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 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.
The faithful will lap up every eccentric note, of course, but there's much here for the uninitiated to delight in as well.
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.
My main problem with Theatre is Evil, is how long it is. Standing at 71 minutes it is a length album but it does have a nice variety of tracks but i feel some of them cut of been cut and many songs could of been reduced slightly especially the ones which exceed the 6 minute mark but apart from that this is a solid Alternative Rock album which may not be the most amazing or groundbreaking to come out in the early 2010's but overall quite playful and entertaining
Track Review
Meow Meow ... read more
Yeah sure it's over the top, too long and self indulgent but it is also bloody good and that is what you want from Amanda Palmer.
In many ways, Theatre is Evil was unfairly overshadowed by the Kickstarter controversy that birthed it. Amanda Palmer's non-concrete method of trading with her fanbase, something that's landed her in hot water for years, came to a boil when she raised 1.2 million dollars off a campaign initially only meant to raise $100,000. The statistics behind it all were nearly poetic. Her old band, The Dresden Dolls, became trapped in label hell when their second commercial album sold 25,000 copies, ... read more
#7 | / | Alternative Press |
#44 | / | PopMatters |