@#%&*! Smilers

Aimee Mann
Superego Records

It figures that Aimee Mann, evidenced by the title of her new album, has got a private phrase for people who smile too much. Listening to her music, which tends to get tagged with adjectives like melancholy and bittersweet and fucking depressing, you get the sense that Mann has an inflexible plan for rationing smiles. But she's also a songwriter who creates exquisite little pop songs, and the give and take between her wistful lyrics and catchy melodies produces the musical equivalent of sour candies. They sting a little but still taste good. Smilers is Mann's most consistent and dare I say enjoyable album in a while, with a soft sound that suits her thin voice. Electric guitars are banished, and drums tend to be muted, with the beat as likely to come from piano or acoustic guitar. It's the perfect, slightly subdued musical mood for these portraits of slightly defeated characters. The touches of fun, like the cheerful organ on the catchy "Borrowing Time" and the horns used on a couple of tracks, add some richness that contrasts nicely with the attenuated emotions.