if only Kurt Weill was a woman, his name would be… Amanda Fucking Palmer

Yes. She strikes back. With an absolutely brilliant record. And I have to admit that Amanda Palmer surprised me a lot. Being a fan of the Dresden Dolls I wasn’t really convinced if I liked her solo works. She absolutely is an amazing lyricist. Probably one of the best of our time. But musically? Meh… Her first solo album lacked the punk influence that the Dresden Dolls absolutely had. Actually, this is one of the things that make me love the Dresden Dolls. The amazing lyrics of Amanda Palmer, her voice, her stage persona combined with raw, angry, post-punk music. I may be wrong but I just have a feeling she was much more angry back in the old days.

That doesn’t mean, however, that something is wrong here. Palmer changes her style, her music, her stage personalities with utmost virtuosity. She’s an extremely professional stage musician who made an unbelievable transformation from an angry punk girl into a chanson-singer who is deeply rooted in cabaret, in the songs of the Kurt Weill/Bertold Brecht duo, in Broadway. Influenced by an amazing variety of musical genres, not even being afraid of finding a way to incorporate some Russian musical themes (A Formidable Marinade), she remains brilliant as ever. Or even more than ever.

The pleasure of listening to Amanda Palmer Goes Down Under is also strengthened by the fact that most of the tracks are written and/or recorded during her Australia/New Zealand tour in 2010. So you get a taste of not only her music and the amazing lyrics but also a little insight into what her connection with the audience is like. And, Amanda Fucking Palmer, I gotta give you that – you’re amazing when interacting with your audience. Witty, charming, in-yer-face enough but never bullying, perfectly capable of making jokes and improvising in both, music and acting.

When it comes to the lyrics. Awww… I don’t want this whole post to look like I’m praising Palmer without any criticism at all. But she mastered it a long time ago. And she remains perfect.

Is there any criticism at all then? Well… yeah, sometimes I wish she could revive the Dresden Dolls and perhaps develop in a new direction. I just miss this band, that’s all. But I’m sane enough to see that she will develop and change her styles, make ups and ideas. I just need to wait for her new crazy album and I’m sure each time she can give me something new but still true to her roots and musical interests. After all. As I said before. She’s just brilliant.

p.s. Below – a video which is great but not really showing the spirit of the album and a song which… shows the spirit of the album :-]

p.s. 2 I also hate vegemite!