Aimee Mann’s Mental Illness shows off her rich, incisive and wry melancholia in an almost all-acoustic format, with a “finger-picky” style inspired by some of her favorite ‘60s and ‘70s folk-rock records, augmented by haunting strings arranged by her longtime producer, Paul Bryan. Aimee remains a student of human behavior, drawing not just on her own experiences to form the characters in the songs but tales told by friends.
Beloved power-pop songwriter Peter Holsapple (The dB’s and Continental Drifters) is self-releasing a new vinyl 45 record, “Don’t Mention the War” b/w “Cinderella Style” on his own Hawthorne Curve Records. “Don’t Mention the War” is a poignant look at one man’s post-traumatic stress syndrome and how it affects his adoring nephew. With low, somber brass (Mark Daumann on tuba) and echoes of battles past, this is another engaging Holsapple story-song, steeped in dark emotions and vivid character assessment.
A new video from The Campbell Apartment is cause for celebration. “Something In The Way” is a refreshing and upbeat tune starring Dana Mandolesi and filmed by fantastic filmmaker Shahrzade Ehya. It was part of the band’s EP “Sundogs” which you can get on Amazon. Great stuff!