CD Review

She’s always there, but never quite in the center of the room. The Forgotten Arm is Aimee Mann’s fifth solo release, and yet another of her highly anticipated efforts. Though after the Magnolia soundtrack, you’d be hard pressed to find someone who could actually list the rest of those titles off the top of their head. Its an odd obscurity, and shadowed fame that’s followed the gauntly chic singer for most of her career, but has made for some powerful gems hidden in full view.

This time around, she may offer a few more casual, 70s radio rockers than normal, but there is still enough of her signature, heroin drone ballads meandering along to give it that eerie comfort she effortlessly creates. “Dear John” and “Goodbye Caroline” are full of, top down in the summer rock hooks, and the closer, “Beautiful” is just that, with a slight southern drawl. The alt-country vein runs through a dusty “I Can’t Help You Anymore” and the close to perfect, “I Can’t Get My Head Around It,” which would be the song of the album if it weren’t for the dramatic, piano-led, “That’s How I Knew This Story Would Break My Heart.” Her minimalist approach to a continuously rising chorus carries the song like a wave that never crashes, but just quietly rolls back out to sea. It is quintessential Mann, something each of her previous albums has equally offered, but few deservedly embrace.

For more info see: aimeemann.com