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Boston's duo Dresden Dolls
(drummer Brian Viglione and vocalist and pianist Amanda Palmer) concocted an
odd hybrid of German cabaret and British punk-rock on
the live A Is for Accident and especially on the real debut
Dresden Dolls (8ft, 2004).
After the piano-based Queen-like introduction of Good Day,
the desperately exuberant
Girl Anachronism sets the real tone of the Dresden Dolls' punk opera.
Kurt Weill's influence permeates Missed Me and especially the hilarious Coin-Operated Boy, but that's just the surface.
Their range is much broader.
Gravity boasts an anthemic piano progression a` la Warren Zevon.
The Perfect Fit is a piano-driven recitation rising to anthemic rant in
the vein of Patti Smith.
The sweet melody of The Jeep Song evoke the fake innocence of the Velvet Underground & Nico (compare with Sunday Morning).
The complex, dark and introverted Half Jack and Slide show sophisticated songwriting skills.
The closer is an eight-minute elegy Truce, initially barely whispered and later screamed in a crescendo of strings and finally drowned in an outburst of collective instrumental dissonance.
The stereotypical marches and waltzes of German cabaret are better disguised on
Yes Virginia (Roadrunner, 2006), a work that relies more on Palmer's
lyrics while attempting to broaden the stylistic palette.
Sex Changes and My Alcoholic Friends are the explicit references
to the cabaret and the music-hall, the former propelled by jumping piano and
the latter decorated with a catchy melody.
Amanda Palmer now sounds like a consummate front-woman, and
Backstabber echoes the Pretenders.
The album, in general, is permeated by a more aggressive, almost furious, approach, notably in
Modern Moonlight. However, Shores Of California
(and to some extent the more radio-friendly Sing) seems to steer
towards a soulful, intellectual stance a` la Joni Mitchell.
Further refining the vocal skills demonstrated in the first album's
The Perfect Fit, The seven-minute Delilah tries to match the
creative soliloquy of Joanna Newsom.
This is Palmer's show, and a drum-less composition like
Me And The Minibar makes it clear.
Compared with the first album, though, the material seems to falter a bit
too often.
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