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AIMEE
MANN
The Forgotten Arm
(V2)
The American singer-songwriter who came to wider public attention
thanks to her music for the film Magnolia has taken an unusual
risk in these days of attention deficit disorder—she’s
written a concept album. The Forgotten Arm tells the ill-fated
story of two lovers as they road-trip across America, only
to wind up in Vegas where their relationship falls apart amid
drug abuse and mutual recrimination. The story is set in the
mid ’70s, and the songs are suffused with the atmosphere
of classic soft rock. Mann, for the first time, plays piano,
accompanied by shimmering Fender guitars as she recounts her
sorry tales in a clear, dispassionate voice. The Forgotten
Arm requires the listener’s attention over the course
of the entire album. But if this is too much to ask, each
song can also stand alone. DG
THE BOMBJACKS
Midnight Picture Show
(Pyropit)
The ’80s revival now underway looks to the decade’s
asymmetrical haircuts and electro beats for inspiration, but
there was another, less trendy side to the era in the form
of fashion-free power pop bands like The Knack. Combining
modern pop-punk with a heady dose of ’80s pop, UK quintet
the Bombjacks have been able to establish a loyal following
in their home country as well as in Japan, where their 2002
debut sold over 20,000 thanks to a licensing deal with domestic
distributor Nihon Soft. This release comes in advance of this
month’s Japan tour. Five songs make no apologies about
their intent, which is to have a blast and nothing more. Simple,
driving drum beats and crunchy guitars provide the momentum
for singer Ben Weston’s puppy love lamentations. DG
CRYSTAL KAY
Crystal Style
(Epic/Sony)
Firmly in the tradition of mainstream American R&B, Crystal
Kay, born to African-American and Korean parents in Yokohama,
has steadily risen to become Japan’s premiere soul songstress.
On her sixth album, the singer is sounding more composed and
accomplished than ever and has crafted a sultry set that signifies
her continued maturity from teen sensation to adult R&B
diva. Opener “Bye My Darling!” flaunts Kay’s
increasing sexual confidence à la Kelis, but it’s
tempered with sultry ballads like the mellow “Flowers.”
While Crystal Style seems a little over-influenced by the
likes of Whitney & Janet (“Bet You Don’t Know”
and “Brand New”), tracks like “Make You Mine”
and “Love It Take It” have a real edge that suggest
that the disc is another well-placed steppingstone for Kay.
Robert Poole
HOT HOT HEAT
Elevator
(Warner)
While their New Wave peers were attending to their side partings
and eyeliner, the less affected Hot Hot Heat eloped to a hut
in the Canadian countryside to work on the follow-up to 2002’s
infectious but ultimately forgettable Make Up the Breakdown.
Elevator raises the stakes with its richer sound, greater
sense of urgency and nagging emotional depth. “You Owe
Me an IOU” and “Island of the Honest Man” are
the most ebullient examples of New Wave power pop theatrics
likely to be heard this year, booted up the arse by a booming
backbeat and Steve Bays’ demented nasal whine. The vaguely
ska “Soldier in a Box,” meanwhile, should be a single
and labeled “For those who were disappointed with the
Gwen Stefani solo album and who, like, just wanna pogo, damn
it!” David Hickey
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