Pretty Songs & Ugly Stories

Ann Magnuson | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 1, 2007)
• Original Release Date: 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Asphodel Records
• ASIN: B000ODLECQ
• Also Available in: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #243,191 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Ann Magnuson is an actress, singer, writer and performance artist with a feral imagination unfettered by convention or decorum. Pretty Songs & Ugly Stories combines Magnuson’s formidable musical, theatrical and lyrical instincts with the compositional and production muscle of Kristian Hoffman. [Hoffman was the keyboard player and songwriter of seminal punk band the Mumps. He wrote and arranged Klaus Nomi's pop hits, and led two infamous NYC bands - the Swinging Madisons and Bleaker Street Incident. He's also worked with Lydia Lunch and Dave Davies and as musical director for Rufus Wainwright, and has 3 acclaimed solo CDs in release.] On Pretty Songs & Ugly Stories Magnuson’s vocals are never less than compelling; her voice is rich with arch humor, able to dip into a simmering lower register or jump to a jubilant cry of girlish delight. The songs tumble out in a luxuriant cornucopia of pop styles.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ann Victorious, February 29, 2008

By 

M. G. Fahy (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pretty Songs & Ugly Stories (Audio CD)

This collection of songs by Ann Magnuson (formerly of Bongwater) and Kristian Hoffman (formerly of Mumps) is
almost unrealistically good. Magnuson's bitingly humorous lyrics meld perfectly with Hoffman's arrangements.
From power-pop to lounge muzak, they skewer genres as deeply as they understand them (and that's pretty deep). This is a great recording that's bound to be overlooked by most, which is a sin...but it only proves Magnuson's bitter theory that the "magazines say my life has turned to mold".
Ann, with that startling mix of ArtForum and "trailer park", you'll always be fresh to me.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful songs, February 6, 2008

By 

Stanley S. Scott - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pretty Songs & Ugly Stories (Audio CD)

If you haven't heard Ann Magnuson yet, you're in for a very nice surprise. The songs themselves are very clever ("Falling For An Actor" itself is worth the price of admission), and Ann interprets them beautifully. As the title says, the melodies are pretty, but the stories they tell aren't, and there's a nice tension between the two. Highly recommended.