The Ideal Boyfriend

At the moment there are a few CDs that I am savoring like a gourmet meal, gargling down like vintage French champagne. Tom Waits' "Real Gone", Rodrigo y Gabriela (saw them in concert last Sunday..how amazing were they: an absolute sound sensation and pleasure to the ears). Really liking "Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah" - they had been banned for a wee while, but they are back in full honour now and really loving them (which is good considering that we are going to see them in Feb!). Nevertheless the greatest discovery of the past two weeks have got to be the "Dresden Dolls" (www.dresdendolls.com); although their name and vaudevillian showmanship conjure the atmosphere of a smoky backroom cabaret bar in 30s Germany, The Dresden Dolls are actually a Bostonian duo who have translated a love of musical melodrama into one of the most fascinating and extraordinary musical expressions around. Brian Viglione plays drums while Amanda Palmer hammers the life out of her grand piano, singing tales of the peculiar characters that inhabit the twilight world of her Brechtian imagination. Entering their world is a joyful and intoxicating experience. I may disagree with some of the song contents, but their undoubted talent, admirable courage in presenting something refreshingly "different" and artistically creative is a real ecstatic musical experience. Out of the two albums, "Coin Operated Boy" from their 2002 debut album, is my favourite song. It is, in my opinion, their trademark: blatantly arty, ingeniously composed, exquisitely articulated and innocently sinister.. Moreover, who has never secretly (or more openly) wished that sentimental relationships were idealistically blissful like Palmer's fantasy?!
I sure did... Enjoy the video!