amanda palmer

'Amanda Palmer Goes Down Under'

Year:                   2011

Label:                  Liberator

Track Listing:     1. Makin' Whoopee 

2. Australia 

3. Vegemite (The Black Death)

4. Map Of Tasmania

5. In My Mind

6. Bad Wine And Lemon Cake

7. New Zealand

8. On An Unknown Beach

9. We're Happy Little Vegemites

10. Doctor Oz

11. A Formidable Marinade

12. The Ship Song

Dave G’s 'Amanda Palmer Goes Down Under' - Amanda Palmer Review:

Amanda Palmer has had a rough past twelve months. Many have mused whether putting her popular duo, The Dresden Dolls, on hold was a wise move and she also had an ugly split with her record label. Now Palmer comes out swinging with her second solo album, an album consisting of songs she recorded live or wrote on her recent tour to Australia.

As the title, Amanda Palmer Goes Down Under (and the cover art) suggests Palmer doesn’t exactly write music for children… but remember this is a woman whose nickname is Amanda ‘F**king’ Palmer, and hey who said it’s bad to be crude occasionally. In fact one of the best things about this album is the fact that Palmer can seamlessly switch between her regular cabaret-punk and full-on comedy (think Tim Minchin) in a heartbeat.

Palmer opens with the comedy bone in full swing with her own take on the classic “Makin’ Whoopee” and then easily wins over her Australian fans with her original track about ‘going to Australia’… strangely-enough titled “Australia”.

Her Tim Minchin-esque comedy comes in to play on “Vegemite (The Black Death)” where she savages one of Australia’s icons (much to the humour of the locals), however her new single “Map Of Tasmania” does let the album down. It’s supposed to be funny, but most listeners will barely raise a smile.

Palmer lets that slip pass by with the sweet little folk song, “In My Mind” and then follows up with a great duet with Tom Dickens. Palmer then pays homage to Australia’s sister, New Zealand with the crass (but of so funny) “New Zealand” and then hits a new high with the moody and dark “On An Unknown Beach”, it sounds forlorn but is so attractive to listen to.

Palmer continues to win over Aussie fans with a cover of Australia’s unofficial national anthem “We’re Happy Little Vegemites” and then returns to her classic Dresden Dolls style to pump out “Doctor Oz”.

Another highlight on the album is the sexual innuendo-laced “A Formidable Marinade” but even that is overshadowed by a brilliant cover of one of Nick Cave’s best tracks “The Ship Song”. Palmer brings such emotion to this album, that she makes it a must listen.

If you’re a fan of The Dresden Dolls chances are you’ll love this album, and if you saw Amanda Palmer when she was Australia then you’ve certainly got to add it to your collection… and you’re extremely lucky. A funny little album that shows that Palmer has more than one string in her bow.

RATING:- ***½ (out of 5)

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