Aimee Mann//One, Jon Brion//I Believe She's Lying

Continuing on this week's wave of Nilsson (OH MY GOD IT WAS NILSSON WEEK!), here is a recording of one of my favorite artists covering one of his signature songs, produced by one of my favorite producers for another of my favorite movies AND a song by that producer, who also scored the movie. Following?

Artist: Aimee Mann
Song: One
Producer: Jon Brion
Movie: Magnolia

I love Magnolia. I think I can quote the whole thing. Gross, right? I love the Magnolia soundtrack too because, aside from the Supertramp tracks, what's not to love? Mann's rendition of "One" makes the whole thing seems like an introspective and depressing affair.

Also everyone knows I have a serious hard-on for JB and everything he does. I'm shocked I haven't put one of his songs up here yet. There are so many potentials, but I love this one for it's signature JB crazy drums.

Bonus points, Paul Thomas Anderson, writer and director of Magnolia, Boogie Nights, There Will Be Blood, Etc., was dating Fiona Apple at the time of Magnolia's production. One of her pantings is in the film.

AND WITH THAT, I'm signing off for the week, OSS. Hope you've enjoyed my ramblings. I mean, thanks for your patience. Now, somebody get me a ticket to Largo.



One.mp3




I Believe She's Lying.mp3

"No" is the saddest experience you'll ever know.
Yes, it's the saddest experience you'll ever know
Because one is the loneliest number that you'll ever do.
One is the loneliest number that you'll ever know.

Elliott Smith//Baby Britain

It’s rainy. It’s dour. It’s Elliott Smith time.

I want to say that this is not my favorite Elliott Smith song because how can you have just one favorite Elliott Smith song? You can’t. What I will say about Baby Britain is that it holds giant significance for me namely because it was the first Smith song I ever heard, and as such, I consider it as a major gateway to the rest of the Smith cannon as well as a number of other artists I found through my enjoyment of Smith.

I can remember the exact moment when I first heard this. It was rainy and grey, just like today. It was likely 1999. I was sitting in the office of my parent’s house listening to WFUV, my middle school/early high school favorite radio station, on the antique radio that sounds all warm and sweet and old timey. This song came on and blew my mind.

When they announced that this was a new song from a new album by Elliott Smith, I remembered that my recent ex-boyfriend had been talking this dude up. I immediately went onto…wait for it...NAPSTER (don’t tell my parents I had NAPSTER installed on the home computer—are you guys reading this? I have no idea what I’m typing right now) and grabbed everything I could find, which was roughly six tracks, including a few from Roman Candle. I’m sure each track also took roughly five hours to download. YOU KIDS DON’T KNOW HOW GOOD YOU HAVE IT! I HAD TO TRUDGE THREE MILES TO SCHOOL IN THE SNOW AND USE DIAL-UP 56KB INTERNETS!!!!

Smith is a melodic genius and a lyrical craftsman whose bizarre and premature death made him into an indie rock legend. It sounds over-the-top, but I don’t think many would argue that each song and album he created in his too-short life was highly exceptional in its own way. Of course, this track follows suit.



Baby Britain.mp3

We knocked another couple back,
The dead soldiers lined up on the table,
Still prepared for an attack.
They didn't know they'd been disabled.

Fiona Apple//Criminal

I thought I would brighten up your Thursday with a double whammy of TJBC AND 90s MTV nostalgia.

Speaking of 90s MTV, I don’t think I was really allowed to watch this much (or at all, depending on who you ask). That said, I managed to sneak in quite a bit of The Real World (early thumbs up!, later thumbs down!), Road Rules (always thumbs down!), Daria (thumbs up!), Spring Break (thumbs WAY down!), True Life (thumbs mostly up!) and Beevis and Butthead (thumbs mostly down!) in those golden hours between getting home from school and my parents getting home from work.

By this time, MTV had moved into a transitional phase between the early, rawesome, video-killed-the-radio-star VJs-deliver-the-news MTV of the 80s and the ultra-lame pitch-controlled all-“reality”-all-the-time MTV of today. We still had Kurt Loder (WHO JUST TURNED 63, btw, OMG!), but we also had that terrible situational soft core porn show, the name of which I cannot even recall. Can anyone help me out with that one?

Even so, there were still some great videos being shown during that era. I think I didn’t realize this at the time, but this was really a cultural tide-shift in terms of what people would put on TV. For example videos like Radiohead’s “Paranoid Android” and the one for today’s feature were really pushing a new envelope.

In other news, I recognize that Ms. Apple is a kind of, scrap that, totally insane, but you’ve got to admit she’s talented in the songwriting, lyrics and vocals department. While 1999’s When the Pawn… still holds the place as my favorite of her albums, her debut, Tidal, is pretty filled with adolescent jams. Both albums were produced by my very favorite Jon Brion (though the more recent Extraordinary Machine controversially wasn’t) and both bear many of his signature style marks of out-of-the-ordinary tone, distinctive guitar solos and vibraphone vibraphone vibraphone!

Unrelated trivia: Apple (as well as Aimee Mann) also has a strong connection to my favorite film/director (Magnolia/PT Anderson), but I don’t feel like going into it right now. Maybe I can break off on that tangent when I finally post “Goodbye Stranger” by Supertramp. HA. HAHA.



