Mellotronists

>
>Regarding Aimee Mann and Patrick Warren, excellent choice.

Chamberlin is used a lot on Aimee's solo material---vibes, violins, sax, 
cellos.  I am almost positive that Patrick got his Chamberlin tapes from 
Dave Kean and used some of the 'tron set, especially the cellos.

Aimee's music overall is quite basic - guitar, bass, drums, Chamberlin at 
times and Minimoog at times.  Songs are not like 'til Tuesday, 
however---there's slow rock with some more uptempo things, a twinge of 
Beatles or a good hook here and there, and no New Wave synths.  It eases 
toward the folk border but stays well far away from it---fortunately.  Not 
incredibly polished stuff; on one album they leave some extra stuff or 
short passages of someone playing something from the recording sessions in 
it, which is fun to listen to.  Just good, basic rock arrangements, and 
that's that.  Subject matter for the songs?  "Cynical and melancholy...The 
only road these songs follow leads straight to despair..." writes a CD Now 
reviewer.  I think the words are a lot more sad than the overall song 
sounds, so I don't look too deeply into them.

(But for the saddest stuff, try This Mortal Coil (listened to a tape once 
and wanted to drive my car into a bridge abutment) or the Cure's 
"Disintegration," which has 'tron samples somewhere, I think.  :-) )

If you do buy Aimee's "Lost In Space" make sure you get the single CD for 
"Humpty Dumpty" (was included when I bought my copy of the album)---the two 
extra songs on it are worth it and are slightly more polished and uptempo.

Aimee is on tour with Indigo Girls.  Fortunately she is the opening act, so 
you can leave right after she's done.  :-)

...kl...M400 #805 - recognizes the cellos

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