"Lost In Space," Aimee Mann's latest album, speaks to anyone who has ever stood witness to the demise of a relationship. But don't turn on your CD player expecting to find a lovesick saga of loss and betrayal -- Mann takes the hackneyed subject and makes it her own, speaking to her audience through haunting lyrics and a soulful voice, relating her experiences for a greater good.
"Humpty Dumpty," the first track, serves just that purpose: Its upbeat nature and catchy lyrics draw the listener in from the onset of the album and grab hold for the 10 songs that follow. Although impossible to disengage yourself from any one of Mann's self-discoveries, "Humpty Dumpty" is by far the CD's 'hit' song. Mann shoots down a severed relationship, urging her lover to "take the keys and drive forever / Staying won't put these futures back together / All the perfect drugs and superheroes / wouldn't be enough to bring me up to zero."
Although Mann pays homage to the inevitable downfall of any relationship, she's far from being a bitter man-hater. If anything, she blames her romantic failures on her own faults and warns others of her precarious nature.
Perhaps this is most passionately realized in "This Is How It Goes," which is, by far, the most poignant song on the album. It is one of sad resolution, sharply realized both in lyric and tone. Mann's intoxicating voice skims lightly over her melodic rhythms, so soft that at points the listener must strain to hear. Mann doesn't "
have the bribery in place / No bright shiny surface to my face / So I won't go near the marketplace / With what I'm selling lately / Cause this is how it goes."
The song delves into Mann's own persona and personal thoughts, and it is for this reason that it's so moving. While you won't be humming "This Is How It Goes" to yourself after the fact, it most artfully displays Mann's genius: her ability to weave together lyric, melody and instrumental backup into musical perfection.
The title song ties together Mann's overall theme -- she's a wanderer who relates to few and often puts on an indifferent front to mask deeply felt emotions. Though she lives and converses within a world of many, she may as well be in "space," as she constantly ends up alone.
Optimistic the album is not, but a lack thereof doesn't present the album as a woe-is-me tale of loss. Rather, in comparison to her previous (and slightly more uplifting) album, "Bachelor #2," Mann has become the voice of experience -- and this experience is showcased not only in lyric, but in musical ability.
Songs from "Bachelor #2" were nabbed by film director P.T. Andersen for the movie "Magnolia," gaining Mann widespread acclaim and recognition. While the acclaim was long overdue, her music has since been inexplicably tied to the film. "Lost In Space" provides Mann with a template for the future, as it is her first widely known album -- and the template she puts on show should earn Mann her own place in the spotlight for the duration of her career.
Perhaps the album's unvaried rhythms are its only downfall. While all 11 of the album's songs are exemplary in both lyric and musicality, most don't stand out on their own. However, the album is put together so masterfully that this factor can be more than overlooked.
Mann's "Lost In Space" is the work of a true artist. Unlike many of today's performers, she possesses the ability to exceed expectations in all aspects of the musical field and create work that is truly original. Don't go to "Lost In Space" expecting a pop-culture "love sucks" album with ultra-repetitive choruses -- you won't find it here. Part folk, part alternative and all genius, "Lost In Space" tells it like it is.
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