Dresden Doll Amanda Palmer breaks out and goes solo
Shawon Rodger
Issue date: 11/7/08 Section: A&E
Amanda Palmer, singer-songwriter and pianist, has become a common name among listeners that prefer a light-hearted, darker approach to life. Palmer began her (in)famous career as the avant-garde, musical powerhouse behind The Dresden Dolls, a punk-cabaret band out of Boston, MA. The band tirelessly toured the world, bringing fans an expansive three-album repertoire of politically-minded and socially-taboo lyrics that, when put to a sturdy rhythm and Palmer's piano and unique vocal stylings, left people wondering how the duo would top itself.
When the band informally broke up in a note on Palmer's Myspace blog, fans of the punk-cabaret world that The Dresden Dolls created had their answer: Palmer went solo. The same hungry quest for answers to life's rhetorical questions is felt in Palmer's new album Who Killed Amanda Palmer? Songs like "Leeds United" and "The Point of it All" bring us what an untrained ear would assume to be Palmer's personal views on love and life itself; die-hard fans familiar with The Dolls' lyrics and the allure of Palmer's writing will notice instantly how every song has double- triple- or even quadruple-entendres, leaving room for speculation in every phrase.
The music hasn't changed much-the drums still beat and the piano still flares with Palmer's cabaret-style preference. More songs with strings and choral harmonies stand out more than what was normal for The Dresden Dolls, but the most noticeable change is in Palmer's voice. She is quoted in Venus Zine admitting, "I think for a long time I felt that I had to scream to get my point across until I finally realized maybe that's not the best way." Instead of the violent outpouring of emotion that permeates most of The Dresden Dolls' songs, Palmer's solo album shows us the softer side of her voice. Make no mistake-this change in no way waters down Palmer's highly opinionated, aggressive reviews of what we Americans have deemed "normal." As an advocate for everything but "normality," Palmer continues to emphasize the necessity to think for oneself, and does so as eloquently, if not more so, than ever before. If you haven't yet, get cozy in your favorite café, sip something warm and let Ms. Palmer teach you about life. It's totally worth it.
When the band informally broke up in a note on Palmer's Myspace blog, fans of the punk-cabaret world that The Dresden Dolls created had their answer: Palmer went solo. The same hungry quest for answers to life's rhetorical questions is felt in Palmer's new album Who Killed Amanda Palmer? Songs like "Leeds United" and "The Point of it All" bring us what an untrained ear would assume to be Palmer's personal views on love and life itself; die-hard fans familiar with The Dolls' lyrics and the allure of Palmer's writing will notice instantly how every song has double- triple- or even quadruple-entendres, leaving room for speculation in every phrase.
The music hasn't changed much-the drums still beat and the piano still flares with Palmer's cabaret-style preference. More songs with strings and choral harmonies stand out more than what was normal for The Dresden Dolls, but the most noticeable change is in Palmer's voice. She is quoted in Venus Zine admitting, "I think for a long time I felt that I had to scream to get my point across until I finally realized maybe that's not the best way." Instead of the violent outpouring of emotion that permeates most of The Dresden Dolls' songs, Palmer's solo album shows us the softer side of her voice. Make no mistake-this change in no way waters down Palmer's highly opinionated, aggressive reviews of what we Americans have deemed "normal." As an advocate for everything but "normality," Palmer continues to emphasize the necessity to think for oneself, and does so as eloquently, if not more so, than ever before. If you haven't yet, get cozy in your favorite café, sip something warm and let Ms. Palmer teach you about life. It's totally worth it.
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