Magnolia - Aimee Mann

Aimee Mann, bless her, has had an incredibly tough time of it during her career. The first time she got noticed was when she was singing in a band called Til' Tuesday, which had only one hit, called 'voices carry', and was based around the break-up of the in-band relationship between Aimee and... another member of the band (alright, you got me: I haven't done much research on this). After said band-member departed, Aimee took over the band and made two rather fine records, and in doing so destroyed the band completely. Their brand of simple Beatlesesque pop wasn't commercial enough. Aimee escaped from the ashes to begin recording as a solo artist five years ...  Read the complete review

In the sleeve notes for this album, the director of the film 'Magnolia', Paul Thomas Anderson, explains how his original screenplay for the movie was adapted from songs by singer/songwriter Aimee Mann. Now, I haven’t fully researched this, but I’m pretty sure this is the first movie to have been based on a series of songs. And here we have the soundtrack album to 'Magnolia', essentially a collection of Aimee Mann’s songs with a few extra tracks thrown in for good measure. Before I continue with this review, I must admit I hadn’t even heard of Aimee Mann before seeing 'Magnolia' at the cinema last year, but when ...  Read the complete review

Downbeat, beautifully sung songs of melancholy have always appealed to me. When I first saw Aimee Mann's video 'Save Me' – a song from the film 'Magnolia' I knew I had to see it and hear the soundtrack. The film is excellent (definitely a film not a movie). It is unusual and has a finely achieved atmosphere of desolation but with a sense of something great, wondrous or devastating about to happen. Writer and director, Paul Thomas Anderson loosely based the screenplay on the Aimee Mann songs which feature on its soundtrack, the inspiration for the film came from her song 'Wise Up'. He took lyrics and moods from her songs, ...  Read the complete review

One to cherish. As with the film, the OST opens with 'One', a cover that Aimee Mann recorded for a Nilsson tribute. It's a tender, lonely affair, and it sets the introspective tone for much of the album. While 'Momentum' crashes in with a sassy stomp, the words remain fixedly downbeat. But this isn't a depressing album - it's sweet listening, the plantive lyrics a counterpoint to the delicate music. 'Build That Wall', for example, obviously came out on the midnight train from Harmony Central. PT Anderson structured 'Magnolia' around his favourite Aimee Mann songs (the material here can mostly be found on ...  Read the complete review

This is not really a soundtrack in the usual sense. For instance, there are songs on here that do not appear in the film. But more importantly, Aimee Mann's songs were written before the film "Magnolia" was even made. Paul Thomas Anderson, its director, even used some of the lyrics as dialogue for the characters. "Wise up" is the song which, if you've seen the film, demonstrates this perfectly. But never mind if you haven't seen the film, the CD is still a brilliant collection of songs in its own right. "Driving sideways" is perhaps the best of these, the one you're most likely to be singing half an hour later. ...  Read the complete review