Amanda Palmer - Goes Down Under (Album Review)

AMANDA PALMER * GOES DOWN UNDER

(Liberation)

The ever-quirky Amanda Palmer has been on a whirlwind as of late. Between her solo career, her work with Dresden Dolls or her side project/circus act/delusional nightmare Evelyn Evelyn, she hasn't slowed down in years. Her latest is another concept album of sorts, but nowhere near the oddity that was last year's Evelyn Evelyn record. Goes Down Under's concept is simple. Australia. Why not write an entire record about Bindi Irwin's homeland?

Goes Down Under starts with a handful of cheeky live songs, just as you'd expect from Palmer. "Makin' Whoopee" is simple in both its lyrics and its structure. For anyone that's had the terribly terrible terribleness of Australia's condiment of choice, "Vegemite (The Black Death)" is a standout track. Palmer begins with a sad, contemplative piano and lamenting lyrics before she bluntly declares (in front of an Aussie crowd, mind you), "it tastes like sadness, it tastes like batteries, it tastes like asses. I cannot hold a man so close who spreads this cancer on his toast." Palmer's always had a knack for comedic musicianship, and she shines in that role. It's unfortunate that the rest of Goes Down Under doesn't follow on the same track.

"Map of Tasmania" featuring The Young Punx comes across as a modern electro-cross between Chumbawamba and OMC. No piano, no ukulele, completely out of place. Luckily Palmer comes back with that ukulele on "In My Mind" and gives us that signature introspective look at her life, completely opposite her Twitter feed (which I had to block...sometimes she just doesn't shut up). Still, the curious choice of these two pre-recorded songs at this point in the record boggles my mind. It's as if Palmer needed a brief respite before hitting us with the next batch of live songs, beginning with "Bad Wine & Lemon Cake," a solid collaboration with Tom Dickins of Jane Austen Argument, Australia's answer to the Dresden Dolls.

But then, another in-studio recording, which immediately takes Palmer's charm out of the album. If she wanted to release a live album, she should've done it in full...not half-hearted tracks sprinkled throughout.

Palmer's a natural frontwoman with a weird aura you can't help but love, but that  is only showcased on about half of the new record. It might behoove her to tone down her release schedule and combine the best parts of each of her records into one solid output...and lay off the concept albums for awhile.

Grade: B-