Aimee Mann started her career 40 years ago a little New Wave with “Voices Carry.” Her band, til Tuesday, had three excellent albums culminating in the delicious “Everything’s Different Now.”
Then Mann pursued a non-major label indie path, producing more than a dozen indie albums of carefully crafted, beautifully produced songs each of which really feels like a box of sumptuous chocolates. They’re hard on the outside, gooey inside, and unforgettable.
You might know her from the soundtrack of Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Magnolia.” Aimee got an Oscar nomination for a song about resignation and anger called “Save Me.” It’s one of the few perfect soundtracks to an equal achievement of a film.
She’s also had a range of side things, often reviving material from the 70s. I cherish her cover of Badfinger’s “Baby Blue,” for example. But anything she does, with her buttery, melodic voice, is welcome.
This week she covers Paul Williams’ song made a hit by the Carpenters. “Rainy Day and Mondays” is Aimee’s second bite of this apple. Her first was “Yesterday Once More.” She could really just sing the whole catalog and I’d be all for it. Karen Carpenter — one of the great voices of all time — made the song seem wistful. Mann gives it a little bitterness, which is about right these days.
PS On Aimee’s social media you can find her precisely winsome cartoons. Another side gig that’s worked out.
This track is from an HBO show called “The Chair Company.” I have no idea what that is, but sit and listen:
