For
Aimee Mann, the soundtrack to
Paul Thomas Anderson's
Magnolia was her first opportunity to release new material since 1995's
I'm With Stupid. True, some of the songs are a few years old, but this is their first release, and each of her nine songs for the film seamlessly fit together, achieving a perfect blend of musical and lyrical tone. They feel like a miniature album, and while some of these tracks are on Bachelor No. 2, the way they flow and play off of each other makes
Magnolia feel like a unique, individual work. Of course, it helps that
Mann is at a peak in her craft, creating songs that are not only beautifully melodic, but musically and lyrically rich. Sonically, they're of a piece - even her cover of
Nilsson's "One" fits perfectly -- but there's a lot of variety here, from the bouncy, irresistible "Momentum" to the gorgeously melancholic "Deathly."
Mann has shined before, but never quite so consistently. It's easy to get lost in her music, which is why it comes as a bit of surprise to hear a gameshow bell ring at the conclusion of "Save Me," cleanly dividing
Mann's songscore from the oldies that are also used in the film. Essentially, the two
Supertramp songs ("Goodbye Stranger," "Logical Song"),
Gabrielle's "Dreams," and
Jon Brion's theme for the film act as a bonus EP after
Mann's mini-LP. They don't sound out of place, but rather act as a reminder that
Magnolia is not a proper
Mann album, but a soundtrack. It's a testament to
Mann's strengths as a songwriter and pop craftsman that during those first nine songs, it's hard to think of
Magnolia as anything other than a
Mann album, and her best one to date, at that. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine