Since Iceberg Ink is your one stop shop for all things cool, I thought I'd take this opportunity to introduce you to...Amanda Palmer.
If this is a new name to you I'm jealous of all the joy that is about to come into your life.
Amanda Palmer is a singer\performance artists, formerly of the Dresden Dolls but now winging her way through the musical ether as a solo act. I was lucky enough to see her open for Nine Inch Nails six years ago and I walked away from the experience having enjoyed the opening band more than I did the main show.
She is the queen of punk cabaret, a rarefied musical genre with few players in it.
But the term punk cabaret doesn't do enough justice in describing what this talented artist is capable of producing. Her musical stylings alternate between deeply soulful. cheekily irreverent and refreshingly honest. She's a sort of musical bohemian who can't be confined to any one sound or one taste.
Her most recent album, AMANDA PALMER GOES DOWN UNDER, dropped on Friday and I'm still in the early stages of courtship with it. Expect a proper review of the album soon, after I've had more time to digest it. The video above, Map of Tasmania, is the first single from the album, but a very poor example of what she's capable of creating. (I'd be really bad at marketing wouldn't I? Trying to turn people on to an artist by showing off her less powerful creations)
For a definitive AP album, I recommend her first solo endeavour, WHO KILLED AMANDA PALMER? It's a powerful, soulful disc that ensnares you with its rich musical melodies, naked lyrics and captivating arrangements.
If you're looking for something that's a little off the beaten path but still refreshing and charismatic, welcome home.
Here's a link to Astronaut, my fave song from her first album.
I absolutely adore Amanda Palmer AND Nine Inch Nails - seeing them both live in the same night would have been amazing. She played at my local pub a few weeks ago in support of her support act who are touring with her here in Australia. That's right, Amanda Fucking Palmer played on the same stage where I've sung karaoke, in the same pub I've been getting sloshed at for nearly 10 years and in the same room where several women have mistakenly asked me to go home with them (fools!). Search YT for "Amanda Palmer, Brunswick Hotel", some people have some vids up.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I'm loving the new album and will see her do a full gig at the end of Feb (have volunteered to cook for her, fingers crossed I get the gig), she's all over the country at the moment doing Ninja Gigs and radio interviews so I'm getting an AFP fix almost ever single day. Do you read her blog?
BTW, Astronaut is my fave song of hers as well (with Ampersand a very close second) and The Dresden Dolls aren't completely over, they still do shows such as the end of 2010 they did a mini tour.
There's a pub here in Melbourne called the Evelyn and I have it on good authority that she'll be doing an Evelyn Evelyn gig there during this tour as well - woo hoo!
Yes I do read her blog.
ReplyDeleteI try to keep on top of all things Amanda Palmer. Wait, that sounds dirty....Ahh what the hell.
That's one of the things that I love about AFP. It's not just the music, its her interactivity with the fans, her blogs about the creative process and how she looks at being a professional musician in the 21st century.
Very few people let it all hang out like that.