I've decided to start with the Dresden Dolls first, seeing as I'm going to see them in concert on Thursday, which I am absolutely excited about. Anyway this is their self-titled debut album (although technically not their first, seeing as they have an earlier demo-ish CD called A is for Accident.) This whole album has an incredibly unique sound that makes one think of caberet mixed in with an old time circus with a freak show and a carnival. There is this reigning feeling of tainted innocence throughout with their sound effects of music boxes and jump rope rhymes. I especially love it that they use sound effects to actually enhance their lyrics and not just random noises, i.e. the jail noises in "Missed Me" and the mechanical construction heard in "Coin-Operated Boy." Amanda Palmer (vocals/piano) and Brian Viglione (drummer) are the duet that make up this amazing band. While their music is rather aggressive and dark, it still makes you feel good in that vindictive sort of way.
1. "Good Day" - We start off with a slower song, unlike most albums you hear nowadays that like to start off with a bang. Instead we have Amanda build us up with her biting vocals and pounding beat, holding an anger against someone who's left her, but she's feeling vengeful and singing about how awesomely "great" she feels without him and how good it feels to hear he's having a shitty day. This track also finishes with a strange jump rope rhyme which amuses me everytime I forget it's there.
2. "Girl Anachronism" - Perhaps my favorite from this CD, although at first I was a little unsure because the piano's melody reminded me a lot of the Lengend of Zelda labyrinth theme from 1986. No matter, I love it so much now and Amanda's passion in this fast paced moment of crazed derangements, blaming her inability to fit correctly in society with the fact that she was born via C-section. (Video)
3. "Missed Me" - This is a very creepy interpretation of the classic children's playground chant...She turned it into a song about a girl with a playful revenge plan against an older man, a Lolita-esque relationship where now that he's tired of her she threatens him in order to have him stay with her. Rumored that Amanda had a similar experience in her adolesence. Her piano work here is very staccato and disturbing.
4. "Half Jack" - A song that Amanda wrote about the father that she never knew as a father and how she can't get rid of the half of her that is her father's genetics. This song is a little more like a ballad but still retains her unique style of vocals, alternating between soft whispers and belting/screaming out "Run, Jack Run!"
5. "672" - A one minute piano solo of Amanda singing the number "672." No one knows what it's about, and Amanda won't tell.
6. "Coin-Operated Boy" - The song that gave them mainstream popularity, and the reason that I heard about them at all. It's a very lovely modern music box like song, that describes the narrator's want to have a man that can do whatever you want and not have to deal with the hurts of a real relationship. I find it great that Amanda sings the lyric "I can even take him in the bath" in her live concerts as "I can even fuck him in the ass." Kudos! The bridge is the best part of the song....for those of you who know what it's like to be desperately lonely, you'll enjoy this song. (Video)
7. "Gravity" – A song that Amanda says is about her previous back problems and the trouble it gave her mobility but is written in the context of being pulled over for drunk driving and tested for sobriety. One thing I love about Dresden Dolls is that Amanda takes so much care in the crafting of her lyrics, she often juxtaposes different imagery to create double meanings. Another driving song that starts out soft and gets terribly aggressive for the chorus.
8. "Bad Habit" – A song that people have misinterpreted as a promotional song for slitting your wrists, however it’s about Amanda’s bad habit of compulsion of removing skin from around her fingernails by any means, and the song ultimately surrounds self destructive habits and how good it can feel. This song sounds a little more like mainstream to me with a bit more drums and faster pounding beat but it still doesn’t lose the Dresden Dolls-esque piano rock that you expect.
9. "The Perfect Fit" – My least favorite track of the album. It speaks of shortcomings and small victories, and referencing Amanda’s past of street performing. This song is rather slow and I suppose this is the one that I skip (yea, I’m guilty of CD hopping way too much.) The beginning is quite draggy but towards the end she builds up a more driven beat that feels better to me, and I do enjoy the music box chimes that play throughout. Oh, and the bongos at the end are quite delightful. So I suppose if you are not as impatient as me then you can enjoy the song just fine.
10. "The Jeep Song" – I love this song…it’s such a heartfelt tribute to the hate that Amanda feels about seeing other people that drive the same car as her ex-boyfriend. My favorite line is “Don’t tell me if you’re off to see the world/I know you won’t get very far/Don’t tell me if you get another girl/Baby, just tell me if you get another car.” Definitely the most mainstream sounding song, very cute with a retro feel when Amanda sings “ba da bop bop buh” in the background. I relate to this one. I also just realized the cleverness of the line “And drive that Cherokee straight off it’s trail of tears.” Oh, Amanda.
11. "Slide" – This song is another creepy one. It’s a slow haunting piece about a girl sliding down a slide and getting picked up by a man at the bottom who takes her away and rapes her. I believe that there is a double meaning about the man being the process of aging and the harsh reality, the girl sliding down a slide out of her innocence into a life where she’s forced to grow up to a hard-knock life. I like the drum beat march that fits itself in amongst the piano. There’s a slight funeral feel to the song.
12. "Truce" – Another slow song, she juxtaposes the end of a relationship breakup with 9/11 imagery. I suppose some people may be offended by the comparison, but her lyrics are cleverly woven without any witty snobbery, just a kind of raw sadness of how she feels like she’s being destroyed. She’s dividing up everything in the world with her ex, telling him what things and territories belong to who so they don’t have to see each other again. One thing I do enjoy about Amanda’s slow pieces, worth noting because I enjoy faster songs any day, but I love how she always finds a place to get louder, get more aggressive, get more emotional. Her vocals specialize in her ability to express anger, desperation, sarcasm. I love how she even adds in a haughty laugh of anger. It seems to be called for. And I love in the song how she screams "I'M ONTO YOU!"
I absolutely recommend this CD, and particularity to listen to when you're feeling moody (and vengeful! Try feeling that too!)
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