Who Killed Amanda Palmer? was supposed to be a quiet affair. The idea was to take some of her quieter songs which she felt didn’t fit the Dresden Doll aesthetic, put out an album featuring just her and a piano, and then release them without much fanfare.
That was, of course, before Ben Folds signed on as producer and turned the vocals and piano project into nothing short of an epic release. Strings, horns, synths, guitar, and drums explode and crash cacophonously all over the place, making for anything but a quiet record.
A Quiet Affair?
“Astronaut (A Short History of Nearly Nothing)” begins the album in a big way. Pining after her absent love, Palmer reverses the usual clichés with her usual wit and morbidity: “Just my luck, they found your upper-half/It’s a very nice reminder.”
“Runs in the Family” continues the energy of the record with a song pondering her propensity to be sexually promiscuous.
It’s not until the albums third track, “Ampersand,” that we begin to see what Palmer might have originally intended the record to be. A six minute ballad complete with orchestral flourishes, the song finds Palmer pondering individuality and personal obligations: “I'm not gonna live my life on one side of an ampersand.”
Guest Stars
Beyond Ben Folds, the album features Zoe Keating, East Bay Ray of the Dead Kennedys, and Annie Clark, who releases under the moniker St. Vincent. “Guitar Hero,” the track featuring East Bay Ray, relies heavily on the guest’s guitar work to push the song into overdrive.
Palmer squeaks and squeals and puts on the theatrics in the usual Dresden Dolls fashion. Annie Clark’s guest appearance on “What’s the Use of Wond'rin'?” makes for the only track that would really seem completely out of place on a Dresden Dolls album. A re-working of a Roger and Hammerstein’s song, Clark’s ethereal voice and understated performance serves as a counter-point to the sinister lyrics.
Characters and Stories
Always prone to create characters and stories to inhabit her songs, “Oasis” is an abortion song set to bouncing piano and sunny “oohs” and “aahs.” Thankfully the song clocks in barely over two minutes as the dichotomy between the lyrics and music doesn’t serve to increase the songs appeal.
With a few exceptions, Palmer doesn’t stray far from her usual styles and tones, but with such a unique and compelling sound, there hardly seems a need to create something completely new.
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