Charmer (album)

Charmer
Studio album by Aimee Mann
Released September 18, 2012
Recorded Stampede Origin, Los Angeles
Genre Pop/rock
Length 38:02
Label SuperEgo
Producer Paul Bryan
Aimee Mann chronology
@#%&*! Smilers
(2008)		 Charmer
(2012)

Charmer is the eighth studio album by singer-songwriter Aimee Mann, released by SuperEgo Records on September 18, 2012 (see 2012 in music).

The album was produced by Mann's bassist, Paul Bryan, and features a guest appearance by The Shins frontman James Mercer, who duets with Mann on the track "Living a Lie." It debuted on the Billboard 200 at #33.

Laura Linney stars in the music video for the first single, "Charmer."[1]

The video for the second single, "Labrador," is a shot-for-shot remake of the video for "Voices Carry," the 1985 hit of Mann's former band, 'Til Tuesday.[2]

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic(73/100)[3]
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[4]
American Songwriter[5]
Blurt[6]
Consequence of Sound[7]
musicOMH[8]
No Ripcord[9]
PopMatters[10]
Rolling Stone[11]
Under the Radar[3]
Uncut(8/10)[3]

Charmer so far has a score of 73 out of 100 from Metacritic based on "generally favorable reviews".[3] Jody Rosen, in Rolling Stone magazine, criticized its lyrics and production concluding "[T]here's little new here, and even less charm".[11] Allmusic, however, was more positive, citing its hooks as "spiky and precise", and concluding that it was "an immediate, engaging pop record".[4]

Other reviews are positive: Filter gave the album a score of 84% and stated that "Thirty years in, Mann continues to charm, a hidden glint in her eye."[12] Mojo gave the album four stars out of five and called it "an Americana and power-pop confection with piano and tasteful guitars swaddled in the choicest vintage tones."[3] The Independent gave it a favorable review and called it "Another sweet viper's bite of post-Freudian dyspepsia from the singersongwriter who loves to mistrust."[13] Paste gave it a score of 7.8 out of ten and stated: "The simple fact that Aimee Mann continues writing songs around these distressing observations and putting them out on such achingly beautiful records seems proof that-despite all the twisted, cutting truths she's spied under the lens of her artistic microscope--she still somehow clings to the sable cloud's silver flash."[14] The A.V. Club gave it a B and said that Mann "is able to match her ideas to music with real kick."[15]

Other reviews are average or mixed: Q gave the album three stars out of five and called Mann "good and snarky".[3] The New York Times gave it an average review and said it "represents a sunny term for [Mann], at least in relative terms."[16] The Boston Globe, however, gave it a mixed review and stated: "Too many tracks flirt with flat inconsequentiality, and too often the lyrics slip by without the sting of Mann's normally incisive wordsmithery."[17]

Track listing

All songs written by Aimee Mann, except where noted.

  1. "Charmer" – 3:25
  2. "Disappeared" – 3:24
  3. "Labrador" – 3:49
  4. "Crazytown" – 3:21
  5. "Soon Enough" (Mann, Tim Heidecker) – 3:59
  6. "Living a Lie" (featuring James Mercer) (Mann, Paul Bryan) – 3:26
  7. "Slip and Roll" – 4:12
  8. "Gumby" – 2:53
  9. "Gamma Ray" – 3:00
  10. "Barfly" – 4:00
  11. "Red Flag Diver" – 2:29

Personnel

References

  1. ↑ Aimee Mann gets a Laura Linney robot double in her new video for "Charmer". The A.V. Club (2012-8-16). Retrieved on 2012-9-24.
  2. ↑ Aimee Mann remakes "Voices Carry" with help from Ted Leo, Jon Hamm, Tom Scharpling, and Jon Wurster. The A.V. Club (2012-9-18). Retrieved on 2012-9-19.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Critic Reviews for Charmer". Metacritic. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
  4. 1 2 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Charmer – Aimee Mann". Allmusic. Retrieved 21 November 2012.
  5. ↑ Wojtas, Michael (August 30, 2012). "Aimee Mann: Charmer". American Songwriter. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
  6. ↑ Pick, Steve (October 1, 2012). "Aimee Mann - Charmer". Blurt. Archived from the original on 5 October 2012. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
  7. ↑ Grant, Sarah H. (September 24, 2012). "Album Review: Aimee Mann - Charmer". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
  8. ↑ Wright, Mic (September 17, 2012). "Aimee Mann - Charmer". musicOMH. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
  9. ↑ McKenna, James (October 15, 2012). "Aimee Mann: Charmer". No Ripcord. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
  10. ↑ Horowitz, Steve (September 19, 2012). "Aimee Mann: Charmers". PopMatters. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
  11. 1 2 Rosen, Jody (October 11, 2012). "Charmer Aimee Mann". Rolling Stone (1167). p. 68. Posted in "Charmer". Rolling Stone. 21 September 2012. Retrieved 21 November 2012.
  12. ↑ Pollock, Adam (September 19, 2012). "Reviews - Aimee Mann (Charmer)". Filter. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
  13. ↑ Coleman, Nick (September 16, 2012). "Album: Aimee Mann, Charmer (Super Ego/Proper)". The Independent. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
  14. ↑ Labate, Steve (September 19, 2012). "Aimee Mann: Charmer :: Music :: Reviews". Paste. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
  15. ↑ Murray, Noel (September 18, 2012). "Aimee Mann: Charmer". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
  16. ↑ Chinen, Nate (September 17, 2012). "Aimee Mann: "Charmer"". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
  17. ↑ Hirsh, Marc (September 18, 2012). "Aimee Mann, 'Charmer'". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 8 July 2013.

External links

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