Criminal.mp3

I know tomorrow brings the consequence
At hand,
But I keep livin this day like
The next will never come.

Rufus Wainwright//Rebel Prince, Matt Jones//Threadlines

A random tidbit, to start the week, One Sweet Song got a nice feature in Chicago’s Cul de sac Magazine. You can read it here.

On to tunes; unfortunately, I wasn’t able to post on Friday, due to internet issues. To make it up to you, I’m posting double the songs today.

I had an epic weekend of shows—three in as many days!

The middle show was Rufus Wainwright, which I attended with my stepmom (she asked me to post “Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk” here—sorry, Cake, not my favorite!) and my sister (first concert, what what!). In addition to providing a nice opportunity to explain the word “flamboyant” to a 13-year-old, Wainwright really knows how to put on a show, despite the fact that he may have drug-induced ADD. I was pleased that he played plenty of tracks of off my favorite album, Poses, which always reminds me of driving around with Kenny in high school. I was particularly happy that he went for this song, in addition to “Grey Gardens.” Love both of these tracks very much. He also played "Hallelujah," which nearly reduced me to a puddle of pathetic tears.

Of course, it’s no surprise that Wainwright is another product of the Brion golden touch.



Rebel Prince.mp3

The other two of the three were friend and fellow Ann Arbor scene veteran Matt Jones, who was also the first L!M!F! Feature, and who is currently on a month+ long tour in support of his freshly released full length The Black Path. I highly suggest that everyone buy this album. Definitely one of the best things I’ve heard this year so far.

In addition to “Threadlines,” “Holy Light” and “Waltzing With Lady Dawn” are totally stellar tracks. How can you not like a song that starts out with the lyrics, “I’ve been drinking like it’s Mother’s Day.”?

Also, catch Matt live, if you can. He’ll probably be in or near your city in the next month.



Threadlines.mp3

That’s right,
I’m cutting loose from winter.
I’ll leave her frozen in ponds and city lights.

Aimee Mann//Choice in the Matter

Aimee Mann practically saved my life in high school. I’m not kidding.

Jon Brion-produced I’m With Stupid was another brilliant and life-changing gift from Joel. Every track is golden; every bitter, deadpan word was one that spoke directly to the feeling of disaffected outcast youthfulness that I had at 16 in the suburbs of New Jersey. To this day, this album sits at the top of my desert island necessities.

You may know Aimee Mann from her role in one of my favorite guilty pleasure bands, Til’ Tuesday (80s hit: “Voices Carry,” which some of my friends heard as “This is Scary” and some other friends heard as “This is Gary”). Perhaps synth nightmare/my favorite, “Love In a Vaccum” will someday find it’s way onto this very blog, although the fact that my entire TT collection lives on vinyl and tape make this a little difficult.

You may also know Aimee Mann from her soundtrack/theme work on one of my favorite movies, Magnolia. You know that scene where every character sings part of a song? Yep.

What else can I tell you about Ms. Mann?

She’s married to Michael Penn, musician and brother of Sean Penn.
She has a song about my favorite comic (and tattoo inspiration) Ghost World.
She has a cameo in my least favorite move, The Big Lebowski.
Her battles with the record industry have been messy and public (presumably what the title of this album references).
She now has her own record label, the aptly named SuperEgo.
She used to have a rattail.
She is a badass (see one above).
She is an amazing songwriter and lyricist.

This is a song I learned how to play in the early days of me playing guitar. I don’t really ever tire of it, or any track on IWS:



Choice in the Matter.mp3

Skip the cloak and dagger bit.
Don’t you know we’re sick of it?

As much as I would like to stay,
The message light just blinks away…
And while I’m here, you won’t push play.

Jason Falkner//My Lucky Day

I love Jason Falkner.

Joel had a lot of influence over my childhood listening habits. This album (used) was either a Christmas or a birthday gift that I continue to wholeheartedly enjoy.

This is also (ding ding ding!) a JB connection (Faulkner played in The Grays, another oft overlooked 90s power pop thing, with Mr. Brion). You also may remember him from Jellyfish.



My Lucky Day.mp3

Everyone knows
How the end goes
If you don’t know
Here it goes

Eels//Novocaine for the Soul

I’m genuinely surprised this hasn’t come up yet--this being my Jon Brion obsession. I think Jon Brion is the Jesus Christ of producers. I think he is better than Jesus Christ. I think he is King Midas .

Honestly, this man probably produced most of your favorite albums. He definitely produced most of mine. His impressive list of clients and collaborators includes Elliott Smith, Aimee Mann, Rufus Wainwright, Evan Dando, Kanye West, Spoon. Fiona Apple, Rhett Miller. As if that wasn’t enough, he’s also done tons of solo and soundtrack work (remember Eternal Sunshine? That as him).

Ahem ahem. Now that I got that off my chest, we are not actually gathered here today to discuss the esteemed JB. On the contrary, I want to post a song by one of his collaborators, Mark Oliver Everett AKA A Man Called E AKA Eels.

I came to this band too late, but I still appreciate their lush and varied sound. This song is a sprawling mess of glorious…which is also what I feel like today. Novocaine for the Soul: I could definitely use some.



Novocaine for the Soul.mp3

Guess who’s living here with the great undead.
This paint by numbers life is fucking with my head.