Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 04/27/2004
Inevitably, music will have leaders as well as followers, and both have their place. It's unrealistic and foolish to think that every artist who comes along should be a trendsetter; people who shake things up as intensely as
Charlie Parker,
the Sex Pistols,
John Coltrane,
the Beatles, or
Nirvana are the exception instead of the rule. But when someone does come up with something that is truly fresh, he/she deserves applause -- and there is plenty of freshness on this self-titled CD by
the Dresden Dolls, a Boston-based duo that successfully blends
alternative pop/rock with German
cabaret. Lead singer
Amanda Palmer brings an unlikely combination of influences to this release, and they range from
Kurt Weill and
Marlene Dietrich to
goth rock,
punk, and the
riot grrrl movement.
Palmer has been greatly affected by the emotional catharsis of
PJ Harvey,
Courtney Love, and
Tori Amos -- her performances can be very stream-of-consciousness -- but she has also been influenced by the
cabaret of Germany's pre-
Adolf Hitler Weimar Republic (although
Palmer writes and sings in English exclusively on this album).
Hitler, a fanatically extreme social conservative, detested the flamboyant, sexualized imagery of the Weimar-era
cabaret culture and did everything he could to eradicate it. But when
Marlene Dietrich and others fled Nazi Germany, they took their
cabaret with them -- and that Weimar-era influence is all over this intriguing CD. Not only has it affected
Palmer's darkly theatrical melodies, but also,
Palmer and drummer
Brian Viglione (
the Dresden Dolls' other half) sport a look that is part
goth and part Weimar-era burlesque. And much to their credit,
the Dresden Dolls make their unorthodox
alt-rock/
cabaret blend sound perfectly natural rather than forced. This CD is enthusiastically recommended to anyone who is seeking something fresh from
alternative pop/rock.
~Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
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