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The Daily Banter: Now Hear This: Amanda Palmer Is NSFW

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I always loved the original version of this song and Amanda Palmer's live cover of it is equally terrific.

Here she is doing Yaz's In My Room.

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For all her occasionally intimidating ferocity, Amanda Palmer has always been at her best when she pares it down to just her and a piano. The woman has the ability to emotionally devastate with a consistency few artists can match these days.

Here's her new single -- The Bed Song.

The 25 Best Singles of 2012 (5-1)

5. St. Vincent -- Cheerleader

Annie Clark -- known by the stage name St. Vincent -- regularly churns out fascinating music, but she really hit a new high with this track. Its frank declaration of independence is matched only by its lush, languid instrumentation.



4. Amanda Palmer & The Grand Theft Orchestra -- The Killing Type

The force of nature that is Amanda Palmer returned in 2012 with a record financed through a massive Kickstarter campaign. The result was everything fans could have hoped for: it was fierce, fiery, a true breath of fresh air in the pop music world. The first single from it showcased everything that makes Amanda Amanda.



3. Skrillex -- Bangarang

Nobody came into 2012 with more to prove than Skrillex. He had a lot of hype to live up to but he managed it in spades with this explosive track, one that slammed you in the chest with the monstrous beats he's famous for. With this, he proved handily that he's the king of dubstep and maybe of electronic dance in general.



2. Frank Ocean -- Thinking About You

Frank Ocean made headlines in 2012 when he admitted to having had feelings for a man. Is he gay? Is he bi? Is he just experimental? It hardly matters. The bottom line is that as a musician, few are his equal these days. Channel ORANGE was a benchmark in modern soul and hip-hop, and this song was an absolute knockout.



1. Dead Sara -- Weatherman

Dear God, does this song kick your ass all over the room. With the opening guitar crunch and the Joplin-esque howl of Emily Armstrong, Dead Sara ferociously declared themselves to be the new gods of rock. There simply aren't words to describe what a chill-inducing punch to the gut this song was the first time you heard it -- and I guarantee it hasn't relented every time you've heard it since. It was hands-down the best track of the year, single or otherwise.

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Nobody enjoys being naked quite like Amanda Palmer, but even putting that aside, this is easily one of the best videos of the year.

Here's Want It Back.

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I generally don't post amateur video shot at shows, but I'm making an exception this morning for two reasons: 1) The quality of this one's pretty good, and 2) I was at the show in question.

This is a clip of the opening song Amanda Palmer did at the House of Blues in San Diego a couple of weeks ago.

Here's Smile (Pictures or It Didn't Happen).

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I caught Amanda Palmer last night at the House of Blues in San Diego and it was everything I imagined it would be.

Sure, I put this song up not too long ago, but here's a live version of her new single, The Killing Type.

Now your humble narrator, who's a mess of stress from work despite having been able to finally take a couple of days off, is going to once again immerse himself in the pile of stuff on his desk.

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The mighty Amanda Palmer returned this week with her first record in four years, one that was produced thanks to a bank-breaking Kickstarter campaign. While I give her loads of credit for that very social media-centric effort I'm not sure how I feel about her decision to crowdsource a band for live gigs and basically pay them nothing. That kind of thing seems to be the new paradigm, but as somebody who -- aside from the stuff I write here which I'd do regardless of donations made to the site -- refuses to work without getting paid for it in some way, I think it's a bit of a low blow.

Regardless, as expected this is a damn terrific song from America's foremost punk cabaret queen.

Here's The Killing Type.

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There hasn't been a word invented in the English language yet that properly describes how much I love this band, this song, and of course the force of nature that is Amanda Palmer.

I'm even willing to post it knowing that three minutes into this live performance, Lene Lovich appears to pull her usual Klaus Kinski-meets-Yoko Ono shtick and just about bring the whole thing crashing down. I get that she's a new wave legend and all, but she's still annoying as hell.

Here's the Dresden Dolls' Delilah.

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Ah, Amanda Palmer. You're just so damn cool.

Here's Leeds United.

Art Lovers 2: Now with More Nudity

Reading the newly engaged Amanda Palmer's online reports live from the Golden Globes last night was damn entertaining, mostly because she was like a little kid -- somebody thoroughly awestruck at even being there. (I mean, come on, she tweeted a picture from inside the ladies' bathroom -- see left.)

Course she sure as hell didn't look like a little kid.

Life: Amanda Palmer and Neil Gaiman at the Golden Globes

Art Lovers

You all know my opinion of marriage these days, but, man, if this relationship doesn't work, I have no idea what will: Last night, brilliant author Neil Gaiman and Dresden Dolls keyboardist-singer and all-around cool chick Amanda Palmer announced their engagement on Twitter.

It's a match made in geek heaven and probably the single most creative and talented couple on the planet. Their kids are gonna be like the Strangers from Dark City -- able to alter reality with their minds.

Congrats, you two black-hearted lovebirds.