April 3, 2008 | Posted by David B. at 5:55 PM

I thought my life would be better by now

aimee mann

Aimee Mann is about to put out her first record since the 2006 Christmas album One More Drifter In The Snow, and I'm pretty geeked out about it. Well, let's face it: I'm geeked out about anything relating to Aimee Mann.

I saw Mann in December, and it was a great show. Whenever I see her in concert, I'm struck by the contrast between her musical and personal personae. She has a reputation for making music that's dreary and depressing, and in person she's ridiculously funny - that is, straight-up, Vaudevillian funny.

However, this song will not dispel the notion that Mann makes depressing music.

Aimee Mann - Thirty-One Today.

Oh well. To me, Mann's songs aren't depressing - sad, sure, but simultaneously beautiful. And usually, darkly funny to boot.

This is from her album @#%&! Smilers, which Mann says is so titled because "[T]here's always somebody in an office or on the street who smiles all the time and is the first one to say, 'hey, smile!' I get that all the time from people who say 'why can't you be more smiley?' So we jokingly nicknamed them @#%&! Smilers. You can provide your own curse word there. I think everybody knows someone like that."

I live in Minnesota, and I have no idea what she's talking about. Cough.

@#%&! Smilers, which producer Paul Bryan calls "deceptively powerful," comes out on Mann's SuperEgo Records on June 3.

Comments

I heart Aimee Mann. Been listening to Ghost World a lot the last couple of weeks as graduation approaches again. Good to see she's still at it.

Posted by: Ford at April 3, 2008 7:12 PM

Aimee Mann is great, one of the best singers-composers of the last decades. Great blog!! I put you on my links.

Cheers!!

Posted by: Stereo Pills at April 4, 2008 7:31 AM
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