Aimee Mann - Mental Illness (Japanese Edition) (2017)

Aimee Mann’s music has always had a streak of melancholy, but never so pronounced—or elegantly executed—as it is here. From the gentle waltz of “Stuck in the Past” to the rainy-day chamber pop of “Simple Fix,” Mann explores the worlds of crumbling couples, problem drinkers, and fading stars with a controlled beauty that eludes the characters in their (probably messy) lives. “Falling for you was a walk off a cliff,” she sings on closer “Poor Judge,” proof that her empathy hasn’t gotten in the way of her caustic wit.