Who Killed Amanda Palmer

''Who Killed Amanda Palmer'' is the first solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Amanda Palmer. The album was largely recorded in Nashville, Tennessee, with collaborator Ben Folds and was released on Roadrunner Records (also home to The Dresden Dolls) on 16 September 2008. The name of the album is a reference to the series ''Twin Peaks'', which revolves around events surrounding the death of Laura Palmer.

Background

Certain tracks also featured Folds on percussion and keyboards and former Rasputina member Zoë Keating on cello.

In 2007, Palmer self-released the song "I Will Follow You into the Dark", a cover of the Death Cab for Cutie song, on her Myspace. The ID3 tags listed the source album as ''Nashville''. Fans discussed the possibility of the solo album having this name, but Palmer dispelled rumors on the Dresden Dolls' forum, The Shadowbox, stating:

that was titled 'nashville' because that is the location that i am recording the solo album....in nashville, at ben folds' studio, with ben, who is producing the record and playing on it. ..it will not be the album title unless i decide to confuse everybody and come up with an album title that will throw EVERYBODY
....ie 'nashville blues'
in which case shoot me

Palmer also revealed that the song would not be on the album, instead releasing it on ''Peace (for Mom)'', a compilation released by Brainwashed Recordings.

Palmer confirmed to the ''Boston Phoenix'' in April 2007 that the album was indeed titled ''Who Killed Amanda Palmer'', although another working title was ''That's Amanda Fucking Palmer to You''. She joked that the latter was unlikely to encourage being stocked at supermarket chain Wal-Mart.

On the overall feel of the record, Palmer said:

A lot of the songs are piano ballads that never found a home on a Dolls record, because I hadn't wanted to overload the record with slow material. But there's a really intense, exciting energy to the tracks at the same time. It definitely won't drag.

Additionally, she has said: "We've been adding everything from organs and Leslie cabinets eyboard speakerto strings, horns, and tympani. The final result should be biblical."

In November 2007, members of Estradasphere started touring with Palmer, as well as helping to produce this album.

Palmer part funded the production with $80,000 of her own money. She later regretted that decision, as Roadrunner's royalty rates (of $1 per album sale) meant she would likely never recoup the money.

The magazine ''Alternative Press'' named this album one of the "Most Anticipated Albums of 2008".

In an interview on April 20, 2008, Palmer told Hayley Rosenblum on her WHRW (Binghamton University's radio station) show, ''Penguins in the Desert'', that the release date would be September 16, 2008. She also mentioned that the album would be remastered on April 25 because Ben was not happy with the original mastering job. A later blog post by Amanda indicated that the album has been remastered at least three times. A companion book created in conjunction with Neil Gaiman was also mentioned.ADIO