Label: Eleven Records

To the outside world, the music of Amanda Palmer has always seemed a bit weird.  First gaining attention as the vocals and piano behind The Dresden Dolls, Palmer has since released a solo album entitled Who Killed Amanda Palmer as well as collaborated with a number of other artists.  However, despite everything that has come before, Evelyn Evelyn definitely takes the cake as the most bizarre project that the singer has ever participated in.  While billed as being performed by conjoined twins Eva and Lyn who share “three legs, two arms, two hearts, three lungs and a single liver”, the album is in fact performed by Palmer and folk musician Jason Webley.  The result is bizarre to say the least, a combination of ragtime, rock opera, piano driven ballads, sadness and humour.

The tracks that make up Evelyn Evelyn can be best split into two categories; those that contribute towards the album’s overall storyline and those that are supposed to represent the sister’s live repertoire.  Most importantly, the three part epic “Tragic Events of September Evelyn” tells the sorry back story of Eva and Lyn, a bizarre and surrealistic tale involving a redneck doctor with a chainsaw, a chicken farm, a brothel and a circus.  At times so depressing that they are almost humorous, these tracks tell the story of two sisters who are equally exploited and ignored by all who they meet.  While this bleakness is only occasionally punctuated by moments of happiness, somehow the sisters do manage to get their happy ending by the time the CD finishes.

The highlights of the album inevitably end up being those few tracks which are truly joyful.  “Have You Seen My Sister Evelyn?” is a delightful romp featuring some very 1900’s style piano work and the complimentary vocal work of Palmer and Webley.  While lyrically innocuous at first, the song climaxes in a hail of humorous accusations from one sister to the other concerning her sexual promiscuity.  Equally enjoyable is “Elephant Elephant”, which describes the short-lived but joyful friendship which springs up between the twins and their pet conjoined elephants.

Despite the public masquerade proclaiming Evelyn Evelyn to have been recorded by conjoined sisters who once performed in a freak show, Amanda Palmer and Jason Webley should be congratulated on their efforts in making something truly original.  The overarching storyline of the album is an emotional rollercoaster from beginning to end, and despite its musical diversity, never once does Evelyn Evelyn sound incoherent.  While it is true that most people won’t find it necessary to listen to this album on repeat for days on end, it is undeniably entertaining.  For those out there who thought Amanda Palmer was weird before, watch out; Evelyn Evelyn proves you’ve seen nothing yet.

By Matthew Woodward