Brass Tax: Brass Tax Album

Jada Wagensomer asks us to imagine the perfect intersection of Aimee Mann and a less cheerful Karen Carpenter on this all-too-brief outing. The R&B vibe of “I Won’t Cry” and the blissful pop of “And Then It Starts All Over Again” make both tracks seem much more cheerful –– albeit far more humorous –– than they actually are. The production sounds wooden, dead, as though recorded in the heart of the ‘70s inside a suburban den. Somehow that seems all the more appropriate for the frustrations issued in tracks such as “It’s All The Same To Me” and “The Man With The Tooth.” Wonderfully painful and smart.