Lost In Space

United

After the one hit wonder of “Voices Carry” in 1985 by Boston based popsters Til Tuesday, it was quite a surprise when ten years later the enigmatic voice of the band emerged as a solo artist in the realms of alternative folk the likes of R.E.M. and the B-52’s. Nevertheless Aimee Mann made it known she had returned and was going to be around for quite a few years to come. Scoring a hit with the simple structured “Stupid Thing”, Mann began a string of albums that would see her through to the new millennium and beyond. To date the pinnacle of her success can be found with the 1999 soundtrack to the feature film Magnolia. This catch proved to be a much needed addition to Aimee’s career and helped her accomplish a much higher profile than which she had previously been accustomed to.

Her most recent attempt to convince us that she still has a few tricks up her sleeve is titled Lost In Space and is a down to earth gathering of songs that stress melancholy, alienation and, in a metaphoric sense, addiction; definitely not the album to be entertained by if you’re down in the dumps. On the other hand this CD can also have an almost therapeutic vibe to it, but only if one is in the right frame of mind. I, myself, find it rather relaxing if not trance-like but not to the extent of putting me to sleep. Some may find my idea of relaxation to be nothing more than boredom, but to each his own right?

The bottom line for Lost In Space is it’s not going to appeal to everyone and will no doubt be more of a cult classic rather than a pivotal point in Aimee Mann’s career. In retrospect, it is the opinion of at least this listener that Mann’s solo work has no where near the impact that “Voices Carry” had in its heyday, but then again, I’m a sucker for just about any 80’s music.

-Priest