Aimee Mann's @#%&!Smilers is arguably thoughtful, melodic songwriting, but also a puzzling mix of bland metaphors and stoned, lethargic production. At 14 songs, @#%&!Smilers but would have been better off without the tracks not mentioned here but is a worthwhile listen and unobtrusive enough for long drives and cleaning house.
“Freeway” is a radio friendly rocking number about upper middle-class Orange County lifestyle. The line "You got a lot of money but you can't afford the freeway" is poignant in a stoney way, while the flavor of the line "a little chocolate Easter Bunny hollowed out by your tongue" is overshadowed by the blandness of lines like "Where everyone's a doctor or a specialist in retail".
The too brief, orchestral “I Turned Stranger into Starman,” sounds like a cool track in another P.T.A. film and reads like a word puzzle, the star line being "I turned stranger into starman in the Sunday New York times/Like Anne Sexton with her star rats working backwards til it rhymes". It begins to tell a story then inexplicably stops at 1:32.
“Looking for Nothing” is wistful, soberly delivered and minor noted—although, the melody of the opening line is curiously similar to that of track one. It's a memorably poetic, bleak depiction of working class folk seeking diversion at the local carnival. It carries the same sentiment and compositional poignancy as “Little Tornado,” which comes off as a beautiful, haunting encounter of trailer park life and acts of God, although Mann says it's a portrait of a troubled personality.
In “Phoenix” (rhymes with Kleenex), the catchy melody and the chorus's delayed rhymes keep a listener interested in an otherwise run-of-the-mill Mann track. Run-of-the-mill as in generalizations, a short yet somehow laborious bridge, and the tiresome second person P.O.V. “Medicine Wheel” has the same flaws but no flair to cover it up.
What's most interesting about “Borrowing Time” isn't that its initial conception was for Shrek III or its irie horn arrangement, but that its chorus has a LOT in common with Tommy Tutone's “867-5309/Jenny,” including buzzy bass synth. Another HIGHLY suspicious such similarity is the opening and refrain of the catchy but spottily arranged “Great Beyond” to Fiona Apple's “Shadowboxer.” This game is fun!
“Ballantines” finshes @#%&!Smilers with; a swell melody, thorough instrumentation and proportional parts metaphoric and literal. A dynamic duet with lark-throated Sean Hayes wakes Mann up for a spirited, enunciated delivery—an enthusiasm the lackluster album could have used earlier on.
Fans of Mann's work may be satisfied with the diverse instrumentation, tender but dry delivery, meek backups and melancholy, ultra domestic subject matter. Critical listeners are likely to treat it like a Cadbury egg: pick out their favorite parts and leave the rest.
Artist:
www.aimeemann.com
myspace.com/aimeemann
Album:
Aimee Mann – @#%&!Smilers is out now. Buy it NOW on Amazon.
