so, i've finally managed to pick myself up off the floor after a week and a half of AFP (amanda fucking palmer) sensory overload...this album has lived up to my anticipation and expectation a hundred times over.....i think the last album i listened with such intense enthusiasm was radiohead's ok computer back in '98. it's unlikely WKAP will make the nme and rolling stone lists of best album of all time like ok computer does...in fact given the dresden dolls have always been a bit leftfield and uncategorisable the album may not even chart at all, but by god, this is an awesome recording, and even with ben folds' stamp all over it, it's definitely amanda's finest work.
'guitar hero' is probably my favourite track (though its a very tough call), and it and 'leeds united' have had me dancing constantly round the apartment like a maniac, the build on 'another year' almost has me in tears on every listen (can there be a more beautiful song about procrastination?), 'runs in the family' still blows me away as much as it ever did when i first heard it at the spiegeltent last december, and 'oasis' may just be the catchiest song about date-rape and abortion ever written.
the thing is though, it's hard for me to know if it is purely the music alone that has captured me with this album, or whether it's the whole package of the music, the art and the woman herself. ever since the first time i saw the dresden dolls play live at the corner hotel several years back, when they were plagued with technical problems and amanda was obviously frustrated with the constant keyboard issues, i have been blown away with the honesty portrayed by this band, both on and off stage, and their obvious connection with the audience and their fans. never have i seen a band so real. amanda in particular. while now well-known enough to be considered at least a moderately high-profile celebrity, she is still down-to-earth enough to invite her fans for a game of soccer on a random london oval, stay back after shows to chat, and publish her intimate musings on her blog. i sometimes wonder how other bands have not caught on to this concept..... because even though the music on its own is fantastic, part of the appeal of the dresden dolls is the respect they show their fans, and the feeling of inclusiveness they convey...as though it' s just two of your good friends up there playing sold out shows worldwide to 2000 odd people at a time. This has ultimately worked for them and won them an extremely loyal following.
something about the dresden dolls makes me feel like i'm 16 again...totally obsessed with music, totally obsessed with a band that's my whole world and just feeling that i just want to do something/anything to convey how much impact their music has on my life. i'm jealous of all those teenage fans on the myspace page, bonding together by not sleeping for 18 hours, consistently refreshing the webpage so they could preorder the limited addition amanda palmer autographed album packages, posting to each other about their mutual obsessive infatuation with this artist. I am nearly 30, i'm too old for that kind of hardcore fandom anymore. having said that, i got sucked in...i didn't join in their conversations, but did decide i also wanted the signed package, so stayed up for hours refreshing the webpage and enjoying reading all the postings till about 3am when i could hold out no longer and fell asleep.
despite the fact i was very tired and somewhat grumpy at work the next day, it was kind of awesome to do something just a little bit hardcore fanlike again. (although it did turn out i didn't have to be that hardcore after all, i still managed to get the signed package when i woke at 8.00am the next morning, but hey, the intent was all there).
anyhow it's late, and i have to get some sleep, so enough gushing for one night...i was supposed to study tonight but once again have been distracted by music.....
