The Dresden Dolls, “The Dresden Dolls” (Roadrunner, 2004)

Amanda Palmer, vocalist and pianist of The Dresden Dolls, coaxes a lullaby out of the piano in front of her. Palmer fights to keep her voice under a whisper as the opening tack, “Good Day,” quickly crescendos into a barrage of Brian Viglione’s erratic drum beats and heavy piano chords.

 The Boston duo’s self titled debut achieves a consistent sound without becoming monotonous, something many successful bands struggle to perfect. The songs are reminiscent of 1940’s German cabaret.  Palmer’s expressive voice comes off as more acting than singing and adds an element of playfulness to the album.

Songs range from the bluesy, “Gravity,” to the paranoid piano speed anthem, “Girl Anachronism,” and the haunting “Slide,” but all the songs are consistent in musical style.

Though Palmer claims to have had no classical piano training, her delicate hand is apparent in songs like the staccato and rushed “Bad Habit.” Palmer’s fingers pull away from the keys as quickly as she hits them as if they were a hot stove instead of a piano. Palmer’s voice is as punctuated as the notes she plays. Viglione matches the sharpness of Palmer’s piano; the two instruments blend into one.  

Songs like “Perfect Fit” value lyrics and emotion over complex music scores. The piano is kept simple and light and nearly fades to the background when Palmer’s sultry whisper details all of her imperfections. The song continues in a similar fashion as Viglione’s drums become just a small but necessary murmur in the background. Palmer’s lyrical genius comes to a head when she sings, “I can take a vow and I can wear a ring and I can make you promises but they won’t mean a thing.” The song then speeds up and Viglione’s intricate drum work is showcased as Palmer slams on the piano with as much intricacy as a toddler.

Though this album is not considered a concept album, there is a common theme carried throughout many of the songs. The third track on the album, “Missed Me,” takes inspiration from a childhood rhyme and transforms it into a darker tale. Palmer delivers the lyrics, “Missed me missed me now you gotta kiss me…” as if she were telling a scary story with a flashlight under her face. The lyrics begin to weave a story of a pedophile placed in prison that is still wanted by his young female victim, portrayed by Palmer. Similarly, the next track, “Half Jack,” takes the story of Jack and Jill and adds undertones of divorce and the difficulties of being split between parents. “Slide,” one of the last tracks on the album, tells a story of girl who gets kidnapped at a playground and forced into prostitution. Palmer’s eloquent lyrics relay the stories with astonishing clarity and defined style.

Each individual song on The Dresden Doll’s debut is surprisingly original but the order in which they are put on the album raises a few eyebrows. The album jostles the listener around as if they were on the El. One song will epitomize female aggression and the next will sound submissive and insecure. Though the order is questionable the range of emotion and quality of the songs overshadow any qualms that the listener might have about the organization of the album.

The debut album from the Dresden Dolls is astonishing. Many upcoming bands risk regurgitating what other bands have already accomplished but the Dolls have a unique sound and even more distinctive lyrics.

Time Out Article

Anne Holub, a music reviewer for Gapers Block’s music blog, Transmission, states her opinions in the Time Out article. Holub believes that nearly anyone is qualified to be a critic. In the case of good and bad critics, she believes that it’s up to the readers, and not other journalists, to decide.

 On the topic of passion versus education, Anne Holub thinks that without passion, one cannot obtain the education necessary for the topic being reviewed. She later states that a reviewer’s education never stops because most fields are always growing and changing and there a new things to learn about a reviewer’s specific field every day.

When discussing what qualities help us decided which critics are trusted and which are not,  Holub states, “I think you start off by identifying with a critic’s viewpoint… then you work at how each article that follows gels with your beliefs (or if it doesn’t how does it convince you of thinking otherwise).” Holub essentially thinks that readers are more likely to trust critics that they agree with more often. Holub also believes that even when the reader doesn’t agree with the critic the reader can recognize how  the critic could possibly sway their opinion. Anne Holub goes on to discuss why it is important, in her opinion, to establish a relationship between the reader and the critic. She believes that the reader/writer relationship is  similar to a relationship with a close friend; two may share many of the same opinions but as Holub says, “Sometimes the disagreements are more fun than the agreements.”

