Aimee Mann - Lost In Space CDs • Vinyl Records • LPs • Music Albums

it gets too close to the flame). The tempos and melodies drag throughout; it's as though we've heard Mann sing these songs before, only here her understated passion comes off more like overstated indifference.

She pulls off a few zingers: Mann's taut vocals and casual sarcasm in the title track ride a nice psychedelic-pop groove, and her ode to obsession, "This Is How It Goes," gently shrugs with resignation. What the album lacks is the desperate, low-key kick of Magnolia's "Save Me" or the elegantly inventive, anthemic pop therapy of an "I Should've Known." Lost in Space isn't a total wash, but it doesn't even approach Mann's best work.

MARK KEMP
(RS 905 - Sept. 19, 2002)

Building on the exposure she earned from the movie Magnolia, Aimee Mann self-released this one and had the satisfaction of watching it become a substantial seller, hitting No. 1 on the indie charts. Not bad for a concept LP built around characters stuck in a downward spiral of addiction. Yep, it's a downer, but Mann's knack for classic pop melodies eases the pain.