Come To The Punk Cabaret, Old Chum

I've been listening to the self-titled album by the Dresden Dolls a lot lately. Not exactly an album I'd recommend for family listening, but close enough to my current mood to be suitable to me. The group specializes in a brand of eclectic music that has been characterized as “punk cabaret” -- plenty of frenzied piano-playing and some sweet melodies on the most unlikely subjects.

I first got hooked on the group when I heard the song “Coin-Operated Boy” on the PA at a local record store. It was a simple novelty tune and yet more than a novelty tune. I'm tempted to call it the “Imaginary Lover” of the 21st Century because it covers similar subject matter. A girl -- who is lonely -- purchases a -- well -- a coin-operated boy. You can guess the rest of the story from there.

There was a time when I turned up my nose at this type of melodrama, but lately I've acquired a taste for it. It might not help me understand the world but it can help me tolerate it.