 Holub believes that critics who are published on the web and print should have the same amount of credibility as those who do otherwise. Holub suggests that, “…the Web is simply a medium for people who have to work that Home Depot job during the day… even if they’re not getting paid, they’re still writing good stuff… but instead of handing it out on mimeographed copies at the El station, they  have a blog…” Holub believes that great writers deserve credibility no matter where their work is getting published. Web writers shouldn’t be discredited simply because a newspaper or magazine isn’t hiring them.  Holub also thinks that web writers have a different tone than print writers.  Anne states, “The Web still smacks of a casual conversation, even on the online versions of ‘serious journalism’.” Holub believes that even print journalists have a more casual tone when writing for a web publication. Anne also discusses her opinion on how web feedback has changed her writing. She thinks that many writers let their reader feedback grow into a “schoolyard brawl,” meaning that feedback can cause vicious, and anonymous, reactions. She also believes that soon the writers will have control over what comments they leave up on their blogs.

Lastly, when asked if she would continue to write reviews if she didn’t get paid, Holub responded, “Definitely. Of course. I don’t get paid now sooo…”  Holub as well as the other critics in this piece agree that even if they were not getting a paycheck, the art of writing and reviewing is more important them then any monetary gain.

Good and Bad Reviews

Reviewing music, movies, plays and all art forms can be a difficult task. Though good writing, like all art, is up to interpretation, there are guidelines, especially in journalistic writing like reviewing. Reviewers  all have their own styles and processes when writing but there is an agreement between what makes a good review (http://leisureblogs.chicagotribune.com/turn_it_up/2010/07/album-review-arcade-fire-the-suburbs.html) and what is considered a bad review (http://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/3618/Neutral-Milk-Hotel-In-the-Aeroplane-Over-the-Sea/ ).

Greg Kot’s review of the recently released Arcade Fire album, “The Suburbs”, is eloquent and straight to the point. Kot keeps the band’s history brief but gives enough detail to inform new listeners on the ways that the band’s sound and ideas have progressed.  Kot explains, “…“Funeral” inspired shout-from-the-rafters sing-alongs, a blast of live-for-the-moment resolve at a time of mourning, “Neon Bible” (2007) was ominous and claustrophobic, a skeptical look at an era that conflates religion, war and consumerism,” In a sentence Kot has explained the band’s previous records without getting wordy or preachy. Description is essential to a good review and Kot executes his description of The Suburbs excellently. He illustrates the songs in such a way that reader can experience the music without actually hearing it. Kot describes the first track of the “The Suburbs” as, “…lighter than anything Arcade Fire has done in the past, with its bouncy piano and skip-along beat, an invitation into an album that seems to expand as it progresses…” The adjectives used in this particular description are emotive and give the reader a real sense of what to expect to hear when listening to the song. Kot not only describes the songs well but also compares the sounds of certain songs to that of more recognizable bands. Kot states, “… lonely-asteroid keyboards, anxious strings, sadly chiming Byrds-like progressions (“Suburban War”), skeletal guitar riffs that faintly echo old Cure songs (“Modern Man”)…” Kot ensures that the reader will grasp some sense of the Arcade Fire’s sound by comparing the songs to the sounds of other more well known bands the reader is sure to get a sense of the Arcade Fire’s sound. 

            The review of Neutral Milk Hotel’s “In the Aeroplane Over the Sea” on sputnikmusic.com does not read with as much ease and simplicity as Greg Kot’s review does. This particular writer has a tendency to be wordy and vague. The author states, “…you can hear Mangum's voice straining to reach the emotional peaks of his entire career,” This sentence doesn’t quite fit together. If the sentence had ended at “peaks” it would have been a decent description but “of his entire career” could be interpreted in many different ways and understandably confuses the reader. Besides perplexing the reader this writer also has a condescending tone towards his audience. This is best shown in the first paragraph when he states, “The Elephant 6 Recording Company. Oh, what's that? Most of you have never heard of them? That's unfortunate…” Not only is this writer making assumptions about his audience but is also insulting them. Though a review is meant to share an opinion it is not meant to insult people who don’t share the same one or that aren’t as knowledgeable about a certain band. Condescending remarks are made by this author throughout the entire review. The whole tone of this piece is very informal as well. Though a review can sometimes feel intimate and informal, like a friend is giving you the recommendation, however, this review feels as if a stranger approached you off the street and told you what to listen to. This review takes informality in writing to an extreme. For instance, “This [song] is about...wait for it, Anne Frank. Yeah, that Anne Frank.” Writing and talking are separate actions and a review, or any published writing, should not be written exactly as it would be spoken.