| Music Review | Josh Hinkle |
Aimee Mann- The Forgotten Arm
Ok, this one has been out for a few months now, and it's really taken that long for me to fully digest. Mann has always written very dense story style songs and has taken it to greater levels with each album, but this time she rears back and knocks out a concept album that feels like what she's been trying to achieve for years. That is in no way to suggest that this record is better than Bachelor #2, or even Lost in Space, because I don't think it is, but it is in no way a bad record. Yes, it does suffer from being a concept album, but it is amazing to hear what she does with the story of two lovers on the run after the man- John- returns from Vietnam. It's a fully rendered story in song form that would make a fascinating book, or movie, but works just as well in song form. Tales of love, betrayal, drug use, loyalty- it's all here. But like I say, it does suffer a bit form being a concept album in that some of her best songs seem to come when she needs to shake up the tone of the record, to keep it from being too heavy (see Red Vines on Bachelor, or Pavlov's Bell on Lost). Not here. This one is relentless and the storyline allows no room for levity.
Despite the overwhelming tragedy of the story it's Mann's ability to write a great pop song and hummable tune that keeps you listening. This shows a quality on her part that is missing in most music today- a sense of maturity when writing a song. In other, less capable hands this would come off as heavy handed and dismal, but she has a certain awareness about her that keeps it all from getting too mired in depression. That awareness is exactly what keeps this from being a feel bad for feeling bad’s sake album and raises it to the level of near classic status. Actually, if my appreciation for it grows like it has the past few months it'll achieve classic status sometime around January. Like the 12th.
Standout tracks: Dear John, I Can't Get My Head Around It, That's How I Knew This story Would Break My Heart, I Was Thinking I Could Clean Up For Christmas
Fun Fact: She's playing Dallas- she'll be @ the Gypsy on Oct. 22nd.