AMG Review of Who Killed Amanda Palmer

Jason Lymangrover
All Music Guide

As the story goes, what was originally intended to be a mere piano and vocal bedroom recording of material that was deemed too balladic for Dresden Dolls' albums became an epic project by a twist of fate. After Ben Folds contacted Amanda Palmer by e-mail to randomly tell her that he was a fan of her music, they made plans to play some shows in Australia, where, upon meeting, the two wry-humored piano bashers found they shared a lot in common. He offered her future use of his Nashville studio, and once she accepted, he put on the producer hat and started taking the once raw songs to new heights with extensive layering. Along with Folds, who played keyboards and percussion himself, East Bay Ray of the Dead Kennedys, Annie Clark of St. Vincent, a horn section, cellist Zoe Keating, and a children's choir were all recruited to help round out the songs. Who Killed Amanda Palmer isn't a hugely drastic departure from the established Dresden Dolls formula with Brian Viglione; strangely, even with the added orchestrated bells and whistles, it's actually very similar sounding to their stripped-down sound as a two-piece.