Dresden Dolls.

As reported yesterday in my log, I saw the Dresden Dolls two nights ago. I've been looking forward to this one for ages. Did the Dolls live up to my expectations? You bet your ass they did.

Amanda Palmer came on stage wearing a Pixies T-Shirt, which was just downright cool. Something I didn't expect was the fact that drummer Brian Viglione proved to be just as exhibitionist as Palmer. In fact, Viglione was the real treat of the evening, providing drum work which was absolutely mind-blowing, and continually engaging in melodramatic antics throughout the set.

The set itself was awesome, and quite possibly the strangest ever played. At one point, the Dolls were joined on stage by Brendon Urie, the lead singer of Panic! at the Disco (for whom they were opening), for a tongue in cheek rendition of Brittany Spears "Hit me Baby, one more time", followed by fan favorite "Coin Operated Boy", and then a fantastic cover of "War Pigs", by Black Sabbath. This rather unusual combination really threw the girl-pants crowd into a confused state, but they were all pretty enthusiastic about it anyway. The Dolls ended their set with "Girl Anachronism", which was the one song I was really hoping to hear them play.

Just as a side note, The song "Coin Operated Boy" has alternate live lyrics: Instead of singing "I can even take him in the bath", Amanda Palmer sings "I can even Fuck him in the ass", much to my amusement.

Murder By Death.

'In Bocca al Lupo', by Murder By Death, recommended to me by my friend Zack, is a terrific blend of southwestern rock styles. The band clearly derives its strength from the legacy of dark, strange and angry men of generations past: A bit of Tom Waits, a hefty dose of Nick Cave, and a whole lot of Johnny Cash. In fact, the lead singer sounds so much like Johnny at times that it's just downright eerie. One track on the disc really made me think of Elliott Brood, which I posted about earlier. If you're into the dark side of the west, definitely give these albums a listen.