After reading my post about the Ditty Bops, jwz (yes, that jwz. Because I am totally that cool. Shut up! I am! Jeeze!) pointed me toward videos by The Dresden Dolls, specifically Coin-Operated Boy and Girl Anachronism.
Holy shit. I immediately went to the iTunes Music Store and bought their album.
This is another reason I’m so happy to be living in this age, with access to this technology. As recently as five years ago, I never would have heard of this band on my own, and even if I was fortunate enough to accidentally stumble upon them, I’d have to drive to a music store that not only carried their album, but would let me preview the album before I bought it. Instead, Jamie told me, "they’re your new favorite videos ever, you just don’t know it yet." and he was totally right. [I could put a huge rambling dissertation about the Long Tail and the
value of word-of-mouth marketing here, but I’ll spare you.] The thing is, the Dresden Dolls and the Ditty Bops sound nothing alike, and the only thing they really have in common (in this instance) is the visual style of their videos.But the music they make together, and the passion in Amanda’s lyrics grabbed me by the cerebellum and wouldn’t let go. The last album I had this sort of visceral oh-my-god-i-have-to-listen-to-it-over-and-over-and-over-again reaction to was Mike Doughty’s Skittish / Rockity Roll.
You’ve got to go to their website right now and read Amanda’s bio. Wow.
This is not music for everyone, but if it hits you, holy shit will it hit you.
