“Very raw”: Aimee Mann’s favourite song of the 21st century
Unlike many others, Aimee Mann enjoys the idea of being a niche artist. While some musicians chase stardom, transitioning their music into a more commercial entity to increase their chances of tasting the big time, Mann shuns the prospect, instead opting to stick to what she knows. “My music is not going to sell outside a certain audience, so why not leave it alone so you don’t alienate the people who actually like it?” she once said.
Despite describing herself as someone who lacks the skills to be a “big star,” her creative abilities tap into something arguably much more valuable: artistic and lyrical prowess. As a songwriter, Mann infuses her narratives with poeticism, somehow striking the all-important balance between accessibility and delicate, nuanced wordplay.
Mann’s talent makes it incredibly easy to compare her to the 1960s singer-songwriter boom when artists like Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, and many other major players changed the sound of music forever. Much like this movement, Mann established power with a singular voice, emerging from rock and punk scenes to create something truly unique.
Looking at her eclectic musical sounds and sensibilities, it’s understandable why Mann also became enamoured with acts like The Beatles and Steely Dan. The latter, in her view, created “the perfect record” with Can’t Buy a Thrill, which incorporates “complicated chord changes” and “a really harmonic sensibility that’s not like anybody else’s.”
However, she also enjoys some contemporary musicians, like Sharon Van Etten, particularly her song ‘Peace Signs’, because it is intimate, authentic, and “very, very raw”. She explained to Pitchfork: “As time goes on, the music that rises to the top is the music that labels put a lot of money behind, and they’re not gonna put any money behind something that is not going to be a blockbuster; it’s never the shy, interesting person who’s a clever songwriter.”
Discussing what she likes about ‘Peace Signs’ in particular, she added: “So it’s nice to hear somebody who was just using an electric guitar and singing. She sounds so much like herself. I want people to sound like themselves. I don’t want them to sound like other people that you’ve already heard. I want it to be revealing and personal.”
There are many similarities between Mann and Etten, but perhaps most intriguing is that ‘Peace Signs’ sits at the intersection between dark realism and optimism. As the title suggests, it almost feels like an olive branch offering of sorts despite its broader reflections of conflict and longing. Perhaps this is why Etten felt that Idles’ 2021 cover felt so refreshing after their punk-rock spin made it feel more relevant than ever. She concluded: “I knew that they would do the song justice in their form of… I always hesitate saying it… yeah, they’re ‘punk,’ but like, they’re a rock band. They have so much fun, and they also have a positive message. And I felt like hearing it from that perspective would help give this song a new life.”
