs since 2006’s Putting the Days to Bed. Long-time fans like me have been satiated through various solo and makeshift group live-show appearances, along with other non-musical endeavors. And while I could probably subsist on a never ending line of shows with just John and a guitar performing the same great songs and covers over and over and over again, I still have a strong desire to hear something new.

And that’s where the video above comes in. While participating in last week’s JoCo Cruise Crazy 3, John performed a third new song, never before heard, on stage for the lucky people on the ship with him. When I first listened to this song, I didn’t expect the reaction I had. The song was new, but it wasn’t. It had John’s buttery voice and common Long-Wintersian chord structures, but it had new lyrics, a new story to tell. And it felt so familiar and unexpected, I didn’t know whether to cry or smile. It was the kind of emotion I find myself feeling more and more since having become a father. In the end, I sat motionless for just over three minutes, relishing every moment of it. It was beautiful. It was moving. It was home. And I don’t ever again want to leave.