Theatre Is Evil by Amanda Palmer & The Grand Theft Orchestra

A truly special album, one that will reach out and grab you by the lapels and shake the life out of, or into, you.

This record isn’t simply a record, it’s an emotional, intricate experience that keeps on after the instrumental break.

The faithful will lap up every eccentric note, of course, but there's much here for the uninitiated to delight in as well.

The new album is a Technicolor tour de force of symphonic, stagey pop, bristling with hooks and more than enough confidence to stare down any naysayers.

Before imperfection was a charming result of dedicated effort, whereas now it sounds like the consequence of simply trying to achieve perfection.

Nor is it much of an artistic leap forward for Palmer - the lyrics may be self-consciously (and, to some ears, tiresomely) 'outrageous', but there is a definite musical conservatism in there.