The Dresden Dolls

Nowadays it may seem like generic piano-driven power pop, especially now that the Dolls are bopping around with the execrable likes of Fall Out Boy, but this band has an oft-overlooked history. Diehard fans pine for the old Amanda Palmer (lead vocalist and pianist), the absolutely off-kilter musician who, long before the Dolls, was known for tearing off her clothes while screaming as part of an interpretive art show she used to perform in downtown Boston. That was the very edge they seem to miss now. Songs about pederasty, regret, and even NPR radio hosts are all spindled together with the often eerie, emotional tunes of both piano and drums. It’s witty, ironic, and somewhat silly at times. If you’ve only listened to Yes, Virginia, which seems to be more of a “shopping mall CD,” I’d suggest skipping to something of more substance, something inherently more human and real. Try their first release, which is self-titled, or even the less polished A is for Accident. While you’re at it, stop shopping at FYE and get out of the mall.

Clare Fader & The Vaudevillains

This band is in the same neck of the woods as the Dresden Dolls, save for some crucial differences: more quirk, less bipolarity, and an eclectic cast of instruments—from cellos to bicycle spokes. The result is a colorful and witty mix of different styles, most notably cabaret and jazz, led by the voice of a throaty Clare Fader. In short, it’s guaranteed fun music, and you’ll find yourself laughing at the witty story-like lyrics that every song has to offer. Try Seventh and Trade for starters, and let yourself be whisked off to a quirky land of lyrical pulp fiction.

Ching Chong Song

Kitschy and loopy, one is never sure whether Ching Chong Song is being honest or genuinely demented. Backed by the whaling, strange shrieks of a saw, Julie LaMendola and Dan Gower are a true act to behold. The music is far from conventional and is almost a bit too hyperactive at times, switching from one crazed tone of voice to another and often immediately changing tempos. It’s confusing, surely, but they are an interesting band to see live if only for their eccentric personalities. Some call it “odd cabaret,” while they themselves call it “subversive anti-folk.” Whatever the case, they certainly pull off the key element of uniqueness: Being strange.