Amanda Palmer shaves off her eyebrows and draws swirly curlicues over her eyes in their place, isn’t afraid to flash her breasts during an impromptu onstage costume change, and, as demonstrated when she opened for Death Cab for Cutie in Providence this spring, occasionally plays ukulele covers of early Radiohead songs. Crazy is usually just crazy, but sometimes it’s genius. On the Dresden Dolls frontwoman’s new solo album Who Killed Amanda Palmer, the genius is hard to miss.
While her glammed-up Hot Topic aesthetic and raw rock screech might suggest otherwise, this album is at its core a collection of damn good pure pop songs. Breaking out of the piano-and-drums format the Dresden Dolls typically adhere to gives her the opportunity to liberally add strings and synths to the mix, which gives Who Killed Amanda Palmer a lush sound that wouldn’t be too out of place on the world’s coolest Christina Aguilera album. The stellar opening tracks “Astronaut,” “Runs in the Family,” and “Ampersand” all benefit from these added instruments, ranging from an ‘80s-influenced headbanger to a frantic, dramatic rant about the tyranny of genetics to the most arresting ballad Palmer’s ever written.
Who Killed Amanda Palmer serves as a vehicle for plenty of Palmer’s ballads, and while they’re generally well-crafted she unfortunately couldn’t avoid the overkill that sets in during the album’s last two songs. The non-ballad tracks that take up most of the album’s middle don’t always come off well--“Leeds United” and “Oasis” get by mostly on charisma and catchiness, but “Guitar Hero” is an awkward, sludgy mess and “Blake Says” is just plain boring. Flaws and all, there’s an anthem on this album for anyone, knocked-up teenagers, suicide contemplators, and people with severe allergies included. “I’m not the one who’s crazy,” sings Palmer on “Ampersand,” but whether it’s us or her that’s nuts her music can be our perfect padded cell.
4/5
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