Aimee Mann

Aimee Mann has a knack for imbuing her songs with emotional intelligence as well as pop hooks, but her idea of what constitutes a hook continues to move further away from the radio-friendly songs she sang with her old band, ’Til Tuesday. Her recent music is a new animal entirely. She seems to be writing for her own quiet pleasure rather than for any audience, and her songs take time to breathe and follow the arc of their melodies to places of melancholy and euphoria. For instance, the songs on last year’s The Forgotten Arm seem unremarkable at first, but considered listening reveals a masterful, high-concept, almost literary album that chronicles the love affair of a boxer and his honey. 13000 Zoo Blvd., Apple Valley; 952-431-9303; www.mnzoo.org