If you've seen \Magnolia,"" you'll recognize Aimee Mann. It was her entrancing voice that permeated the movie, her mournful lyrics that tore you apart. Tomorrow night, she'll grace Madison with songs from her melancholy-filled new album, Lost in Space.
If you haven't seen ""Magnolia"" or are just looking to escape homework, exams or roommates for a few hours, this concert will definitely be worth it. Want to hear the album? She posted it on her Web site, http://www.aimeemann.com.
There must be some sort of screw-up or something because Lost in Space is being streamed, in its entirety, on her Web site. Visit it and listen. Be hypnotized by her painful, though beautiful voice. Don't tell your friends. If word gets out, whoever manages the Web site might realize the mistake and pull it.
The story goes that lyrics like these inspired ""Boogie Nights"" Director Paul Thomas Anderson to write ""Magnolia."" After the soundtrack featured nine of her songs, not to mention garnering an Oscar nomination for ""Save Me,"" her career found new life.
If the songs from the ""Magnolia"" soundtrack and Bachelor No. 2 were desperate pleas for an end to her depressive spirals, Lost in Space mourns for her helplessness.
In the opening track, ""Humpty Dumpty,"" she laments ""Better 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.""
Mann knows depression, from a serious bout with eating disorders to a tough childhood. She's found her escape in her art. And listeners can find escape in her art as well, because the best way to deal with depression is to know that you're not alone.
Listening to ""The Moth"" is like staying up all night with a friend, spilling your guts about how love doesn't work, how your flirtation is fueled by ""need, anger and desperation,"" and how it just makes you long for the life of a moth ""who doesn't care if the flame is real.""
If Lost in Space is her most intimate songwriting yet, you can be sure to expect the same thing on the stage. A simple, four-piece band featuring electric guitar, keyboards, bass, and drums will help you endure her piercing lyrics. Though Mann's existential lyrics seem a little overbearing, don't expect them to come through tears onstage.
She will stand tall, proudly in control. This independent artist has fought with record studios for years, and has only begun to find her voice. Catch this fledgling star while you can.
