Album review, as written for the Jackson Hole Weekly.
Artist: Amanda Palmer & The Grand Theft Orchestra
Album: Theater Is Evil
Release Date: September 26, 2012
Amid the flurry of controversy surrounding Amanda Palmer’s alleged misuse of the nearly $1.2 million that she raised via Kickstarter.com to produce Theater Is Evil, it seems that many have forgotten to discuss whether or not the album is actually good. Theater Is Evil is the former Dresden Doll’s third solo studio album and the first featuring her Grand Theft Orchestra. It slings with the dregs of been-around-the-block musicianship earned from years spent beating on exploratory musical hearts; and it is an LP made in the rare luxury of exactly what Palmer wanted to produce, from the rock/punk horn-backed lost love laments in “Massachusetts Avenue” to the 80’s-ballad-inspired “Grown Man Cry.” “The Bedsong” waltzes in on 3/4 piano intro, chronicling the iced story of two people who’ve lost years to unspoken words, as “Do It With A Rockstar” juxtaposes said ruminant effects inside of punk-coated, hit-me-straight questions such as “Do you wanna get drunk and stay the night?.” “Lost” twists in Talking Heads and Ben Folds reminiscent bends, and don’t miss “A Grand Theft Intermission,” the mid-album rock cabaret instrumental track.
